On today’s Morning Joe, former Senator Claire McCaskill said she would “stand in front of a train” for fellow Democrat Dianne Feinstein.

But despite her empty, vainglorious boast—one that she’ll never be called on—ex-Senator McCaskill went on to suggest that the 89-year-old Feinstein should resign from the Senate, because:

“The cognitive issue is real. And I think we’ve gotta be honest about that. She is struggling with her cognitive abilities.” 

On the other side of the issue was Mika Brzezinski, who was furious with anonymous sources who have described Feinstein’s appearance as “frightening.” Listen, two minutes into the clip, at the venom in Mika’s voice as she says that Feinstein’s appearance:

“May be frightening to whatever staffer leaked that or whoever. I mean, yes, when people age, they look different, yes.”

Drawing on her experience with her late mother, Mika argued that “sometimes you can look a little different, but you still can function.”

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But McCaskill drew a distinction between Mika’s mom and Feinstein. Emilie Brzezinski was an artist, whose love was “creative,” said McCaskill. In contrast, as a senator, Feinstein’s “is a public-facing job, where her ability to communicate is the essence of the job.”

Continuing to defend Feinstein, Mika noted, in an obvious reference to John Fetterman, that there are other senators who have trouble communicating, but who are still allowed to remain in the Senate. 

Agreed, Mika: Senator Hoodie should resign, too! But the Senate seat in California is pretty safe for Democrats, while Fetterman won with 51 percent.

On Morning Joe, Democrat ex-Senator Claire McCaskill saying she would “stand in front of a train” for Dianne Feinstein, but suggesting that the 89-year-old Feinstein should leave the Senate because of her cognitive decline was sponsored in part by Chewy, Consumer Cellular, Casper, Chevy, and GlaxoSmithKline, maker of Shingrix vaccine.  

Here’s the transcript.

MSNBC
Morning Joe
5/19/23
6:14 am EDT

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: According to the New YorkTimes, some people close to [Feinstein] describe seeing her in her current state as frightening. They worry this will cast a shadow over her legacy and achievements. 

. . . 

So I guess the question, Claire, is, I mean, I’d like to know who those people are who were saying that her situation is frightening. Because, sort of in the defense of people who are dealing with issues of aging, sometimes you can look a little different, but you still can function. And, you know, that’s, that’s kind of a cruel word to use. I’m not sure exactly what they mean. They might want to expound upon that a little more.

I feel defensive for the senator, because it is one’s choice.  

. . . 

CLAIRE MCCASKILL:  Well, it’s emotional for me . . . She was such a role model for me, and I think for literally thousands of women in California and beyond. This is really, really hard.

And I get it, that there have been men that have stayed when they were very ill. But the cognitive issue is real. And I think we’ve gotta be honest about that. She is struggling with her cognitive abilities. 

And the thing — listen, I would stand in front of a train for Dianne Feinstein. But I care so deeply about her legacy.

. . . 

MIKA: I just know, from my own personal experience with my mother, that for a number of years, in the last years of her life, she had really lost the ability to talk as much with Parkinson’s. And her face would appear differently than how she felt. But she could still compute. She still completely understood her vision with her art, and she still wanted to do it. And she just needed help to do it.

You know, I think that it’s a very difficult line, that only the people closest to the loved one know when the actual cognitive ability is going away. Because it may look like it’s going away, maybe frightening to whatever staffer leaked that or whoever. I mean, yes, when people age, they look different, yes.

MCCASKILL: I would make the point, though, your mother’s love was creative. 

MIKA: Yeah.

MCCASKILL: Dianne’s love is a public-facing job, where her ability to communicate is the essence of the job. And that’s what makes this so hard. Is that she cannot be the Dianne Feinstein that we all know she is. And that’s why it’s difficult to watch.

MIKA: It’s difficult to watch, but there are other members of the Senate who are having trouble communicating.

MCCASKILL: Well, that’s true.

MIKA: And they’re still allowed to do their jobs.