The die was cast on ABC’s The View on Friday as the cast collectively demanded that California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein resign as her advanced age and deteriorating health hindered her ability to represent her constituents, and they should get a younger liberal in the seat. But this was a grossly hypocritical position for the liberal ladies to take since they’ve previously denounced mental competency tests for Congress, term limits, propped up and defended Senator John Fetterman’s poor health condition, and defended President Joe Biden’s mental faculties.
After a quick rundown of the situation facing Feinstein from moderator Joy Behar, racist co-host Sunny Hostin lamented: “It's terrible because she has been such an effective senator for over six decades – or six terms rather, and I think that it's very difficult for someone to step away from work that they love.”
She then blamed Republicans for supposedly forcing Feinstein to return to work before she was completely healed:
She's 89 years old. She says she's not going to resign. And she did ask the Republican Party – or the Democrats asked the Republican Party to allow her a temporary replacement while she heals. They’ve refused to do that. And so, she's back at work. And I think she's not fully healed. I mean, if you look at the pictures of her, it pained me to see the condition that she was in.
Despite her own argument, Hostin still said he felt “it's time for [Feinstein] to put the country before herself.”
Back in February, Hostin threw a fit because former U.N. ambassador and GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley said she wanted term limits for Congress and mental acuity tests. “How dare she say that someone over 75 needs some sort of mental acuity test! I think she needs a mental acuity test!” Hostin shrieked at the time. She also accused America of being ageist; “we're one of the only countries in the world that don't value age, don't value experience.”
On Friday, co-host Sara Haines quipped: “The great philosopher Kenny Rogers once says, ‘You got to know when to fold 'em. You got to know when to walk away.’” She then argued that it was important for age and mental acuity to be questioned in some instances, such as Feinstein forgetting she was away for three months:
And I think that it is not a question of age, which we’ve talked about in the room, although age is important, we talk about that on presidential elections, age is important. But Senator Fetterman is 53, and he had a condition, and people questioned it. And I thought that was fair. You have to look at all of it. And she's had a bunch of missteps.
They said rarely does your spokesperson have to have a direct contradiction from the person you're representing says. She didn't know she was sick. She thought she'd been in a place for three months when she was out.
“This is not about ageism or sexism, it's about competence to do your job. And some people eventually have to retire. Pilots have to retire. They're consequential jobs, and I would argue this is one of them,” Haines proclaimed.
Meanwhile, Haines was one of Fetterman’s strongest defenders on the show. Ahead of the 2022 midterms, she insisted that his doctor’s note from one of his donors “would suffice” as an all-clear for him to run.
Haines, Behar, and Hostin also mocked then-Senate candidate Hershel Walker with salacious accusations of having brain damage from playing football yet decried the “unempathetic” criticism of Fetterman’s inability to be a senator.
Late last month, Behar argued that a braindead and “drooling” Biden was better than “any Republican.” “There's nothing to indicate that there's anything wrong with Joe Biden up here. There’s nothing to indicate that,” Hostin asserted while pointing at her head.
Self-described conservative co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin began her comments on Friday by almost immediately calling on Feinstein to resign. “Listen, she's representing one of the most populous states in the country, 39 million Californians. I do think it’s time for her to resign,” she insisted while noting, “She's a woman with an incredible legacy on the left. Democrats love her. She’s accomplished a lot.”
Farah Griffin did call out Democrats for “playing politics” with the seat and jockeying for who to fill it with. “But I think Democrats are playing politics here. Some aligned with Dianne Feinstein want to see Adam Schiff be the person who’s appointed to succeed here. Others want to see Barbara Lee,” she stated. “But who's suffering is the voters they represent.”
Haines obviously wasn’t a fan of waiting until the next election. “Which is just ridiculous. It’s ridiculous,” she huffed, arguing in favor of Feinstein stepping down and Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) appointing someone.
