Dianne Feinstein is 90 years old and in seriously ill health. She had to take months off, away from the Senate, to recover from shingles. When she came back, she looked and acted noticeably unwell and senile. The thing is, if she was a powerful senator from a swing state, I would understand Feinstein’s need to keep both hands on her Senate seat. But she’s from California! There are literally four generations of Democrats waiting to take her seat. Well, Feinstein will retire next year – she’s not running for reelection, so there’s that. Still, there’s a lot of talk about how she needs to resign right now, given her inability to effectively work as a senator. What’s even worse is that Senator Feinstein has now given power of attorney to her daughter. Good lord.

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein has relinquished power of attorney to her daughter — even as she continues to serve in Congress at the age of 90, according to a report. The Democratic senator — who is the oldest member of Congress — has faced calls to resign after health complications kept her away from the Capitol for months earlier this year. Since returning to Washington DC, she has appeared frail and has had a number of public mental lapses.

Feinstein handed over power of attorney to her daughter, 66-year-old Katherine Feinstein, in part to help handle legal battles over her late husband Richard Blum’s estate, the New York Times reported on Thursday. In one dispute, Katherine, Feinstein’s only child, is at odds with Blum’s three daughters over the ownership of a luxury beach house owned by Feinstein, according to the paper. In a separate lawsuit, the two families are feuding over Blum’s life insurance, which Feinstein claims she needs to cover her increasing medical costs, The Times reported.

Feinstein, who has represented California for over 30 years, announced earlier this year that she would not seek re-election in 2024. Several longtime colleagues have leaked to the press that her mental acuity has significantly declined.

[From The NY Post]

I understand the legal reasons for a 90-year-old woman to hand power of attorney to her daughter to deal with various estate and lawsuit issues… but it’s plainly absurd for this to happen while Feinstein is still a sitting senator. This isn’t a case of whataboutism – cold and clammy Mitch McConnell should also resign, because he is also clearly unwell and unable to do his job. It’s just that I’m personally glad that the Republicans have someone senile in the job of minority leader. So, I’ve come around on this – Feinstein really does need to go. Gov. Newsom should be able to appoint someone in the interim, between now and the 2024 election.

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