Can Dianne Feinstein be beaten?

She is 78 and is already in her lifetime a character in a dramatic grand Opera. She has been depicted in movies. She is an iconic California politician. But she still can’t get better than 56% against Birther Orly Taitz in a polling matchup. Daily Kos, no fan of Taitz’s, says “even a ham sandwich” could get Taitz’s 29% in California against Feinstein. The question is, can she be beaten?

The answer is apparently no. And the reason is while Feinstein does not draw overwhelming numbers, when matched against every single possible credible Republican candidate, such as Tom Campbell, Congressman Devin Nunes, Carly Fiorina, or Steve Poisner, she consistently scores in the mid 50% majority range and the rest do not break even 40%. Even Poisner is tight, besting Taitz in match ups with Dianne by just 34% vs. 29%.

It is a pity for Republicans. Feinstein’s iconic stature should not have her polling less than 60% in all match ups. Her funding has been messed up by a treasurer thievery scandal. She is probably too old to run a truly vigorous campaign. She is more liberal than the rest of the state, and the November 2012 ballot should be decidedly anti-incumbent in California. A Golden State version of Florida’s conservative Marco Rubio, well funded with strong appeal to Latino voters, should be ideal. But that candidate has not come forward. It will also be a terrible pity for California Republicans if our nomination goes to Taitz by default. The result will be further proof of the permanent super minority status we have brought on ourselves.

Dianne Feinstein in Outer Space