The View’s double standard on questioning a politician’s ability to be in office was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Purina and LeafFilter. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
May 19, 2023
11:15:16 a.m. Eastern(…)
SUNNY HOSTIN: It's terrible, because she has been such an effective senator for over six decades – or six terms rather, and I think that it's very difficult for someone to step away from work that they love.
She's 89 years old. She says she's not going to resign. And she did ask the Republican Party – or the Democrats asked the Republican Party to allow her a temporary replacement while she heals. They’ve refused to do that. And so, she's back at work. And I think she's not fully healed. I mean, if you look at the pictures of her, it pained me to see the condition that she was in.
And I think now perhaps – And I would never say this other than because of what we've seen and because she has voted three times to confirm three judicial appointees, but I still think that maybe it's time for her to put the country before herself.
JOY BEHAR: And then what will happen?
SARA HAINES: The great philosopher Kenny Rogers once says, “you got to know when to fold 'em. You got to know when to walk away.”
HOSTIN: You got to know.
HAINES: And I think that it is not a question of age, which we’ve talked about in the room, although age is important, we talk about that on presidential elections, age is important. But Senator Fetterman is 53, and he had a condition, and people questioned it. And I thought that was a fair. You have to look at all of it. And she's had a bunch of missteps.
They said rarely does your spokesperson have to have a direct contradiction from the person you're representing says. She didn't know she was sick. She thought she'd been in a place for three months when she was out.
Those are – This is not about ageism or sexism, it's about competence to do your job. And some people eventually have to retire. Pilots have to retire. They're consequential jobs, and I would argue this is one of them.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: I think – Listen, she's representing one of the most populace states in the country, 39 million Californians. I do think it’s time for her to resign. She's a woman with an incredible legacy on the left. Democrats love her. She’s accomplished a lot. But she’s missed, in the course of her three-month absence, 91 floor votes. Since returning, she's missed two votes since then.
And I think – I don't think it's ageism or sexism in this case. I said the same thing when Senator Cochran, a Republican, was – it was a known factor in the Senate that he was mentally declining. He often didn't know how to get to the Senate floor, that it was time for him to step down and sort of pass the baton for the next phase of leadership.
I credit Nancy Pelosi for doing that, who’s somebody who is totally functioning, could’ve kept being the leader of the Democrats, but she’s like ‘time to rise up the next generation.’
But I think Democrats are playing politics here. Some aligned with Dianne Feinstein want to see Adam Schiff be the person who’s appointed to succeed here. Others want to see Barbara Lee. And so, they're kind of letting that competition play out. But who's suffering is the voters they represent.
BEHAR: Well, tell them what Newsom said. You said it in the meeting.
[Crosstalk]
Gavin Newsom, who’s the governor of California, and he can put somebody in there.
FARAH GRIFFIN: Yeah, as the governor, if she steps down early, he’ll get to appoint someone, and he's committed to appointing a black woman.
[Applause]
So, Barbra Lee is who they think it should be. Senator Feinstein's team wants it to be Adam Schiff. So, there's a political battle. And I think she’s –
HAINES: Which is just ridiculous. It’s ridiculous.
FARAJ GRIFFIN: And what’s happening is it’s hurting Dianne Feinstein’s legacy in the meantime.
BEHAR: Which part is ridiculous?
HAINES: The going back and forth on this.
HOSTIN: It’s not serving the country.
HAINES: You're presuming to know someone is holding out for a spot. And he put someone in place, then there would be another election. This is the stuff that I get mad actually on the right, when they start infighting about this procedural stuff. Do the right thing. This person is not cut out to do the job they're asked to do. It's time to walk away.
BEHAR: Well in this case they'll still going to have a Democratic vote. So, what’s the difference?
FARAH GRIFFIN: Yeah, it’s still going to be a Democrat.
BEHAR: With George Santos it’s a different situation isn’t it? Because then it’s open season and a Democrat can get in there.
(…)
