So Senator Feinstein voted against telco immunity. As I said when I called her office a number of times urging her to fight telco immunity, "This is a Lieberman moment her." And from the frosty reception that got from her staff I'm assuming they knew what I was saying.
I consider myself a man of my word and I explicitly told her staffers that if she voted for telco immunity I would work to support any Democrat who ran against her. So that time has unfortunately come.
Some background after the jump.
I have felt somewhat guilty about my growing dissatisfaction with the Senator during the past couple of years. As people complained about their Senators being Republican shills I was lucky enough to be from a state with two - count 'em two - female Democratic Senators. Who was I to complain that she voted for a Supreme Court nominee or a CIA director who I disliked? Some people were being represented by legendarily bad Republican Senators. And Duncan Hunter is my Congressman so believe me I feel your pain on that point.
But then there was Barbara Boxer making Diane look bad all the time. I call Boxer's office about 25% of the time I can Feinstein's office and I find Boxer almost always already on the right side of the issue. I would mostly call to thank her and make sure they were getting support calls for the stands she was taking.
So it's time to find another Boxer to run as a true representative of California not part of the generation of capitulating old school Democrats that seem to inhabit the Senate now. I know 2012 is a long way away but I think we start to look for a real Democrat to replace her whether she decides to run again or not.
I think she should be urged to go quietly into that good night. And don't argue about committees and seniority - I have no problem with Boxer being the senior Senator from California and that's exactly the kind of bunker mindset that keeps capitulating Senators in place who are out of step with the times. The first step was to gain the majority and the next step is to gain the majority with representatives who "get it", listen to the constituents and act accordingly.
I'm off to call her office. Again. For whatever good it will do.
=Hiredman