As we previously reported, a number of Democrats are now openly calling for 89-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who has reportedly been away for the Senate for close to two months while battling the shingles virus, to step aside, including Reps. Ro Khanna (Calif.) and Dean Phillips (Minn.).
Khanna – who is the co-chair of Rep. Barbara Lee’s campaign to replace Feinstein in 2024 – tweeted Wednesday that the failure of other Dems to speak out on this issue “undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people.”
Phillips echoed a similar theme, calling it a “dereliction of duty” for Feinstein “to remain in the Senate and a dereliction of duty for those who agree to remain quiet.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) doesn’t see it that way, however, and when asked about the situation surrounding Feinstein, Pelosi kinda sorta said the quiet part out loud about how it’s “interesting” that we’re not seeing the same people push for male Senators who are sick to resign, a clear reference to Sen. John Fetterman being absent for two months—with no calls on the Dem side for him to resign (even though she didn’t say his name):
“It’s interesting to me. I don’t know what political agendas are at work that are going after Sen. Feinstein in that way. I’ve never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate in that way,” Pelosi told reporters on Wednesday.
[…]
“She deserves the respect to get well and be back on duty,” Pelosi added.
Watch:
Nancy Pelosi on Dianne Feinstein:
“It’s interesting to me, I don’t know what political agendas are at work that are going after Sen. Feinstein in that way. I’ve never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate in that way.”
— NewsWire (@NewsWire_US) April 13, 2023
Rep. Norma Torres, a California colleague of Pelosi’s, was on the same wavelength:
Dear @SenFeinstein please get well soon.
When women age or get sick, the men are quick to push them aside.
When men age or get sick, they get a promotion. #WomensRights ARE #HumanRights— Rep. Norma Torres (@NormaJTorres) April 13, 2023
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) made a similar point during an interview, except he brought up Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) one-month absence rather than Fetterman’s two months away as an example of the hypocrisy in Democrats only demanding Feinstein step down:
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) opposes some Dems calling for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to resign amid health issues:
“There have been male senators who have been away from the chamber for quite a period of time and haven’t necessarily had this call … McConnell, for instance …” pic.twitter.com/KiiCe9DA4O
— The Recount (@therecount) April 13, 2023
At issue, of course, for Senate Dems is that Feinstein’s prolonged absence and rumored cognitive issues have hindered their ability to push Joe Biden’s radical judicial nominees through the Judiciary Committee, so I suspect if Fetterman was on that committee as well, we might be hearing the same calls for him to bow out.
Regardless, while Feinstein’s predicament is no laughing matter, I admit that I’m sitting back taking the Democrat infighting in with sweet tea in hand while Democrats play woke cards on each other that are usually only reserved for their political opposition.
What comes around goes around, and watching Democrats hoist each other by their own petards in very public ways is always entertaining to see.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member