Dianne Feinstein, the first woman to serve as a senator of California and the longest-serving female senator has died. She was an advocate for gun control, environmental protection, and women's rights. She has helped stop the use of torture by the CIA and introduced several pieces of legislation that would ban or limit the sales of assault weapons.
Under Article V of the Constitution, amendments to the Constitution can be proposed by 2/3 of both houses of Congress or by a national convention called at the request of 2/3 of state legislatures, and ratified by either 3/4 state legislatures or by special conventions called in 3/4 of the states. Under the 17th Amendment, "When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct"(US Constitution). This means that when a senator dies or resigns, the governors are allowed to appoint temporary senators.
Governor Gavin Newsome has appointed Laphonza Butler as an interim senator to fill Feinstein's spot. Butler will be the first openly LGBTQ person to serve California in the Senate, as has been a longtime advocate for women and working people. As Newsome put it, Butler is "'[an] advocate for women and girls, a second-generation fighter for working people, and a trusted adviser to Vice President Harris, Laphonza Butler represents the best of California, and she’ll represent us proudly in the United States Senate'"(Newsome). Butler also has a lot of experience, as she has served as the President of SEIU United Long Term Care Workers (ULTCW) and the Property Services Division Director, where she organized over 250,000 workers.
Laphonza Butler has dedicated her life to helping and empowering people, and I believe that her appointment is a step in the right direction, as it brings more diversity and inclusion in politics. Feinstein was an exceptional senator who accomplished a lot and it will be hard to fill her shoes, but with all the experience that Butler has, I believe she is up to the task and will continue to fight for freedom as Feinstein did.
- Lawrence Wang
Sources
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/05/03/how-do-states-fill-vacancies-in-the-u-s-senate-it-depends-on-the-state/
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/10/01/governor-gavin-newsom-appoints-laphonza-butler-senate/
https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/231002105246-laphonza-butler-washington-2023.jpg?c=original
https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/rockcms/2023-02/230214-ONE-TIME-USE-dianne-feinstein-jm-1419-34d325.jpg
4 comments:
Although Butler became the third black female senator in U.S. History it will likely not have any significant changes in power within the Senate. Feinstein, an advocate of very liberal policy is being replaced with an arguably equally or greater liberal senator for the Democrat-leaning state of California, not shifting any major views. I would like to ask, what are your personal thoughts on Butler and what impacts do you think the first LGBTQ California senator will have in the Senate?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/03/laphonza-butler-sworn-in-senate-california/
First, I think that Butler would be able to bring a lot more diversity into the Senate and push for a lot more LGBTQ rights and equality. She has also been a huge advocate for women, workers, and pay equality, and I hope she continues to do so.
I believe Butler will continue to push for pay equality as she has shown to have done so for years. She led SEIU Local 2015 - California's largest labor union, and was a member of the UC Board of Regents - the governing body of the UC program. Her experiences point to a more labor focused push in the senate rather than LGBTQ, though it is very possible for both to occur. In the end however, she is only the interim senator, and unless she runs for the position in 2024, there is only so much policy she can influence.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/02/gov-gavin-newsom-chooses-laphonza-butler-to-fill-dianne-feinsteins-senate-seat.html
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/09/gavin-newsom-laphonza-butler-pick-00120477
I agree that Butler is likely to succeed in her position not only due to all the experience she has that you cited, but also because she embodies many, if not all, of the policies/viewpoints that Feinstein pushed so hard to support and implement during her time as Senator. Although there is an opposing viewpoint of some Americans insinuating that Butler was no more than a diversity pick for Senator, I believe this is clearly false, as she has a plethora of political experience, even working alongside our current Vice-President as you stated. Ultimately, only time will tell of her ability to take up the senate seat well, but I would not be surprised if she manages to get elected into the position.
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