Death in Politics

First, actual:

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, a centrist Democrat who was elected to the Senate in 1992 in the “Year of the Woman” and broke gender barriers throughout her long career in local and national politics, has died. She was 90.

Three people familiar with the situation confirmed her death to The Associated Press on Friday.

Feinstein, the oldest sitting U.S. senator, was a passionate advocate for liberal priorities important to her state -- including environmental protection, reproductive rights and gun control -- but was also known as a pragmatic lawmaker who reached out to Republicans and sought middle ground.

My biggest quibble with Feinstein is that, in my opinion, she was too devoted to the maintaining the national security state, including expanding the reach of the NSA as much as technically possible. She was forever trying to expand the powers of government that would be useful to a fascist or authoritarian regime, while always trying to limit the ability of citizens to do something about that. On the other hand, she did oppose the use of torture by the CIA, which, when the history of the early part of this century is written decades from now, will be one of the deepest stains on the legacy of those those who were running things at the time, and on the nation as a whole.

Beyond that, I see no glory in staying so long on the job that one dies in harness.

Now, shifting gears to political death, the political obits are already being drafted for Kevin the Gutless.

A contingent of far-right House Republicans are plotting an attempt to remove Kevin McCarthy as House speaker as early as next week, a move that would throw the chamber into further disarray in the middle of a potential government shutdown, according to four people familiar with the effort who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private talks.

Some members of the far-right faction of the party are coalescing around nominating a member of McCarthy’s leadership team, Rep. Tom Emmer (Minn.), to be the next speaker if they can successfully oust McCarthy, according to those people. The members think Emmer is more attuned to their concerns and will better deliver conservative results.

McCarthy has been engaging in full-blown appeasement since he got the job and, as he should have learned from history, appeasement ends with the bullies eating your lunch. Whores eventually get beaten and/or murdered, both on the street and in politics.

At this point, he ought to bring the Senate's bill up for a vote to keep the government open. Might as well go out in a blaze of glory.

Whoever the Fascist Caucus eventually gets in as Speaker, the outcome will be even more deadlock and bullshit evidence-free "investigations" from the likes of Gym Jordan.

Well, Randy apparently won't have to eat his MAGA hat.