Jonathan Tobin writes for the Federalist about one disappointing result of last week’s U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

It turns out Democrats aren’t as forgiving of elderly politicians as we might have thought. After several months of doing their best to ignore former Vice President Joe Biden’s declining abilities and his unending string of inexplicable gaffes, Democrats have had it with one particular senior citizen: Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

In a story published by The New York Times the weekend before Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearings began, various sources within the party voiced no confidence in the California senator’s ability to lead Democrats’ efforts to stop the nomination. …

… There was more at play here, however, than just pointing out the inherent problem of having the Senate’s oldest member being on the firing line when Democrats feel they must have their sharpest and toughest advocates front and center in an effort to discredit Barrett and President Donald Trump. Both articles were also warning shots fired in Feinstein’s direction.

Although there was no danger that Feinstein would be anything less than hostile to the conservative judge, leftist Democrats seemed to be saying that any deviation from the party line regarding their scorched-earth war against Trump and his nominee — such as Feinstein’s criticism of leftist plans to do away with the filibuster or to pack the Supreme Court — would be harshly punished when Democrats hope to control the Senate next year.

That’s why leftist groups weighed in at the conclusion of the four days of Judiciary Committee hearings to demand that she be forced to step down as ranking member. Demand Justice, an advocacy group headed by former Hillary Clinton press secretary Brian Fallon, denounced her for treating Republicans with “kid gloves.” The evidence for this accusation was the collegial hug she gave Sen. Lindsey Graham, the committee’s chairman, for the way he handled the hearings.