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United States News

Senator Dianne Feinstein, Oldest Member of Congress, Dies at 90 (nytimes.com) 386

Senator Dianne Feinstein, the trailblazing Democratic power broker who served in the Senate for 30 years, died on Thursday night, according to a family member. From a report: In recent years, Ms. Feinstein, 90, had suffered from frail health and memory issues that made it difficult for her to function alone and prompted calls for her to step down, which she consistently rejected. Her condition had grown more acute over the past several months, after a bout with shingles that caused serious complications, including a case of encephalitis, and prompted her to begin using a wheelchair in the halls of the Capitol.

Ms. Feinstein's long and very public decline shed a spotlight on the advanced age of members of Congress and particularly the Senate, where many continue to serve long after retirement age. On Capitol Hill, where the Senate is racing to pass a temporary spending bill to avert a government shutdown at midnight on Saturday, her absence was unlikely to have an immediate impact. Her vote had not been expected to be determinative for passing that measure, which has broad bipartisan backing.

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Senator Dianne Feinstein, Oldest Member of Congress, Dies at 90

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  • government shutdown stoppage vote may not happen in time now even if they hammer out an deal

  • by davide marney ( 231845 ) on Friday September 29, 2023 @08:38AM (#63886057) Journal

    As sad as we are at these passing, the fact is that death comes to us all. And while there's certainly no need to hasten it, we do have a choice of how we live, right up to the moment.

    Going out still in the saddle is the tried and true way. Never a day without working to leave the world better than you found it, as you see it.

    We are sad to see you go, Senator, and we thank you for your service.

  • by ljw1004 ( 764174 ) on Friday September 29, 2023 @08:44AM (#63886103)

    Do you think this at last will persuade her to step down?

  • by sTERNKERN ( 1290626 ) on Friday September 29, 2023 @08:50AM (#63886137)
    What is the relevance of this?
  • by schwit1 ( 797399 ) on Friday September 29, 2023 @09:15AM (#63886263)

    I say this for Mitch McConnell too. Too many politicians are out of touch with reality and in the pocket of lobbyists.

    An elected office shouldn't be a career. Bring your skills to the job for 2 terms, leave gracefully, no pension and then get a real job like the rest of us.

    • by EvilSS ( 557649 )
      I agree. Unfortunately the people who would be term limited are the ones who would have to vote on the constitutional amendment that would be required to make it happen. Good luck with that. They get introduced every once in a while (last one this year actually) but never go anywhere.
    • I was going to say the same, but in reality lack of term limits are not the underlying problem, voters refusing or being afraid to make a change is the problem. Stop voting for a party line and vote for the better candidate; if both options suck (a two party system is - well we are stuck with it) and the existing politician sucks at least try the other suck option they honestly can't be much worse.

      If anyone dares to defend an incumbent that should have been voted out long ago by making a party line argum
      • Yup, before we go using a sledgehammer like term limits to solve what may not even be a solution to what may not even really be a problem let's maybe try and get those 80% of voters who do not participate in primaries to, vote in primaries.

        Nearly 80% of Eligible Voters Don’t Participate in Primaries [bipartisanpolicy.org]

        So many people complain that we only get "2 choices" when fact is when elections start we usually get 6-12 per party at the outset of very variable political persuasions. Just look at the GOP debate this w

        • that only 66% show up to vote in general elections in 2020. In a year with beyond record turn out almost half still stayed home.

          Of course the concept of a "registered voter" is inherently nuts. It's 2023, we have computers and cell phone networks and the internet. We don't need to pre-register people to vote, it's just a way to make it harder to vote because one party in particular is less likely to win when turnout is higher....
  • by EmagGeek ( 574360 ) on Friday September 29, 2023 @09:23AM (#63886299) Journal

    This is typical of politicians - power hungry, self-serving assholes who will cling to power until their very last breath. She is a shining example of why we need term limits.

    • Today should be a mirror check for all the voters that allow career politicians to keep their job.
    • This is typical of politicians - power hungry, self-serving assholes who will cling to power until their very last breath. She is a shining example of why we need term limits.

      I agree Feinstein stayed too long but term limits just shift more power to the lobbyists (bad) and party leaders (good and bad).

      Some institutional experience isn't a bad thing.

    • Instinctively, I agree with you.
      But...it is fairly clear that our government is so massive and Byzantine in operation that term limits basically just mean you hand power to the unelected Mandarins - the next-down tier of staff like office managers and Deputy-Sub-Chairs that ACTUALLY understand how all the shitty pieces fit together *and* simultaneously would have the only enduring network of personal connections that actually gets things accomplished for good or ill.

      You think any of them read their own emai

  • I'm sure social media and political discussion boards will be very classy today

  • by stanbrown ( 724448 ) on Friday September 29, 2023 @12:25PM (#63887147) Homepage

    So sorry for him. He has been a key in the direction of software development fopr my whole carrer.

Term, holidays, term, holidays, till we leave school, and then work, work, work till we die. -- C.S. Lewis

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