When Feinstein died at the age of 90 on Friday, she was the oldest and the longest-serving lawmaker in the US Senate. The California Democrat had become one of the most powerful lawmakers in Washington, rising to become head of the Select Committee on Intelligence, placing in her hands some of the most sensitive classified information known to the US state.
Towards the end of her life, Feinstein was heavily criticized for refusing to retire, despite her clearly failing mental health.
Human rights attorney Dan Kovalik told Radio Sputnik’s Political Misfits on Friday that despite her long tenure in the Senate, she would likely only be remembered for the controversies over her final years - or possibly for the chaos that filling her shoes could cause in the Democratic Party.
“I don’t think she’ll be remembered much at all, to be honest. I think a lot of us remember her as supporting a lot of neocon wars, much to our chagrin.”
“I do think her releasing the torture report was something - I think that report will have a lasting legacy, I’m not sure she’ll be associated with it. I think if anything, she’ll be remembered is hanging on way too long, past the time that she could even contribute to the Senate. It became somewhat of an embarrassment for her.”
He noted that Feinstein staying in office until her death allowed Democrats to keep their small majority in a few key Senate committees, which cannot be reassigned until the next election.
“These committee seats are very important, I mean that’s where the real work of the Senate is done and that’s where the real power is, so to have a loyalist in that position, even if they’re semi-functioning - I understand what they were doing,” Kovalik said. “Although, I guess votes were held up because she couldn’t even show up to do her job, so it was a mixed bag in that sense. But it works out in the sense that now they’ll have a fully functioning person to take her seat, which will be very helpful to the Democrats.”
Now, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) will have to appoint a successor to fill Feinstein’s office until the next election in November 2024. The highly-coveted Senate seat, which Feinstein held for 31 years, is sought by a number of powerful Democrats in the Golden State, including US Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter.
Newsom has already said he wants to appoint a woman of color to Feinstein’s seat, but Kovalik responded to the suggestion that perhaps Newsom might appoint himself to the position and allow a woman of color to become lieutenant governor after Eleni Kounalakis rises to become governor. The office could then serve as a launching pad for a presidential run by Newsom in 2028.
“I can see the appeal, though it may look so unseemly and so piggish to give himself a Senate seat and then run for president at the same time - I don’t know, that’s a double-bank shot that people may not appreciate,’ Kovalik said. “But hey, crazier things have happened.”
“He’s in a bind: how do you choose between two people who are running for the Senate? I mean that doesn’t seem very democratic, either, unless you pick the person with the highest polling numbers,” he said, referring to Schiff and Porter. “I mean, that’s at least the justification for what he would do. But you’re right, he’s in a bit of a pickle. He’s the kingmaker, but it’s not the most enviable position.”