Not just new faces
In August, somone tweeted a prank notice that Sen. Dianne Feinstein had announced her retirement. It is overdue, you may have noticed. It was the same day a French scientist admitted pranking the world with a photo of a distant star that was actually a slice of chorizo.
Succession planning is not Democrats’ strong suit (from where I sit). Speculation about Feinstein’s retirement continues. California Democrats are jockeying for position (Politico):
Sen. Dianne Feinstein hasn’t said if she intends to seek another term in 2024 — but the competition to succeedthe oldest member of Congress is escalating.
Reps. Ro Khanna and Katie Porter are fielding entreaties to jump into the race, and Rep. Adam Schiff has publicly declared he is exploring a run. Rep. Barbara Lee is spending the holidays mulling her next move. Three hopefuls have contacted former Sen. Barbara Boxer to seek her advice, marking the incipient stages of a fierce fight between California Democrats for a seat that has not been open for a generation.
“They’re starting to call me to get ready for what is a massive campaign – truly, massively expensive and hard-fought,” Boxer said. “It will be a very crowded field.”
Schiff fired the first salvo last month by openly admitting his long-known interest in the seat, telling a Los Angeles television station that, after his House leadership bid fizzled, he would “consider running for the Senate if Senator Feinstein decides not to run for reelection.” Schiff also met with Feinstein to inform her of his intentions, according to two people familiar with the exchange.
Feinstein’s plans remain a wildcard. The 89-year-old senator’s standing has eroded as California Democrats sour on her centrism and the San Francisco Chronicle detailed her perceived cognitive decline in an explosive piece this spring that bolstered previous reporting by POLITICO about Feinstein’s capacity to serve.
One reason the Democratic Party seems so stultifyingly to young activists is because, like Feinstein, it is old. That is not necessarily a bad thing. As Digby noted on Saturday, maybe Joe Biden, 80, does know a thing or two. But there needs to be more churn in the ranks from the precinct to the White House if Democrats as a party hope (do they?) to make it look not only more diverse in sex, race, ethnicity, etc., but in age as well. Younger voters need to see the party look more like people from their century.
A twenty-something activist told me yesterday (several times) that the party needs a culture reset. Party elders perpetuate a series of beliefs about how things are done and who gets to do them. I’ve long criticized the campaign industrial complex and party hacks looking primarily to their next step up the ladder. But what puts off young activists (like my friend) is more than that.
“It’s not his turn,” one told me about Barack Obama when he entered the 2008 primaries. We must at all costs avoid “division in the party,” the same insiders solemnly intone whenever upstarts threaten to keep the “old guard” from having its way. “What will the Republicans say?” they ask like victims of spousal abuse whenever the kids suggest coloring outside the lines. And changing that culture? “Good luck,” a former state chair told me Saturday.
Nothing ventured….