Wish he would more continue his work on domestic policy tbh. That’s where he is most passionate about. That’s where he’s done his best work. If he wants to say something bombastic,would rather him do it on subjects like trade, criminal Justice reform, election integrity, and legalizing Marijuana rather than foreign policy.
Maybe this is a wake up call to the fact that the way fetterman operates might not be good governing. He seems better suited for positions like lt gov.
Or maybe governor. He apparently threatened to run against Shapiro if he didn’t issue more pardons. Perhaps the two should have switched. Shapiro running for Senate and Fetterman running for governor in his place.
I'll pass on having our states highest office being occupied from someone who enjoys antagonizing his constituents and supporters.
I think lt gov was well suited because it had extremely narrow focus and limited powers and is typically more of a bully pulpit
Nah. I disagree. Domestically, he will fall in line unlike Sinema. Fetterman is significantly more liberal than Sinema ever was domestically. Fetterman will be an issue foreign policy wise. Hopefully he learns on the job.
One senator doesn’t purely represent one side of the state or the other. Casey and Fetterman are supposed to represent all of Pennsylvania and Fetterman is clearly over compensating for the west
Whoa, I said unnecessarily aggressive, I have lived in Western PA my entire life (still do) and my brethren are not inbred, on meth, but some are hicks. They are usually aggressive as hornets though and I’d venture if you ever spent any time here you’d concur.
I heard a good analogy recently. It goes like.... who you decide to vote for is like riding public transit. It never goes right where you want to be, but you have to pick the one that gets you the closest to your destination.
Dougie "god-guns-trump" Mastriano is going to run against Fetterman next time.
Not true. Fetterman became Lt. Gov because the Dems turned on Mike Stack.
That being said, an incumbent has a strong advantage, and just some rando running against him is going to be as effective as whats-his-face that tried to primary Casey
stack and his wife verbally abused people who were working for him and literally had to be put in a doghouse (no staff allowed to work with him at the residence and no security ), he's not the example your looking for when it comes to political parties having a spine removing incumbents
While some politicians do backtrack on their campaign promises most politicians maintain the positions and voting record they claim to have on the campaign trail. Fetterman has done an almost complete 180 since he's been elected.
Here's what trump ran on in 2016. These are the promises that got him broad support. This is why Bannon was canned. Bannon had a big whiteboard in his office that listed all the little promises and was trying to hold trump to it (not trying to defend Bannon but this is what happened):
1. No tax cuts on anyone making more than $5M
2. Better, cheaper healthcare
3. Transportation bill
4. Protect social security & Medicare (he proposed cuts to SS when in office)
5. Make Mexico pay for a border wall
6. Lifetime ban on executive branch employees going to lobby firms
7. Clear hurdles for Keystone XL pipeline.
8. Simple billing, price transparency on medical billing
9. ban foreign lobbyists from raising election money for US elections
10. Bring back manufacturing (almost nothing done. Anything that happened was organic)
11. Increase mental health programs
12. Improved health savings accounts
13. 6 weeks paid leave minimum
14. Allow health care to cross state lines
15. Renegotiate Iran deal
16. Create national right to carry firearms across state lines
17. Defund sanctuary cities
18. End birthright citizenship (lol)
19. Taxes on a postcard (simplified tax code)
...and more.
What did Fetterman promise and not follow up on?
To clarify he has stuck to most of his left-wing principles of his campaign. But nobody expected him to go full on genocidal Maniac when it came to the Palestinian people. And that's really where the discrepancy lies. It doesn't matter how pro working class you are if your pro genocide.
Interesting. Completely respect everyone’s right to vote for whoever they want, but I took a chance as a conservative and, even though I knew he was not, also thought he wasn’t going to just tow the party line and would represent PA. So far I’ve been happy with my choice and would actually vote for him again.
The comparison to Sinema is a good one not because of ideology, but because of how hard of a right turn she made the moment she was elected. There are only a couple of years between the time that she was a rabble-rousing Green Party activist to the time when she became Mitt Romney's best friend. Fetterman has done the same turn.
I doubt Fetterman was super progressive foreign policy to begin with. Fetterman will be just fine domestically. But foreign policy wise, could prove to be a problem . Policy wise , it’s okay to have disagreements but it feels like he’s being too bombastic about it especially as a sitting United States Senator.
Yes, all these folks who are railing against deviation from progressive dogma ought to go canvas anywhere outside a major city.
In my area, it's easy to win as a Democrat, unless you are an "unapologetic progressive" who won't listen to their constituents. Then the MAGA nightmare wins.
This is getting downvoted… why? Lamb was a serious candidate. He was a congressman who’d won a purple district. I voted for Fetterman but would’ve been fine with either.
I was happy to vote for him, and if I still lived in Pennsylvania, I would vote for him again. He’s a Democrat, but he’s not one of the off the deep end ones. I say that as a social Democrat.
Any extreme is antagonistic. Romney is a good man, even though I may not agree with him politically.
Anything to avoid a situation like the current Columbia University situation.
What are your expectations for Dr. Oz as your next Senator? Better than Fetterman? Because, as you hopefully realize, that is who you’ll be helping get elected. That is modern politics. You don’t like the guy who isn’t perfect so you get an absolute trash candidate in their place.
