Nothing to say, yet
Transcription
Then another reminder of an aging Congress happening during a subcommittee hearing yesterday when 89-year-old Dianne Feinstein was called to vote, but instead began an awkward speech. It provides $823 billion. An aide comes to her side, interrupting her. Just say hi. Okay, just... Hi. Your representative is so brain-dead. I got a longer report from CNN. This was a beautiful moment, particularly coming after Mitch McConnell. It's all sad, by the way. I feel horrible for these people, that they're being propped up and held in office just to keep a seat warm, and barely that. This morning, concerns are mounting about the capabilities of some of the oldest members of Congress. At 90, Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein is the oldest U.S. lawmaker. She has been in frail health since a shingles diagnosis earlier this year. Since her return to the Capitol, she has appeared confused at times, including yesterday, when the senator had to be corrected and told to vote during a Senate hearing. Clerk, call the roll. Senator Feinstein. Me? What? Me? What? Huh? Say hi. Pardon me? Hi. Yeah. Uh... I would like to support a yes vote on this. It provides $823 billion. That's an increase of $26 billion. That's actually interesting. This report has a little bit more in it. She is saying yes. She's speaking out of turn, but she... There seems to be some cognition, because she says, yes, I want to support this. But then she goes into explaining why. But she kind of knew what was going on. Well, no, I don't... I think she... I think that she was just... They were just going from person to person. She thought it was... She's supposed to say, I... Can I say something about that report, if you go back? You don't have to play it again, but... She was falling apart before shingles. Oh, yeah. But they got to slip that in, because there's a vaccine out there. We got the shingles vaccine. Good point. I'd like to support a yes vote on this. It provides $823 billion. That's an increase of $26 billion for the Department of Defense. And it funds priorities... Hey! Stupid bag! What? Just say I. Okay. Okay. Just say it. I. It's a delicate conversation, but it is one that is being had more and more out in the open. What are you hearing from Senator Feinstein's office about that moment in particular? Yeah, everything's great. Erica, it is a really delicate conversation. It's not delicate! It's not really new to the U.S. Senate. There have been senators in the past who have had cognitive issues in the U.S. Senate. There are senators who have aged here in a way that really made it hard for them to do their jobs. But Senator Feinstein's office, reacting to that moment in the Appropriations Committee, the senator was preoccupied, didn't realize debate had just ended, and a vote was called. And you see that moment where her staffer comes up to her, whispers in her ear that it's time to actually vote. And then you hear Patty Murray, who is the chairman of that committee, saying, Just say I. Just do as we tell everybody else to do, Diane. Just say I. I. There's a term for this. Questions have been swirling surrounding the health and fitness of the 90-year-old California senator and whether she should continue in her post. Meanwhile, Google searches for the term gerontocracy, which means oligarchical rule by the elderly, went through the roof after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell during a press conference Wednesday. Currently, our Congress is the oldest in our history. Whatever you do, don't look at Joe Biden. Because he's fine. Everything's just fine with that man. President Biden. So, you know, part of the problem is the seniority system. Yeah, I mean, we have a lower end, right? You have to be... You have to be... Don't you have to be 25 at least? What age do you have to be to be in Congress? Isn't there a minimum age? There is a minimum age, but the problem is... It's not the point I'm making. No. The problem is the seniority system. If you're in longer than someone else, you have a higher priority when it comes to being on committees and you get to choose this and that and you get more privileges. Yeah, right. Unless they get rid of... And so that's why you keep these old farts in because they're going to have a little more power and it's going to represent your state better. And I don't know what quite to do about that. You could get rid of it, but then you'd have a lot of people and newcomers and some popular newcomers would come in. I think the average, the median age of the American citizen is 35. I don't think... You think it's older? Well, you know how we can find out? Consult the Book of Knowledge. Book of Knowledge. Average age of American. Okay. Very good idea, John. No, median is different than average. Oh, median. Are we looking for the median or the average? No, look at both. Okay, median age of the U.S. population. This is the latest. It's from 2021. And that is 38.8 years. In 1960, it was 29.5. That's the median. Now let's look at the average. The average age is 38.1. So almost the same. Hey, 38.1. Alright, so she's almost... She's more than twice as old as the median and average age. So... I know we have Mitch McConnell, brain freezing. We still haven't got a good explanation for that. I think it was a mini-stroke. That's what it looked like to me. Yeah, it's possible.
