Feinstein's continued absence is impacting judicial nominees

[PufPuf23]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Sen. Dianne Feinstein has missed 58 Senate votes since getting sick in late February with the painful, but non-life-threatening shingles virus.

Her extended absence, along with that of another Democratic senator, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has made it more difficult for the Senate to confirm President Biden’s nominees and pass legislation. The Senate has a 51-49 party split favoring Democrats, but the absence of multiple senators changes how many votes are needed for a measure to succeed. Vice President Kamala Harris has cast three tie-breaking votes this year in her role as president of the Senate.

Feinstein was hospitalized in early March for treatment and returned to her San Francisco home on March 7. She has not been in Washington, D.C. since the onset of the illness. She has missed 60 votes of the 82 taken in 2023 so far, including two prior to her illness.

Feinstein “continues to work from home in San Francisco as she recuperates,” her spokesperson Adam Russell told The Chronicle Monday. He did not share any information to share about when she plans to return to D.C.

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Read more: https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/feinstein-judicial-nominess-17889123.php

[summer_in_TX]

1. John Fetterman will be back next week, I hear.

Last edited Mon Apr 10, 2023, 10:36 PM - Edit history (1)

Hopefully she will too.

Shingles is no fun. I'm glad I got vaccinated. A friend currently has it in her ear and they're concerned about deafness.

[moonscape]

2. A friend of mine got it in her

ear, it affected her optic nerve, and she went blind within a few weeks.

[CountAllVotes]

12. My late husband got it in his eye

He was already blind in one eye due to macular degeneration.

He got a severe case of shingles (no history of having the chicken pox oddly!).

It attacked his good eye and I was taking him to so many different appointments I could barely keep up.

He had to have shots in the good eye for the rest of his life (which was 13 years). I took him to all of those very painful appointments.

[Hekate]

15. Shingles traveled to the brain of my mother's cousin's wife. Yes, it damaged her brain....

Nearly everyone over 50 got chicken pox as a kid, plus a fair number of under-50s like my kids, who were born before the vaccine. We are the target audience, as it were.

I got the vax twice: once in my 50s, which the insurance company refused to pay for because I was “too young” (hubby actually had shingles at the time) and the second 20+ years later during COVID, which was the 2-part Shingrix, and which kicked my butt.

Anyway, whatever’s going on with DiFi, this is very worrisome indeed. She was already getting frail before she got sick.

[maxsolomon]

3. Well, it's only been 6-7 weeks.

11% of the US population with 1 voting Senator.

[TheRickles]

4. Idaho, North and South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming: 1.5% of the population has 10 Senators.

About as disproportionately skewed as you can get.

[jimfields33]

10. Yes but they have 55 house seats. That's pretty good.

[No Vested Interest]

11. I believe those 5 states have 7 US Reps between them.

ID and MT each have 2, WY, ND, & SD each have one.
Fewer US Reps than US Senators.

[COL Mustard]

5. Can she not vote by proxy?

Or was that just a COVID thing?

[No Vested Interest]

6. Has Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate as yet?

If not, what is his physical status?

[onenote]

8. The Senate is in recess until April 17.

He's missed around 30 votes (out of 82). Fetterman and Feinstein have missed a significant majority of all votes.

[Rebl2]

9. Not back that

I am aware of. Then Senator Blumenthal broke his leg over the weekend. Not sure how long he will be gone. Hopefully he will be back soon.

[No Vested Interest]

13. Blumenthal quoted as saying he expects to be back next week.

That would be great.

[Lonestarblue]

7. I really wish Feinstein would go ahead and retire so the governor can appoint someone who

can show up to vote. I’m sure shingles is really hard on her, but the Senate needs to get as many judges appointed as possible, along with getting other work done. Fetterman is out of hospital and will be back soon. And of course Blumenthal just broke his leg so he’ll be out for a week or two.

[Upthevibe]

17. Lonestarblue..........

I absolutely agree about Feinstein retiring.

I was just thinking today about how it could be handled. Feinstein needs to officially retire (ASAP) then Governor Newsome could appoint a kind of place-holder until the 2024 election cycle.

As of now, Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee have announced their runs for the Senate seat. If Newsome put one of those representatives in Feinstein's seat now, they'd have what many would consider an unfair advantage (being an incumbunt). And, the one who he appoints for now should have no plans to run in 2024.

We have a multitude of riches regarding who could temporarily fill that seat. I think it needs to be someone who's now in the California State legislature.

[jgo]

23. +1

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

25. Why so long after a broken leg?

When I broke my leg on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I had to be back at school on the following Monday. And I broke both of my calf bones, plus dislocated them from the ankle (sports injury). If not for the massive swelling and if it had been a normal week, I would have been sent back to school on Thursday.

Blumenthal needs to get off his bum and get to work, like the rest of us have to when we break bones.

[generalbetrayus]

14. There has been a massive campaign of Denver area television stations in recent times

promoting the shingles vaccine. I find it hard to believe there isn't a similar on-air campaign in California. My dad had shingles back in the day (He died in 2005.), and it is no fun, but shame on Dianne Feinstein for not getting the shingle vaccine.

[Hekate]

16. The ads are here as well. Don't go shaming on her; she might have had the older vax and in any case

… I’m sure she follows her doctor’s advice.

[Rhiannon12866]

21. We have those ads here in New York, too

I had an acquaintance who contracted Shingles, she said it was so painful that she cut her hair off, couldn't stand it touching her face. I got the vaccine.

[republianmushroom]

18. Retirement past due.

Adam Schiff California's next US Senator

[James48]

19. She needs to resign.

It’s time. The seat can be filled by the Governor until an election can be held. But it is time.

[littlemissmartypants]

20. I just got over a third case of back to back cases of shingles.

I had it once years before around half of my back. Very painful!

This last go round I had it three times and each was progressively worse. It started on the left side of my face under my nose. Literally. Then it went up my left nostril. It eventually worked its way down my pharynx on the left side, to the roof of my mouth and then finally down the back of my throat.

As you can imagine eating, drinking and swallowing in general were extremely problematic. I was so sad and it hurt so bad I mostly slept and cried. It was over a two month ordeal.

I went to get the vaccine and was told that I needed to wait three months to make sure it wasn't going to reoccur before they'd give me the first shot.

Hopefully I will be able to get it soon. Fingers crossed.

It's really horrible. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Except maybe a former president...

[Raven123]

22. I feel for Feinstein, but this is just tempting fate.

Figure out how to get back to vote or step aside now.

[LiberalFighter]

24. Since February? For shingles?

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

26. It can depend on where you get them

If you've never had them, please--don't assume that they're something that will go away in a few days. See some of the stories above of people suffering badly for months at a time.

And at her age, they'll be extra cautious.

I had shingles on my stomach, right at the waist where pants, skirts or seat belts cross. I couldn't drive my car because the pain was so intense when I wore a seat belt. I couldn't wear my work uniform, because the waistband rubbing against the outbreak was agony.

That went on for 2 weeks. I was in a Darvocet fog for nearly all of it, and the only thing I could kinda stand to wear was a light nightgown, and that only because I had a young child at home. Darvocet and nightgowns were the only way I could stand to be alive.

And that's what it was like for someone in her late 20s, who was healthy and fit. Imagine what it's like for a 900 year old dinosaur like Feinstein, and if the outbreak is somewhere that would be more painful--or dangerous.

[LiberalFighter]

28. It took about a week for me. After I got treated and Rx for it.

[leftyladyfrommo]

30. That excruciating pain can last for years. nt

[TeamProg]

27. Retire!!!!