Letters to the Editor: Are Dianne Feinstein’s critics really this cruel about aging?

To the editor: Thanks to columnist Mark Z. Barabak and biographer Jerry Roberts for reminding us who Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is.

Amnesiac cruelty, gross sexism and visceral disgust at the ravages of illness have greeted her return. Compassion has been absent. Mother Jones speculated that those close to Feinstein wish she would die in her sleep. The senator’s friendship with Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-San Francisco) daughter is being pushed as a nefarious scheme to help Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) steal the still-occupied Senate seat from Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland).

What needs to die is the fantasy that Gov. Gavin Newson will bestow Feinstein’s seat on Lee. What also needs to die is the pretense that Republicans will seat any Newsom appointee on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

It’s clear that even a full recovery will not appease the anti-Feinstein camp. I will not live to see how Feinstein’s young critics handle aging, but I’m sure it will be interesting.

Jo Perry, Studio City

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To the editor: Soon, I will be 89 years old, just as Feinstein is. I suggest that she give herself permission to rest on her ample laurels and accomplishments.

Feinstein’s had a brilliant career. She started a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and continued as mayor. Then, in 1992, she was elected the first female U.S.senator in California history. In 2012, she received more than 7.8 million votes, a record for any U.S. senator.

I admire Feinstein’s courage, strength, drive and desire to continue to serve at 89, when just getting on with life takes great effort and valor.

So, for her sake, I hope Feinstein thinks about taking a much deserved bow and then, with the blessings of her grateful constituents, a much deserved rest at long last.

Marcia Kahan Rosenthal, Santa Monica

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To the editor: Feinstein should serve out her term.

Her case is not remotely comparable to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s. California is not at risk of an obstruction like the one by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and I don’t want another appointed senator.

Paul Malykont, Los Osos

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To the editor: I know about Feinstein’s legacy and her strengths, and I admire her for all that. But this isn’t about resisting what the Democratic Party wants or being an independent figure. It’s about what is best for our country at a time of such serious peril.

I believe strongly that Feinstein is undermining her legacy with her refusal to bow out when it seems pretty clear that she is seriously hampered in carrying out her duties. Her actions now seem more a sign of stubbornness and misplaced personal pride than doing what she thinks is right.

Highlighting her past accomplishments and character is an evasion at this point. If she is still a woman of higher principles, she would admit she’s no longer up to the task and pass the torch rather than trying to soldier on with diminished abilities.

TR Jahns, Hemet