California Senator Dianne Feinstein Has Passed Away At The Age Of 90, Sparking Mixed Reaction From Social Media

Senator Dianne Feinstein, who had represented the state of California in the United States Senate since 1992, died yesterday at the age of 90.

Feinstein had a lengthy career in politics and had previously served as the Mayor of San Francisco before her ascension to the U.S. Senate.

However, towards the end of her career and life, she became one of the faces of a nationwide debate about age limits for members of the United States government, as her mental and physical decline were apparent to both her colleagues and the public. Despite her frail appearance and reports of mental decline, Feinstein resisted calls to retire and ultimately died in office.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, her death has since spawned mixed reactions on social media throughout the day.

While some praised her lifetime of service, during which time she fought for gun control and abortion access, others felt her resistance to retirement toward the end of her career proved a costly stain on her legacy.

During the Trump presidency, some of Feinstein's Democratic colleagues were frustrated with her handling of Supreme Court nominations by President Trump, allowing Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett with what they felt was insufficient resistance.

The conservative judges ultimately were part of the court that controversially repealed Roe v. Wade last year.

Proof of the damage Feinstein's final years in the Senate did to her legacy was rampant on social media, as users fired off jokes and memes about her refusal to retire.

Her death highlights other octagenarians who currently remain in government and have had severe questions levied at them about their capacity to serve.

On the Republican side is Mitch McConnell, who at 81 has had multiple public instances of him freezing while talking to the press. President Joe Biden, 80, has similarly been criticized from both the right and left for his age and potential cognitive decline. Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate for the 2024 Election, would be 78 should he take office for a second term in 2025.