GOP cuts Social Security...

GOP cuts to entitlements ‘will not happen,’ Feinstein tells seniors

By CARLA MARINUCCI

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, locked in an unusually competitive race for reelection, vowed at a campaign event packed with seniors on Monday that any efforts by President Donald Trump and Republicans to corral the federal deficit by slashing Social Security and Medicare “will not happen.”

“The president has said he’s going to take a look at whether we can begin to cut entitlements. … This will not happen,’’ Feinstein (D-Calif.) said forcefully to about 500 members of the Democrats of Rossmoor Club, which bills itself as the nation’s largest Democratic grassroots organization. “I do not believe that any of us, that a Democrat will cut entitlements — and I don’t believe most Republicans will, either.”

Responding to comments by Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who recently said that Congress must take action to lower the federal deficit, Feinstein added, “Many of us feel that the corporate sector in our country, which has been doing very, very well, can pay more.” The comment drew enthusiastic applause and shouts of “yeah!” from the audience.

“In the largest, best-functioning democracy of the world,” she said, “if push comes to shove, substantial members of the Senate and, I believe, the House will come to realize that corporate taxes have to go up.”

Feinstein urged the standing-room-only crowd of residents from the Rossmoor senior community here to use their own power, with only two weeks to go until the midterm elections. “When they go low, we go vote,’’ she said to applause.

The event in the upscale East Bay community comes as Feinstein, 85, has faced criticism from her Democratic challenger, state Sen. Kevin de León, 51, who has argued that she has rarely scheduled such events with California constituents and is out of touch with many younger progressive voters in the state.

But in a reflection of how her campaign is playing with seniors, some of the country’s most reliable voters, Feinstein was greeted with a prolonged standing ovation and robust cheers on Monday in a packed recreation hall.

A surprise guest, who moderated the event, was pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, whose safe landing of a US Airways jet in the Hudson River in 2009 became the subject of a biopic starring Tom Hanks. He lauded Feinstein for protecting pilot safety regulations against what he said had been attempted rollbacks by the Trump administration, under pressure from lobbying groups.

Speaking to reporters afterward, both Feinstein and Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), who accompanied her, sharply challenged Trump’s assertions on Monday that he would cut middle-class taxes by 10 percent before the election.

“The timing doesn’t make sense,’’ said Feinstein, noting that Congress wasn’t even in session and that such a move would require the approval of both the House and the Senate. “What this really needs is some study,’’ she said — something that cannot be accomplished in the next two weeks.

Asked about the president’s new allegations that Middle Eastern terrorists may be traveling in a refugee caravan making its way from Central America, Feinstein, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she hadn’t seen “any intelligence” to support such a claim.

De León, the former pro tem of the California Senate, has hinted throughout the campaign that Feinstein should make way for a younger generation of leaders instead of seeking a fifth full term. But his comments didn’t play well in the Rossmoor crowd, many of whom said they had followed Feinstein’s career for decades.

Margareta Bergman, a Rossmoor resident wearing a “Dianne ’18” button, recalled how she first attended a Feinstein campaign event in 1992, the “Year of the Woman,” in which Feinstein was first elected to the Senate. “She’s been fabulous in many ways,’’ Bergman said. “She’s earned a lot of respect.”

Diane DeCorso, another Rossmoor resident, said, “I’ve watched her since she was mayor of San Francisco,’’ adding that she admired Feinstein’s seniority, her lengthy record in office and her “mellow” style of politics, which DeCorso said was a contrast to some of the more bombastic, younger Democratic politicians on the scene.

She also rejected de León’s argument that it was time for “new leadership,” a view that she said smacked of ageism.

“That’s a bad argument to make in this population,’’ DeCorso said, motioning around to a sea of gray-haired attendees jostling for seats at the event. “It’s up to the individual’’ to decide when it’s time to retire, she said.

“The way I see it,’’ DeCorso said, “she has 85 years of wisdom.”