Gavin Newsom will pick Dianne Feinstein's replacement | AP News
By: STEVE PEOPLES and MICHAEL R. BLOOD (AP News)
SMH
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Democrats' delicate majority in the U.S. Senate puts extra pressure on California Gov. Gavin Newsom to quickly pick a replacement for Sen. Dianne Feinstein after her death.
Already, names were being floated Friday in California circles. The situation is complicated and wrought with political risk for Newsom, a term-limited governor with national political ambitions of his own.
The Democratic governor has promised to appoint a Black woman. He has also promised to avoid the field of candidates already running for Feinstein's seat, which was set to expire at the end of next year and includes Rep. Barbara Lee, one of the state's most prominent Black women currently serving in elected office.
In filling the Senate vacancy, Newsom has the sole authority to name a successor. He could even pick himself, though that is unlikely.
Newsom made no mention of Feinstein's replacement in a statement he issued marking her death Friday morning.
"Dianne Feinstein was many things - a powerful, trailblazing U.S. Senator; an early voice for gun control; a leader in times of tragedy and chaos. But to me, she was a dear friend, a lifelong mentor, and a role model not only for me, but to my wife and daughters for what a powerful, effective leader looks like," Newsom said. "There is simply nobody who possessed the strength, gravitas, and fierceness of Dianne Feinstein."
On Capitol Hill, Feinstein's death leaves Senate Democrats with no margin for error until a successor is appointed.
Democrats now have a functional majority of just 50 seats in the Senate, while Republicans hold 49. At the same time, many Democrats are calling for the resignation of the indicted Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., although the embattled Democrat has vowed not to step down.
And while Democrats continue to control Congress' upper chamber, Feinstein's absence will make it harder to advance Biden's judge nominees in the Judiciary Committee.
Newsom's choices all run political risks.
Should he follow through on his pledge to avoid picking from those already running in the Senate primary, he could select a true caretaker who would be replaced by whomever voters select in next year's election.
A handful of Black women in office have been floated as possibilities, including Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell.
Lee and others lashed out at Newsom earlier in the month after he indicated he would select a caretaker instead of picking from the current slate of candidates.
"The idea that a Black woman should be appointed only as a caretaker to simply check a box is insulting to countless Black women across this country who have carried the Democratic Party to victory election after election," Lee tweeted.
Some California Democrats are still upset about Newsom's last Senate appointment.
He chose Alex Padilla, then California's secretary of state, to replace Kamala Harris in the Senate when she was elected vice president. That process took more than six weeks. That made Padilla California's first Latino senator, but it also left the Senate without a Black woman.
He later promised that if Feinstein's seat became vacant, he would choose a Black woman to replace her.
"He made the commitment and I do not believe there is any wiggle room for the governor not to honor his commitment," Kerman Maddox, a Los Angeles-based Democratic strategist and fundraiser, said before Feinstein's death.
In a recent interview with Fox 11 TV in Los Angeles, Newsom said he was being swamped with recommendations for how to fill a possible Senate vacancy.
The decision for Newsom is clouded by his personal relationship with the late senator.
Newsom, whose father was a prominent judge in San Francisco, has known Feinstein since he was a child and has spoken recently about their personal connection. He interned in her office in college and said he considers her to be family. He said it wasn't long ago that she would call him on the phone to discuss a variety of issues, from water policy to forest management.
"I have no objectivity whatsoever," he said in a recent interview with NBC when asked about Feinstein and her decision to stay in the Senate.
He said he was hoping he would never have to make a decision to fill her seat.
No Trump..............stay on topic. Be civil or be gone. No trolling
Tags
Who is online
420 visitors
Funny. The fetch left this part out of the headline................
"He pledged in past to choose a Black woman"
Pre-established criteria...............as always with democrats.
Can we say "CHECK THE BLOCK" children?
But it is right there with the rest of Biden's check the block administration.
“Can we say "CHECK THE BLOCK" children?”
It’s ‘check the box’, j, [deleted]
"Box" / "Block". It's the same thing.
So he pledged previously, but not currently?
I know what you are trying to do. You have a very transparent MO. Doesn't matter. The cat is out of the bag and there are those who will vehemently hold his feet to the fire.
You caught me, I am trying to ask a question.
Is there a statute of limitations on a pledge?
Does that include or exclude the one who was going to run against Feinstein?
As long as Maxine Waters is not on the list!
If he chooses a woman, hopefully she be able to define what a woman is.
