The race to replace Senator Dianne Feinstein is getting spicy. It was always going to get that way and now there is some Democrat on Democrat war going on. You hate to see it.

Okay. It’s great entertainment. This battle was totally predictable because it’s a battle over who has more power – Governor Gavin Newsom or former Speaker Nancy Pelosi? Pelosi wants to install her bestie, Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff, into that Senate seat when Feinstein retires in 2024. Gavin Newsom really, really wants a black Democrat woman to occupy the seat. There are three prominent California Democrats running in the primary so far. Besides Shifty Schiff, there is Rep. Katie Porter, who was the first to jump into the race. Porter announced she would not run for re-election and instead run for the Senate before Feinstein announced her retirement. The third candidate is Rep. Barbara Lee, a black Democrat woman.

Newsom faces appointing a replacement if Feinstein does not complete her term in office. Newsom pledged to appoint a black woman. Naturally, Barbara Lee assumed that black woman would be her. However, Newsom was interviewed on Sunday’s Meet the Press and he isn’t playing ball. He said he doesn’t want “to tip the balance” of the primary race already underway. He wouldn’t appoint any of the primary candidates. He would appoint an interim black woman.

“It would be completely unfair to the Democrats that have worked their tail off,” Newsom said. “The primary is a just matter of months away. I don’t want to tip the balance of that.”

Other well-known Democrats running for Feinstein’s seat include Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter. Porter was the first to announce her bid, before Feinstein even announced she wouldn’t run for reelection.

But Newsom, who appointed Sen.Alex Padto his post when Kamala Harris was elected vice president, hopes he doesn’t have to appoint a replacement for Feinstein.

“No, I don’t want to make another appointment, and I don’t think the people of California want me to make another appointment,” Newsom said.

Gavin Newsom is running a shadow campaign to become the Democrat nominee for president. He is counting on Joe Biden to drop out but has to play coy for now. In the meantime, he has to be careful not to anger any large demographic of Democrat voters. He failed that test, though, with that interview. Maybe he didn’t count on Barbara Lee publicly trashing him, saying he is insulting black women with his decision to only appoint an interim black woman. Did he forget that Lee is an outspoken progressive who is not bashful about weighing in on controversial subjects? It’s her brand. She was the lone vote against the Authorization for Use of Military Force after 9/11/01. She doesn’t back off a fight.

Lee issued a statement which said she is troubled by Newsom’s remarks.

“The idea that a Black woman should be appointed only as a caretaker to simply check a box is insulting to countless Black women across this country who have carried the Democratic Party to victory election after election,” Lee said. “There are currently no Black women serving in the Senate. Since 1789, there have only been two Black woman Senators, who have served a total of 10 years. … If the governor intends to keep his promise and appoint a Black woman to the Senate, the people of California deserve the best possible person for that job. Not a token appointment. Black women deserve more than a participation trophy. We need a seat at the table.”

I hope you were sitting down for that statement. Is she really complaining about identity box checking when the Democrat Party runs on that very policy? No one has been more adamant about checking boxes than Joe Biden as he cobbled together his administration. Merit was not important, job experience was not important. The only thing Biden looks at is race and sexual preference. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre scored the highest because she hit the trifecta. She’s black, a lesbian, and an immigrant. Her job is guaranteed.

Barbara Lee now complaining about checking boxes is just amusing. She didn’t utter a peep when Newsom said he would appoint a black woman. Now it’s a problem only because she is not the black woman he would choose during the primary. What a hypocrite. Do black women deserve “a seat at the table?” Not any more than any other demographic. They have to earn it, the same as any others. She’s a longtime politician. If she can’t figure out how to win the race, that’s on her.

Democrats can’t win elections without black women voters. Look at South Carolina during the 2020 Democrat presidential primary. Joe Biden’s campaign was saved because Rep. Jim Clyburn decided to endorse Biden at the 11th hour and black women voters rallied around that endorsement. Biden finally won an early primary race and was able to remain in the race. Democrats take the demographic for granted because black women have allowed them to do so. They vote for these politicians and let themselves be taken for granted. They get what they vote for. I’m quite sure that Barbara Lee voted for Gavin Newsom in the California general election. Elections have consequences.

A Senate seat should not be an affirmative action move. Newsom already did that when he appointed Alex Padilla to replace Kamala Harris in the Senate when she became vice president. Newsom can say he appointed California’s first Latino to serve in the U.S. Senate.

Feinstein is determined to serve her last full term in office. Unless her health deteriorates further, she may make it. Nancy Pelosi’s daughter is playing the role of assistant, making sure Feinstein gets to work and gets her job done. San Fran Nan wants her to stay as long as she can because she wants Schiff to win the election. He’s not a black woman, though, so Pelosi is at odds with Newsom on who replaces Feinstein. Now Newsom has pissed off Barbara Lee.

You hate to see it happen. Nah. It’s great fun for conservative political junkies. Let the progressive left eat its own. Grab the popcorn.