Feinstein’s feminist farce
Here’s a controversial opinion: when you’re no longer capable of doing your extremely important job you should gracefully step away from your extremely important job. I know that may not sound controversial on the surface, but it appears to be quite the topic of debate in Washington DC. It certainly seems to be a contentious issue for Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker, who recently hit back at calls for the 89-year-old Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein to resign over her health.
Feinstein
is the oldest sitting US senator (narrowly beating out spring
chicken Chuck Grassley who is a few months younger) and there have
been concerns about her cognitive
health for a while now. Her
physical health has also become an issue: Feinstein has been absent
from the Senate since February, when she was diagnosed with
shingles. She’s missed 60 of the
Senate’s 82 votes so
far this session. Her absence from the judiciary committee, on which
the Democrats hold a one-seat majority, has stopped the Democrats
from advancing federal judges for confirmation. Which is a big deal
because these judges get lifetime appointments.
On
Wednesday, multiple Democrats, led by Representative Ro Khanna,
called for Feinstein to resign, saying she could no longer fulfil
her duties. Not everyone agrees. “I don’t know what political
agendas are at work that are going after Senator Feinstein in that
way,” Pelosi
told reporters on Wednesday.
“I’ve never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate
in that way.”
Norma Torres, another California Democrat, also argued that calls for Feinstein to quit were sexist. “When women age or get sick, the men are quick to push them aside,” she tweeted. “When men age or get sick, they get a promotion.”
Do female politicians face unfair double standards and increased scrutiny? Of course they do! But cynically weaponizing the very real sexism that women in politics face to defend Feinstein’s stubborn decision to cling to power is appalling. Feminism isn’t about individual women climbing up the corporate ladder, it’s about working for equal rights. Feinstein represents 40 million Americans and her decisions affect millions more: there is nothing remotely feminist about Feinstein putting her ego above the greater good, particularly at such a critical moment for women’s rights in the US. It’s just selfish.
I
can understand why Feinstein doesn’t want to resign, don’t get
me wrong. Being in government seems to have been very lucrative for
her. She’s worth
at least $58m.
How did she get so rich in public service? Well, Feinstein’s
husband was an investment banker and the pair have been incredibly
lucky in the stock market. It’s almost like they’ve got access
to inside information. Feinstein, for example, sold off a huge
amount of shares just before the stock market collapsed at
the beginning
of the pandemic.
The pair faced scrutiny over
their stock trades but have denied doing anything wrong. Pelosi and
her husband have faced similar scrutiny.
Feinstein, to be fair, has now responded to criticism about her long absence from work. On Wednesday, following calls for her resignation Feinstein said that she’d asked the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, to allow another Democratic senator to take her place on the judiciary committee until she’s fit to return to work. That’s a good solution for now but Feinstein, who is due to step down in 2025, should think about resigning altogether: she can certainly afford retirement. Real leadership, as Jacinda Ardern has demonstrated, isn’t about staying in power as long as possible, but knowing when it’s time to step aside. It’s way past time for Feinstein to cede some space and make way for fresh leadership.