Diane Feinstein once again is flirting with running for governor, likely encouraged by Newsom dropping out so that the only opponent in the primary is state attorney general Jerry Brown.
She hasn't made up her mind but announced today she's considering running and will
"base a decision on whether to run for California governor next year largely on the solutions the announced candidates put forward to deal with the state's fiscal problems."
Of course, her real reasons for running for governor are completely self serving and have nothing to do with fiscal problems or the needs of the state and its citizens:
In a wide-ranging interviewabout presidential politics and the convention, the state's senior U.S. senator said she first wants to see the results of the November election. If Democrats gain a big enough majority in Congress to move major legislation, she might choose to stay in Washington.
Feinstein, 75, said... "I want to see how close to 60 votes we can get in the Senate, what the committee structure is, and how best I can use my time..."
"The job I do now I think is important, and what I really want to do is make a difference," she said. "The question is, how can I best do that? Is it using the seniority I have in the Senate, or is it in getting out there and running for governor?"
So a Senate majority isn't good enough for you? You need 60 votes to be comfy running a committee and sponsoring legislation, and 60 votes to water down and squander legislation. Thanks a bunch, DiFi.
With her usual arrogance, DiFi dismisses other candidates running as small fry and her as Queen of the State:
"I have run statewide four times now. I have a base. It's up and down the state," Feinstein said. "The state is so big. I think candidates misjudge California. They think they can get in a bus and go around and see enough people. You can't. You need to be known. You need to raise the money. You need to have a combination of campaign organization, support and programs.
"This isn't 2010. I don't need to build an organization to run. I don't need to do an exploratory committee to run. That is all out there if I want to do it. Therefore, at the appropriate time, I will make a decision."
Of course the Great and Exalted centrist DiFi doesn't have a good answer for the most pressing question in CA politics today:
When asked if she had the patience to deal with a state Legislature that has often been described as dysfunctional, she replied: "That's a very good question. It shall be unanswered for the moment."
Really? Unanswered, eh? Wow.
Go away, Dianne and stay in the Senate. We don't want your sniveling, corporate groveling, centrist enabling, old school, old hat oppressive machine politics running the state.
There's one other possibility I read into Dianne's threatened run. Maybe she's not really serious but is trying to influence Brown's proposals and push them to the right by threatening to run if his proposals are too helpful to the people of the state. The other possibility is she's seriously unsure and looks at her polls and her support from other politicos in her machine (note the poll is from a year ago but is typical of how she's polled in the past, not sure about today):
A private poll last month showed Feinstein far outpacing Brown, a former governor, 50 percent to 24 percent, with Garamendi at 10 percent.
Feinstein's potential run is a key topic in Denver, where the state party's political elite are gathered. Delegate Roz Wyman, a former Los Angeles city councilwoman and a longtime friend of Feinstein, said the senator would be all but unbeatable if she decided to run.
Dianne Feinstein, we don't need your meddling and your lording over us. We don't care whether you find the Senate good enough. Our state needs real leaders who care about it, know what needs to be done, and know what to do with the legislature and don't have to get back to us when we ask about it. Go run along now and play in the Senate.