2y ago

A confused Dianne Feinstein tried to give a speech in the middle of a Senate hearing vote and was told to 'just say aye' instead

www.businessinsider.com

Senator Dianne Feinstein appeared confused during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Thursday. When asked to vote on a proposal, Feinstein began giving a lengthy speech instead of simply saying "aye" or "nay" as requested. The committee chair, Senator Patty Murray, had to repeatedly tell Feinstein "just say aye" and remind her that it was time for a vote, not speeches. After some delay, Feinstein finally cast her vote. A spokesperson said Feinstein was preoccupied and did not realize a vote had been called. The incident raises further concerns about Feinstein's ability to serve at age 90, as she has made other recent mistakes and often relies on aides.

75 comments

If 67 is the age of retirement in this country, then every single politician should be leading by example and retiring by then. I’m so sick of these geriatrics effectively ordering an entire lobster before they leave the restaurant and stick the younger folks with the bill.
- I think that would just result in an even bigger push by right-wing politicians to move the retirement age even higher.
  Better would be to tie it to the average life expectancy, updated with each census.
  
  Why should we be punished if life expectancy goes up? Nobody should have to work until they're too old to fully enjoy life.
  
  I'm not a fan of this. Moving the retirement age to life expectancy would mean that you only get to retire if you live beyond your expiration date.
  
  But just because you are alive doesn't mean you are useful as a worker or shouldn't retire. If we tied retirement with us life expectancy minus 10 years then retirement would be 67. But in the future if people live until 90, 80 is not a good retirement age. They wouldn't be able to carry out a lot of the tasks required.
  
  You’re probably right. And it’s not like any of them will ever vote for term limits. Our political system is a joke.
  
  Make them use the same type of insurance coverage and healthcare most Americans get and the problem will sort itself out.
- No the retired need representation as well. You can't right a wrong with another wrong. There needs to be a system in place for health evaluation and once you fail that without having a viable and reasonable path to improvement then you're ineligible to be reelected. This needs multiple, separate, groups of people involved to reduce the risk of being used as a tool to oust undesirables. I can't design such a system but I trust that people more well versed in how government works in the nitty gritty could design a suitable, acceptable system.
  
  They need representation, they don't need to be the whole representation. In fact, I'd say that 55+ people represent them quite well, since they are aiming to retire in the next decade anyways.
  I mean, they can vote, and they are a big sector of the voting base, so even if the politicians are younger, there will be enough of them wanting to please the 67+ sector.
  
  Let's add some babies and teenagers while we're at it. I don't see them represented.
  
  Voting is supposed to do all this for us, it is the check/balance.
  Problem is that more than half of Americans who should vote, don’t vote.
  
  You can easily make this argument towards teenagers as well, but they're obviously illegible. Yet their rights and futures are being stripped away by the elderly.
  There should absolutely be a hard cap and Senators should also be forced to use the services they provide (i.e. stop making millions stock trading) post retirement so it's guaranteed to be beneficial.
  
  I agree, I'm quick as anyone to joke about senility but to wholesale cut off our elders from decision making goes against all of social history.
  All that knowledge and wisdom is valuable, even if it's just "we tried this and it didn't work"
  
  Why do we need a law ? Didnt they, the people, vote for this old person or not ? I mean, if you are going to vote for a dry old person to represent you, that's on you, unless there's something I don't understand about the Senate.
  
  There needs to be a system in place for health evaluation
  The unhealthy need representation as well!
  No the retired need representation as well.
  You should have known that.
- They're more than wealthy enough to engage in other activities and hobbies. They got rich in civil service, now it's time for them to GTFO and make room for a younger, ~~progressive~~ leftist generation.
- More likely they'd just raise the retirement age then...
Absolutely disgusting, completely disconnected from not only the nation but reality itself.
just another traitor standing in the way of progress
Just like RBG, too interested in personal power and ego, what else is new I guess
Edit: and naps, who doesn’t love a little power nap
- I don't think she has enough consistent cognitive functionality to know wtf is going on really.
  She's being propped up by Pelosi rather than being allowed to decompose horizontally with dignity.
  It's indicative of just how corrupt the political class is in every western country
  
  Source re Pelosi?
  
  I heard someone joke that if her staffers aren't propping her up to keep their jobs but are actually delighting in seeing her frightened and confused in public, that person had new respect for the staffers. It's an amusing way to reframe this tragedy.
- I don't think she's interested in much besides naps at this point.
  This is 1000% on her staff, family, and colleagues.
just retire already
I'm way past sick of this fucking gerontocracy. The people determining the future should have a stake in it.
- Kudos for using the word "gerontocracy".
  
  I am proud of my vocabulary, but I don't know that I'm unique in my use of the word. Thanks, in any case!
- They do, in the Democratic primary.
  Where they keep voting for Feinstein.
  
  The primary system is institutionalized insanity. This is why our choices devolve into Weekend at Bernie's vs. a rapist Russian stooge.
Just fuckin stooooopp already JFC
While I think she's missed too much, she's quite old, and I think she should be replaced (though I'm not in her area so this is a moot point really), did anyone here actually watch the video?
This is a confusion in procedure and happens all the time.
Here is the video, go to 53:40 approximately:
https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings/full-committee-markup-of-fiscal-year-2024-defense-interior-and-environment-labor-health-and-human-services-education-and-homeland-security-appropriations-acts
People decry most "both sides" arguments for legitimate reasons. But this geriatric pandering takes place on both sides. It is absolutely disgusting to witness.
The GOP is dying for the left to pick up the mantle of putting age limits on serving in congress and the courts. It will help galvanize their base of older folks to vote. Don't fall for it.
- The GOP is dying for the left to:
  Protect women's health
  Do something about health care in general
  Do something about gun violence
  Protect the working class
  Address any of the many systemic issues
  It will galvanize their base. Don't fall for it.
Baphomet help us all!
Term limits need to be implemented and a basic mental aptitude test should be required
My guess is that most politicians just do what their staffers tell them. We're just seeing behind the curtain with Feinstein.
Is this year’s Congress the new Black Adder series?
Age limits and term limits are both bad ideas, but people who are in terminal mental decline should not be legislators, but it is up for their constituents to make that call.
- It is a complicated topic. Cause a disability or age is not a good reason to limit access to something. It should never be a reason.
  We need to improve healthcare, making our Environment accessible to everyone. And we need to ask ourself why do older people feel the need to stay in politics? Could it be that our society has a bad view on getting older so people are afraid to retire and admit that their capability has changed?
As much as I appreciate what she has accomplished in her career, it is long past time to step down. I agree with the poster advocating for an age limit for public servants.

75 comments

just another traitor standing in the way of progress