One of my senators broke my heart today, something I never in my wildest dreams imagined I'd be saying when I proudly cast my vote for Dianne Feinstein for United States Senator in 1992... and 1994... and 2000... and 2006...
Once upon a time she was a courageous president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors who sat in terrifyingly close proximity as a deranged murderer assassinated Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in San Francisco's City Hall. She endured, no, triumphed over Dan White's murderous rampage and emerged from it an inspiring figure who captured many, many San Francisco Bay Area residents' imaginations. I moved to California shortly thereafter and was always so very impressed with and proud of Dianne Feinstein, first as the elegant mayor of my adopted home, then as an eloquent candidate for governor, finally ascending to the highest levels of national politics... such promise... such courage... such a beautiful woman... I'll admit to probably being a bit smitten with her at the time as well...
I now feel a sense of humiliation and betrayal the likes of which I've frankly never encountered before, through countless failed personal relationships and even more numerous misplaced loyalties in the public arena.
My Senator acquiesced... folded... cowed... relented... bent over... willingly and with apparent relish to the worst. president. ever. She managed to summon the courage to endure a double homicide mere feet away from the office she occupied, yet somehow was unable to summon the courage to stand up to George W. Bush and his "Less Than 30% Club".. she is now a party to his dismantling of the United States Constitution... that which she swore an oath to defend... she is now a knowing and willing accomplice... I had even forgiven her for her "yea" vote on the Iraq War, buying into the whole "caught up in the fervor of the moment" meme that she and so many others who chose poorly that fateful day have sought to pawn off on us... "we had no idea what Bush would do with the authority we granted him"...
Well, today she has EVERY idea what he'll do with such authority... and she STILL chose to broaden his plenary powers, the polar opposite of what she was elected (with the help of my vote) to do...
Senator Feinstein lost me today... and once I'm gone, I stay gone... she may very plan on ending her tenure as a US Senator in 2013 when her term is up, in which case, she probably doesn't much give a shit about my next vote... by her actions today she's demonstrated that... but I've got the better part of 6 years to inform Senator Feinstein of just how profoundly she broke my heart today, and I intend to do just that...
Senator Feinstein demonstrated her abject disdain for the wishes of the vast majority of her constituents with her vote today... she's proven herself to be no less an enabler of President Bush than Senator Lieberman... as such, I urge my fellow Californians and anyone else who is likewise disgusted with Senator Feinstein to make a simple statement...
Send her photos of Joseph Lieberman... it hardly matters which one, but I recommend "The Kiss"... short, simple and to the point... there's not even really any reason to accompany the photo(s) with commentary... just a photo of Joe Lieberman... she'll get the point... not that it'll matter much to her... but it'll feel good... trust me...