Along with the news of Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s passing Friday morning has come a wave of tributes and condolences from Republicans and Democrats alike on Capitol Hill and beyond, with Gov. Gavin Newsom writing on Twitter of his fellow California Democrat that “There is simply nobody who possessed the strength, gravitas, and fierceness of Dianne Feinstein.”
While such eulogies are to be expected, what we shouldn’t expect (nor consider acceptable) are partisan antics from the mainstream media in the aftermath of the passing of a political figure.
And yet predictably, that’s exactly what we got after news of Feinstein’s death broke, with purported news outlets like the New York Times, the Washington Post, NBC News, and others all attaching the “centrist” label to Feinstein for some strange reason.
WaPo headline: Dianne Feinstein, centrist stalwart of the Senate, dies at 90
NBC News: “A centrist Democrat, she was known for trying to find common ground with Republicans, sometimes drawing criticism from her party’s liberal members.”
NY Times: “Dianne Feinstein was a tough Democratic campaigner who called herself a political centrist and often embraced conservative ideas.”
The AP’s description of Feinstein, which has been widely shared by many other media outlets, was most peculiar, calling her a “centrist Democrat” while also labeling her a “passionate advocate for liberal priorities”:
BREAKING: Dianne Feinstein, a centrist Democrat who served as California’s senator since 1992, has died. The passionate advocate for liberal priorities who broke gender barriers was the oldest member of Congress. She was 90. https://t.co/sWU6zwwWWh
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 29, 2023
Who knew that one could be a “centrist Democrat” and also a “passionate advocate for liberal priorities”?
The reality is you just can’t. Feinstein was undeniably a liberal Democrat on core issues like gun control and abortion, which along with climate change and LGBTQ issues are line-in-the-sand issues for the left:
Diane Feinstein’s abortion record. In what world was she a centrist? https://t.co/JhDSsTTNHK pic.twitter.com/Q2nc094aFm
— Megan Basham (@megbasham) September 29, 2023
Her voting patterns also lined up with the far-left priorities of President Joe Biden:
Despite claims from the media she was a “centrist Democrat,” Dianne Feinstein’s voting record was 100% aligned with Biden (per FiveThirtyEight). pic.twitter.com/gacJ3UuxUq
— Joseph A. Wulfsohn (@JosephWulfsohn) September 29, 2023
Recently, Biden boasted of his work with Feinstein on the 1994 so-called assault weapons ban. But he forgot her name, saying he was “the guy, along with a woman in California, who also, we once banned assault weapons and multiple magazines.”
“There never has been a better congressional fighter for gun control than California’s senior senator, at least since she was elected in 1992,” wrote L.A. Times columnist George Skelton in 2021, who also bizarrely called her a centrist and berated people who were already at that time calling on Feinstein to resign.
Feinstein may have occasionally broken bread with her Republican colleagues and at times broke ranks with Democrats on key issues early and midway through her long career, but make no mistake about it – on the issues that mattered to Democrats the most, Feinstein fell right in line.
While that’s unquestionable in my view, one of the few questions that remain at this point is who will Newsom appoint to replace her? Though he previously pledged to name a black woman as a “caretaker” in the short term in the event Feinstein, whose health seemed to be declining, passed away, he’s also said he won’t name anyone who is already a declared candidate for Feinstein’s seat, which has upset some of the Golden State’s most prominent Democratic political figures.
We’ll keep you posted on the latest developments on that front. As always, stay tuned.
