June 2, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Lefties Want Feinstein Out: Classic Age Discrimination

By Tom Elias

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

None of the host of ultra-liberal Democrats who would love to succeed her makes the direct argument that at 84 – she’ll be one year older by next November’s election – fellow Democrat Dianne Feinstein is too aged to be one of California’s two United States senators.

But that’s what they mean. “Feinstein … is no less alert and active today than she’s been in recent years,” went one essay in California’s largest newspaper, damning her with faint praise. “Generational renewal,” the same essay continued, is one way to measure the strength of a political party. In other words, if you’re lucky enough to acquire some age, get out of the younger folks’ way.

That’s, of course, what those younger folks would like – until and unless they also eventually acquire some years.

By all appearances, Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee and former chair of the Intelligence Committee, is at least as active now as she was 20 years ago, when no one complained about her age. She wasn’t as loud as some others (read: California’s other senator, Kamala Harris) in questioning Donald Trump administration figures like Attorney General Jeff Sessions during nationally televised hearings last spring, but her civilly-phrased questions seemed more piercing to many. No Democrat has done more to preserve the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, which provides health insurance for about 5 million previously uninsured Californians.

In short, Feinstein has lately done as much as when she worked to thwart the conservative agenda of ex-President George W. Bush 15 years ago.

But she’s still a centrist, which galls a lot of leftists. She’s offered compromises on water issues and won support from Central Valley farmers, while also fighting for abortion rights and other civil liberties causes. She’s a firm conservationist, the only senator actively opposing Trump appointees who seek to allow the private Cadiz Inc. to tap federally-owned groundwater beneath the Mojave Desert for profit.

She’s also been scrupulously fair to business. And she’s been responsible for several measures keeping domestic surveillance by intelligence agencies in check, while clamping down on those same agencies’ proclivity toward using torture.

All that and more makes her able to work with Republicans and get them to listen to her reasoning on some key issues. So, yes, she’s out of tune with more radically leftist Democrats who would prefer a more ferocious, partisan approach.

But could any of the current field of would-be Democratic senators – figures like Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna, who also used ageism in ousting longtime Rep. Mike Honda, or state Senate President Kevin de Leon or Pasadena Congressman Adam Schiff – be as effective?

Advocates urging Feinstein not to run for a fifth full term would never cop to their obvious prejudice against anyone her age. But they want her to leave now, following the example of former colleague Barbara Boxer, who retired at 76 near the end of 2016, allowing Harris to succeed her.

California Senator Dianne Feinstein

Opportunistic Democrats eagerly awaiting Feinstein’s departure will do nothing direct against her, but all know that if she runs again, they can do little to prevent yet more prospects from joining their corps long before her new term would be up. No one knows who might become a viable candidate by 2024, or even whether Democrats will still dominate in California.

Six years ago, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was a little-known city councilman, Khanna held no office, and virtually no one knew who Schiff was. Just as things changed for them, the same could happen for unknown numbers of others over the span of a new six-year Feinstein term.

Meanwhile, some Democrats strongly wish for Feinstein to stay. Former San Diego Congresswoman Lynn Schenk, for one, calls Feinstein “one of the most influential and respected senators” and a “canny expert on legislation” who “probes for the truth in her committees.”

That’s what most people want in a senator, and as long as Feinstein provides it, her age should be no factor at all.

 

Related Posts

Alpine Floor & Home: A Legacy of Quality Since 1968

June 2, 2025

June 2, 2025

Founded in 1968 with a single location, Alpine Floor & Home began as a humble family business with a clear...

Chin Chin to Close West Hollywood Location After 45 Years of Service

June 2, 2025

June 2, 2025

Iconic Sunset Plaza Restaurant Announces Final Day of Operations Chin Chin, the iconic Chinese eatery that has been a fixture...

LACMA’s $700M David Geffen Galleries to Open in 2026

June 2, 2025

June 2, 2025

New Structure Will Replace Original Midcentury Buildings Construction crews are entering the final stretch on the David Geffen Galleries, a...

Criterion Mobile Closet Arrives in L.A. for Two-Day Stop at Santa Monica’s Aero Theatre

June 2, 2025

June 2, 2025

More Than 1,000 Classic Titles June 6–7 During American Cinematheque’s Bleak Week  Following its successful appearances at SXSW and Vidiots...

Lane Closures Return to PCH in Malibu for Fire Recovery and Emergency Repairs

June 1, 2025

June 1, 2025

Traffic Will Be Impacted as Caltrans and the USACE Conduct Cleanup  The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has announced updated...

Police Non-Emergency Line Temporarily Down Due to Service Outage in Culver City

June 1, 2025

June 1, 2025

Emergency 9-1-1 Services Remain Active; Alternate Numbers are Available  The Culver City Police Department has announced a temporary outage affecting...

Culver City to Frame Iconic Tree with Landmark Sculpture by Charles Gaines

June 1, 2025

June 1, 2025

Acclaimed Conceptual Artist’s Public Artwork Enters Final Phase Culver City is moving forward with the final phase of an ambitious...

Defensible Space, Defined: How A Plus Tree Protects Communities from Wildfire

May 30, 2025

May 30, 2025

In the wildfire-prone landscapes of the Western United States, safeguarding homes and communities requires proactive measures. A Plus Tree, a...

WeHo Pride Weekend Begins and 2025 Icons Announced: Parades, Concerts, and Community Celebration Kicks Off

May 30, 2025

May 30, 2025

Three-Day LGBTQ+ Festival Features Performances by Lizzo, Maren Morris, and Kim Petras West Hollywood is preparing to kick off its...

Palisades Village to Reopen in 2026 with Revamped Retail, Dining, and Community Spaces

May 29, 2025

May 29, 2025

Elysewalker Set to Return With Park Reconstruction, Holiday Events, and Streetscape Upgrades Palisades Village, the open-air shopping and lifestyle destination...

Bel Air Seventh Grader Reaches Finals of Scripps National Spelling Bee

May 29, 2025

May 29, 2025

Oliver Halkett of Mirman School Competed on Thursday for a $50,000 prize Thirteen-year-old Oliver Halkett, a seventh grader from Mirman...

(Video) Signs That Your Aging Loved Ones Are in Need of Caregiving

May 29, 2025

May 29, 2025

To Find Out More, Go To Safelyhomeagain.com To Find Out More, Go To https://t.co/ZCPyKHj5aq pic.twitter.com/cDTEPjfA6s — Westside Today (@WestsideLAToday) May...

Two Men Charged in Culver City Kidnapping and Robbery After Victim Forced to Withdraw Cash

May 29, 2025

May 29, 2025

Suspects Allegedly Abducted Man at Gunpoint, Drove Him to Multiple Banks  Two men have been arrested and formally charged in...

Salt & Straw Unveils Summer Pie Series with Five Seasonal Ice Cream Flavors

May 29, 2025

May 29, 2025

Five New Flavors Inspired by Classic Summer Pies Will Be Introduced Salt & Straw is giving summer a scoopable twist...

(Video) Interviews with Rick Caruso and Elyse Walker, with a Dennis Quaid cameo

May 28, 2025

May 28, 2025

We spoke at the Press Conference to announce plans to reopen Palisades Village Shopping Mall. Actor Dennis Quaid arrives to...