With the passing of longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., on Friday, colleagues from across the political aisle have released a bevy of statements remembering the Golden State’s golden gal.
While President Joe Biden described Feinstein as a “kind and loyal friend,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, characterized the California Democrat as a “true public servant” with whom he had a “wonderful working relationship” and “will miss.” Other Democrat and Republican senators such as Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Susan Collins, R–Maine, and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., also offered their condolences and fond memories of Feinstein.
It’s beautiful to see so many offer thoughts and prayers to Feinstein’s relatives and friends during their time of grieving. Losing a loved one is a tragedy for any family to endure.
But is it too much to ask that legacy media stop treating Feinstein’s political career as anything but a complete disaster? Sure, she had some nice moments, like dunking on smarmy little climate activists. But those flashes of fun pale in comparison to the ruin Feinstein left in her wake as California’s senior senator.
In the 30 years Feinstein served in the U.S. Senate, California has descended into a total dumpster fire, with the state bearing all the hallmarks of a third-world country.
Take a trip to California today, and you’ll find the only thing “golden” about the Golden State is the urine from homeless people littering the sidewalks (alongside their feces). Despite being the wealthiest state in the nation, California boasts the highest homeless rate among U.S. states, only to be outdone by the District of Columbia.
Crime has also become a major problem. A report released by California’s attorney general’s office earlier this year, for example, found that from 2021-2022, violent crime and property crime in the state had jumped 6.1 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, the state’s homicide rate skyrocketed 23.9 percent from 2017-2022, according to the Pacific Research Institute.
Despite regime-approved media’s attempt to cast her as a “centrist,” Feinstein sported a far-left voting record while serving as a senator, voting in line with Biden’s position 100 percent of the time. Her support for massive federal spending bills has undoubtedly played a role in increasing the U.S. national debt and spiking inflation, leading to more suffering among Californians and the American people writ large.
Of course, Feinstein isn’t the only one to blame for California’s decay. Democrat Governors Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom, local leftist mayors, and California Democrat voters deserve just as much credit for furthering the state’s rapid decline.
It’s completely understandable for Feinstein’s colleagues to mourn her passing — and they should. But for corporate press outlets to hype her legacy as a tremendous success is to demand Americans ignore the wasteland that California has become during her time in office. What was once a place people from across the country flocked to in order to chase their dreams has devolved into an anarchic state of ruin where residents can’t get out fast enough.
Dianne Feinstein did leave behind a legacy. It’s just not the kind the left believes it to be.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
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