Listening to all the chatter around Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s prolonged absence from the Senate, one might think that the future of the Republic was at stake.
In addition to her absence, due to health issues, the underlying issue is that Sen. Feinstein, who will be 90 in June, may not be up to the rigors of the job because of her…(whispers) age.
Aside from the jockeying by potential replacements, and the blather from the commentariat about the supposedly serious ramifications of her absence, I was most struck by this “woman on the street” reaction from 79-year-old Alice Claire King in a piece on the local NPR affiliate: “As the biggest state in the country with only two senators, we need her vote. We need a senator who is at full speed and can give his or her all.”
I guess Ms. King has a point. California is currently working at only 50 percent capacity in the Senate. Of course, I’m not entirely convinced that Alex Padilla is operating at full throttle either, so it may be closer to 35-40.
But the one thing I decidedly do not want in a U.S. Senator — Feinstein or anyone else — is someone who is operating at “full speed.” In fact, it seems odd to me that anyone would express concern that a person is not capable of fulfilling his or her duties in a body whose constitutional purpose is to do nothing, or rather, to prevent the doing of something.
It is generally thought that the Senate was designed to check the passions of the mob or, in George Washington’s apt metaphor, to be the saucer to cool political passions (as one might do to cool one’s coffee), as he explained to Thomas Jefferson. This oft-repeated anecdote isn’t quite right though. In reality, the Senate was conceived not only to protect small states from larger ones but to protect all states from a too powerful federal government. Or as it’s inscribed in the frieze of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, “the Senate is the living symbol of our Union of states.”
What is often misunderstood is that the permanent state of the Senate is stasis. Weakened as it is by the 27th Amendment, the U.S. Senate is still the greatest deliberative body in the world. In other words, the world’s most exclusive bullshit session. Senators have the right to unlimited debate. The much-hated filibuster is simply an attempt to extend the bullshit session against an effort to force a vote (cloture). If you want action, look to the House. The Senate’s primary purpose is to simply exist, like time.
Which makes the Senate the perfect place for statesmen — and women — of a certain age to spend their golden years. To put it more charitably, it’s one of the few public offices in the world — along with the papacy and the throne of England — to honor longevity. There are 90-year-old popes and 90-year-old queens, but there are no 90-year-old congressmen or women, and certainly no 90-year-old presidents, at least not yet.
There was a time when the Senate was a resting home of sorts for giants such as Strom Thurmond (R-SC), Robert Byrd (D-WV), and Jess Helms (R-NC). All were well past their prime but still had immense institutional presence. Thurmond was president pro tempore when he was 98, which should give you an idea how demanding the job of a senator is. He served until he was 100 and dependent on a wheelchair. What with Feinstein still walking on two legs and all, I’m not so sure what the fuss is about.
And think of this, the alternative to Feinstein will, no doubt, be a youngish progressive crusader with an eye on the White House and something to prove. I can think of no more dangerous prospect.
When put that way, DiFi’s decision to uphold the traditions of the U.S. Senate by joining the ranks of the wrinkled fogies too addled by age to do much of anything may be her greatest act of public service yet.
J.S. Scifo is a North County resident who has worked in national and state politics.