I dislike the check-the-box criteria that so many seem to use. About the only thing in this I agree with is where he promises to not nominate someone who is a current candidate for the position in the '24 election. That would definitely mess with the election, and I think he's wise to avoid that part.
But regardless of who he picks, there will be plenty of bitching about it I'm sure.
That's for sure.
he Democratic governor has promised to appoint a Black woman.
Racist makes it about race.
It has nothing to do with being a racist but overcompensating for the past injustices. That being said, I disagree with him.
It's the epitome of racism. When race is the defining characteristic in how you view a person, you are a racist. Just because you agree with the justification for the racist act, it's still racist and only someone with a racist worldview would support it.
Racism, is when you think one race is better than another.
racism
noun
I agree and I agree.
Wanting to right past wrongs is fine, but this is not the way to do it. This hurts the people you claim to want to help.
Why? What if the most qualified candidate is a Native American, Hispanic, Caucasian, Asian, Indian, mixture, etc.? And limiting by gender seems silly. I can see favoring female candidates since they are replacing a woman, but eliminating all males from consideration?
At least he did not promise to appoint only from the pool of transgenders identifying as female.
SMH
I got to tell you, that I feel that the best person for the job should be picked. If that happens to be a black woman, I'm fine with it, but qualifications for a job should not be race or gender.
People keep talking about the best or most qualified candidate. That person should be running in the election which Newsome said he wouldn't consider. It makes this pick little more than a placeholder. A warm ass to fill a seat and vote along party lines until the election winner can be seated. That can be any Democrat...
Oh, so the nominee is just someone the paternalistic whites pats on the head and says "good girl, thanks for being a female black party drone" rather than a recognition of her having any merit other than skin color.
How you think this makes it better is beyond me.
I personally didn't say anything about race or skin color, but Barbara Lee beat you to that same sentiment by 2 weeks.
Back to Sean...
What would make it better? According to Newsome the appointment is only for 3 months. I don't see anyone rushing to take the job...
It's not for three months, it's until the end of her term which would be after the '24 elections.
Ahhh... 2024? My bad. I thought it was this year. Perhaps Newsome will eat some crow and nominate Barbara Lee? I'm not a Newsome fan...
maybe not, but it would go a long way to repair some of the dumb shit stuff he said.
The problem he has now is of he picks a black woman, like the VP, she will have an asterisk next to her name as it was made very public that the only reason why she was picked is because of her race/sex.
I ask the same question .. I have an opinion / theory as to why .. but I would not be very woken if I expressed it. I will say this, black women have had one hell of fight to get to where so many now are, that I do not have a problem with it .. Yet I do have a problem with the choice of Vice President Harris
.. my half cents worth TiG...
Peace
Hi Colour
I do not have a problem if Newsom picks a black woman (or whatever demographics characterize his pick).
I do have a problem with him artificially reducing the field of candidates on a narrow and largely irrelevant demographic.
Politicians should never preclude candidates based on irrelevant demographics. Pick the most qualified / appropriate person.
Even if the most qualified candidate is in fact a black woman, she becomes a "token hire" and her actual qualifications are called into doubt.
As you say, it's a poor decision.
That is just wrong on so many levels .. I am not a black woman, but I am a woman that busted her ass to become the most qualified candidate - and succeeded. However, the way in which I was viewed by the men that I worked with, was up to them .. some never wanted a woman in the shop .. other embraced / respected the fact that I could hold my own.
Agreed that Newsom [nor Biden] should not be cornering himself by committing to appointing a black woman .. it is discrimination in and of itself by doing so. ... but fuck that 'token hire' BS, it is an off the cuff offensive term used to demean others... who even thinks that way any longer...
Soapbox is back in her stall!
Great. Then you didn't need for all of the other competitors for your position to be excluded.
You sure as hell didn't need the people making the selection to tell everybody that they eliminated a huge percentage of applicants based on something totally unrelated to the job.
I'm not sure how you don't see how that would have undermined you.
We're talking about a US Senator from the most populous state in America. The vast, vast, overwhelming majority of people she represents will never even meet her, much less "work with" her.
Just because you weren't one doesn't mean they don't still exist.
Gavin Newsome, apparently. Joe Biden, for another. Huge numbers of people. Because token hires happen all the time.
We have a black female judge on the SCOTUS. She may well have been the very best candidate for that position, but almost nobody believes that. Not because she's black and not because she's female... but because the President publicly disqualified almost all the other potential options.
“.;,who even thinks that way any longer...”
