Are US Lawmakers Getting Too Old?

“Meetings at which attendees had to reintroduce themselves — several times — to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). Senate colleagues who aren’t sure she fully recognizes them. A memorial service for a San Francisco official at which Feinstein failed in her remarks to mention the dead woman, whom she had known for decades…

Feinstein is the oldest sitting senator, but she is far from the only official whose mental acuity has been called into question. In their final years in office, Sens. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) and Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) were widely understood to have faded to the point where their senior staffs were essentially functioning in their place. The current Senate is the oldest ever, and Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), just three months younger than Feinstein, is running for reelection; he would be 95 by the conclusion of his eighth term…

The Feinstein story evokes broader issues: the unwillingness of so many who hold power to cede it voluntarily… and the inability of our political system, in the absence of term limits (which I oppose for other reasons), to deal with those unwilling to recognize when it is time to step down… In public life, the only effective mechanism is the voters themselves.

Which gets to the heart of the puzzle: How are voters supposed to know what’s up when an elected official’s staff works overtime to mask the problem? The instinct to do so is understandable… But this approach is also deeply self-interested. If aides in normal times are only as powerful as the official they serve, they can become extra powerful when the same official is no longer functioning.

These inherent tensions help explain the high turnover from Feinstein’s office in recent years. Covering up is not public service. At a certain point, it is the antithesis.”

“In 2018, California voters panned a much-younger opponent and elected Feinstein — then 85 — to yet another term in the United States Senate. Voters had a clear choice. They chose to stick with Feinstein.

In recent years, multiple stories have raised the question of whether she’s too old to continue serving. Anonymous sources depict Feinstein as someone who has slowed down considerably and become forgetful with age. Her detractors, mostly on the Democratic left, have used these tales to push for Feinstein’s immediate resignation.

Not so fast. Californians elected Feinstein to serve six years. The voters’ mandate — not the rumor mill — should determine the length of her service. In addition, despite accusations that Feinstein is missing a step, she has continued to deliver for California and the nation.

Most recently, Feinstein helped spearhead the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, crucial legislation that passed with 10 Republican votes in a bitterly divided Senate. The legislation, which expired during a government shutdown in 2018, provides $575 million for programs to help women victimized by violent crime. Many politicians spend years in Washington without achieving anything of this magnitude…

If that’s the kind of work product we get from a supposedly age-impaired senator, we’ll take it. On her worst day, she towers over most of the do-nothings in Congress…

Voters have entrusted Feinstein to cast California’s vote on some of the most important issues of the day. We can trust her to decide when it’s time to step down. For now, Feinstein should do as she has always done: Steel her spine against adversity and carry on with the work.”