Michael Smolens: Feinstein frustrates Democratic progressives during Kavanaugh hearings
"I'm sorry for the circumstances, but we'll get through them," she told
If she was trying to enrage the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, she did a pretty good job. Even before the hearing started on Tuesday, Democratic liberals who have been critical of Feinstein over the years said they were concerned about her more genteel approach to politics when they believe confrontation is warranted in the era of Trump.
"Comity right now is not needed in the
De León acknowledged that any assessment from him about Feinstein's performance during the hearings "is going to come off as self-interested and highly subjective." But his comments mirrored those of other progressives who lit up social media complaining about Feinstein.
Feinstein's center-left politics and refined public demeanor have served her well during a quarter-century in the
Liberal
She asked him about Roe v. Wade, the 45-year-old ruling that established abortion as a fundamental right under the
At one point, he defended his appellate court dissenting opinion that an assault weapons ban was unconstitutional. Feinstein, whose long-expired federal assault weapons ban is still a hallmark of her
Feinstein was criticized by conservative publications about how she framed questions during the hearing on gun control (
Inevitably, the senior Democrat on the
Harris, a favorite of progressives, further solidified her status when she interrupted committee Chairman
Other
Asked for his analysis, de León told the
That was even before Harris, the former
Regarding Feinstein, de León said, "As difficult as this may sound, objectively, I think it's been a subpar performance."
"You have a tale of very different approaches on the
Those approaches may fit the senators' political needs. Feinstein has shown broad appeal in
Not everyone agrees. In a surprise move, the state Democratic Party endorsed de León in July. A poll two weeks later showed Feinstein with a still-commanding 2-1 lead, though she again fell just short of gaining 50 percent support. She also continues to have a huge financial advantage. A new poll by
Harris is one of several
As for Kavanaugh, the math is pretty simple that he gets confirmed unless some blockbuster revelation derails him. So while serious legal and societal matters are being addressed, the confirmation process is playing to the coming campaign and beyond.
Feinstein long has had an uneasy relationship with the
But times are different. The current Democratic Party surge is fueled by a loathing of Trump and propelled, in part, by liberal activists seeking to push some older, longtime incumbent
As
Further, she said that some years ago she came to the conclusion that the death penalty is unfair and began opposing it. But she didn't make that position public until a couple of weeks before the June primary.
This is Feinstein's first time running for re-election against a Democrat in November, a dynamic created by the state's relatively new top-two primary system.
Don't count on her campaign running an ad of her apologizing to Kavanaugh.
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