Is it really that weird that Laphonza Butler, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s pick to replace Diane Feinstein in the Senate, lives in Maryland?
Now, incidentally, this isn’t one of those instances where a politician is spending an inordinate amount of time in DC (before leaving office and becoming a lobbyist and making it official). Newsom’s spokesperson confirms that Butler resides in Silver Spring, Maryland, and is registered to vote in that state. We’re just skipping the part where we pretend senators represent states rather than political parties. So, thank you.
Most Democrats — and plenty of Republicans — couldn’t give one whit about the integrity of the Senate — an institution that’s theoretically a bastion of prudence, wisdom, and tradition. It is also theoretically a counterweight to other branches. Today, a senate seat is just a place where partisans unilaterally ram through massive, centralized expansions of the state without any consensus. And when they can’t, they cheer on executive abuse. Democrats are champions of the DC bureaucracies that lord over our decisions. Does it really matter what state you come from if your main objective is to nationalize all policy? You can say many things about Feinstein, a loyal leftist for decades, but she often showed respect for the norms of her institution. She will be one of the last on the left to do so.
Nor is there anything especially surprising about the role identity politics played in the pick. The California governor not only had an opportunity to