Only those who haven’t a clue. ‘In one ear and out of another’..,,
A'ight .. first of all, what demographic is: " but almost nobody believes that." is that men/women with a college degree or without .. Caucasian perhaps?
Yes, the president did disqualify almost all the other potential options .. and yes, I think that it is wrong to discriminate in said manner - yet 'we' are talking about politicians that are not held to the same standards .. they base their lives on votes... and 'we' 'seemingly' accept all their lies and BS .. so what is the problem?
I am still shaking my head over Brett Kavanaugh .. and you think Ketanji Brown Jackson is a 'token hirer.' Only in America! : )
Amen!
How are you? Happy Friday!
Peace..
Doing well. Thank you for asking. Happiest of weekends to you!!!
Why would that be a demographic? Are you just trying to be racist?
You just said you thought it was wrong, and you're asking what the problem is.....
Joe Biden announced she was a token hire. You just acknowledged that.
The point here is that he very obviously undermined the credibility of the selection by making that announcement.
“Are you just trying to be racist?”
I would never for a second presume to answer for Colour, a strong and powerful woman whom I hold in the highest regard.
That being said, a ‘racist’ is the last of adjectives that could be applied.
Too funny .. wow I think I just laughed out loud for the first time today .. yeah, let's go with that!
I do think it is wrong .. should not be happening, but it is, there is a 'trend' happening within the United States government .. It ain't pretty, and I do not have to like it... But it is taking place, and it is all about votes!
P.s... rest assured that Ketanji Brown Jackson is as qualified as Amy Coney Barrett 'token hirer' or not!
I agree completely.
She may very well be. But when Biden announced he was only considering black women, he did her a disservice. As you say, he threw her under the bus in order to pander for votes.
I think you are correct. The fact that he took that position is going to diminish any black woman who fills that seat no matter how qualified or how hard she worked to get where she is. It just looks like favoritism and if I were offered I would probably decline.
Newsom has apparently pledged to hold the line against the influence of the Hispanic population that is increasing geometrically every single day. We may be witnessing the last gasp of Democrat's southern racial politics.
I applaud his intention to appoint someone who is not running for election, and will only serve as a placeholder. Because people tend to mindlessly vote for the incumbent, these situations are often seen as an opportunity for a governor or party to basically skip an election by appointing the person they want to win in advance. It is a thing best avoided.
I don’t see any particular virtue in that person being a black woman, but I’m not bothered by it either. Everyone he reportedly is considering for the duty is as competent and capable as anyone else serving in the Senate - or anyone else running, for that matter.
Yeah, I am bit bothered by the "i am going to nominate a black woman" part. I understand the intention but it is a bad look and really anathema to idea of a meritocracy. He is wise to avoid appointing anyone running for office though, a very smart move.
There’s a way to do this, but I don’t think it should be the way Newsom appears to be approaching it - which is also the same as what Biden did. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a black woman in the position if you value things like representation, or the unique perspective she might bring. So maybe you go out of your way to search for that person. Cast a wider net.
But you also need to prioritize performance. We still want someone who is - at least arguably - the best person for the position.
I would never want to win anything primarily because of what I am.
Agreed completely. You have to be able to show that you gave everyone a fair shot and she was the best choice, even if you had other priorities. At least that way you can avoid the perception of favoritism. And if at the end of the day you just find candidates who are better than the one you prefer, well then you gotta go with them.
This kinda shit just really hurts the people you say you want to help.
I don't like the fact that he said he would replace her with a black woman. How about she be replaced with someone who will honestly work on behalf of the people of the state and country?
Right? And he seems to be someone mentioned alot if Biden drops out. Same old, same old.....
If it is a black woman then I have nothing against her, I am sure she worked her ass off in order to be in a position to even be considered and is probably overqualified, but I do have a problem with Newsom kinda painting a target on her back. The perception is ugly and is going to stain any senatorial career she might have/have had.
If Newsom wants to run in a national election he needs to cut that shit out.
And if Biden is gonna drop out he needs to hurry the fuck up and do it.
I wouldn't call it a target, more like a question mark.
I agree. The ugliness of identity politics...
He's not going to. Been a politician for over half a century, he's far too self serving to do that.
I guess an * is more accurate. Still, I wouldn't want that by my name. Like almost everyone else on this planet I want to earn my position/accolades.
Indeed, no matter what side is doing it.
Seems to be a common theme with our most senior politicians. How many are staying out of selfishness and ego? FFS, 80 years old and trying to run a country? That is where the USSR was in the end.
IMO we need congressional leaders who didn't grow up when segregation was the accepted law of the land.