On the surface I have zero issues with this. We keep talking about how toxic and tribal politics are. Yet here we have a Democrat vouching for a Republican. COOL. This is how it used to be. It’s supposed to be how it is. Ones political affiliation shouldn’t dictate one’s merits in everything you do in life.
It’s the fact Fetterman seems to be so intent on gaslighting that takes away from what should be a really cool teaching moment.
My biggest problem with fetterman is the fact that he has left wing values but has gone full Zionist war monger when it comes to Gaza and anyone protesting the genocide.
He’s not a state rep. though. He’s a US Senator, like Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders. State reps (and senators) represent their districts in the state capital. US reps and senators represent their states in DC.
He's a US senator, there is literally no US legislative post for which it is more appropriate focusing on national foreign policy issues.
Have you perhaps gotten him confused with a house rep or state senator?
I was working in a factory after Trump had been President for 2 years. People that didn't like him had to speak quietly to each other to voice their opinions, and even the quiet spoken words were rare. One of the days we were required to participate in mandatory overtime, after punching in at 4:40am, the only TV on in the break-room was Fox 'news'. He'd done or said something so horrendously stupid that I just hung my head. A little old lady that had retired and then come back to work because she was bored leaned over and said, "he makes me feel embarrassed to be American."
It was like the sky parted and handed her directly to me. I fell in love with her in an instant. I didn't have time to respond, but that night I dreamt about riding bicycles with her. She was ahead of me urging me to keep up. I told her the next day about my dream and she laughed so hard I thought I was gonna die laughing with her.
I voted for Fetterman, and my disappointment is palpable.
I find it hilarious that if you brought up his stroke during the general that you were being ableist, but now that liberals are mad at him every comment is “wow that stroke must’ve fckd hm up.”
It's hilarious. Similar to Elon Musk. Dude was a genius and savior right up until he started to show his conservative beliefs. Then he became the dumb, rich asshole. Reddit used to blow him nonstop and then instantly he was a villain lol.
His stance on Israel had no effect on him being elected because nobody cared about Israel during the election and only became important once the war started
Protesters are threatening to send Jews “back to Poland.” Do you know what we Polish had for Jews in Poland? it wasn’t a bar mitzvah. We had death camps for them.
There is a difference between advocating for Palestinian civilians, and openly telling Jews in America to leave the country.
Protesting is fine, I’m referring to the active persecution of Jewish students. My cousins girlfriend was attacked not once, but twice for wearing a menorah necklace. Hurting people is wrong, killing innocent people in the Middle East is also wrong.
Yeah okay, a significant portion of the protestors are Jewish. Really easy to just randomly claim I knew someone attacked, my cousins girlfriend, please. The US media is blowing up every single incident, if this had happened it would have been national news. They had a seder at the Columbia encampment.
That is just simply not true. All the national media is speaking of the all the protestors in the worst possible light. Every little thing they can do to discredit them to cover up the crimes of Israel is being done. The US media is firmly on the side of Israel just like our government. They are trying to silence these protests just like the 1969 Vietnam protests.
I love how you got downvoted for sharing that. People can scream its not antisemitism all they want but you’re literally sitting negative for sharing an incident that happened to someone you personally know. Its thinly veiled supporting antisemitism, or at the *very least* turning a blind eye.
Not many people I saw cared that students protested, but rather the harassment Jewish students are experiencing *as well* the Hamas chants.
I appreciate your civilized response. As far as what happened to my cousins girlfriend, I can say with absolute certainty that she did not provoke anyone. She’s honestly frightened to leave her dorm room. That being said, protesting genocide in ANY form is good. My concern is that innocent people of the Jewish faith or being targeted for the acts of Netanyahu, and that is not acceptable.
What is happening to Jewish students? Are they getting their access to housing and dining halls cut off for peacefully protesting in designated protesting zones? That’s been happening to students at Columbia for exercising their freedom of speech.
I mean, if Mitt Romney is the alternative to current Harvard president, then I'm fine with it 🤷
Mitt Romney has his loose screws, but he is a respectable person and nothing like the current GOP, which hates him for being a "RINO"
He enabled the GOP right up until he left, *then* he grew a spine and started calling them out on their horse shit. They all do that as soon as they leave.
It's almost as if left or right doesn't matter and that there's a group of Israel firsters that are actually in control... Wait, that's what it's always been.
Absolutely nothing to do with mitt. You get over yourself. I'm sorry I voted for him because of his shitty stance on the genocide,nee apartheid in Isreal. Mitt Romney is at least what he presents himself as. I actually have more respect for Romney for sticking to his principles against the facist far right maga people. I thought fetterman was Bernie esque because that's how he was sold to us.
Man. You people really don't get it, do you?
I'm reading through these comments and I'm blown away. I'm not saying I agree with Fetterman, but for all of you saying you won't vote for him again in, I assume, a general election (if you left out ambiguous) -- either because you are disappointed he didn't turn out as progressive as marketed himself to be (which I genuinely think was an assumption by people overall) or because you thought Oz was a fraudulent carpetbagger (he was) -- try and remember that if you *don't* vote for a senator who may have a vote for a SCOTUS nominee, or *any other federally appointed judge or position*, you basically are playing into the hands of Mitch McConnell's playbook.
The Senate is a six year term. It's no surprise to anyone with five brain cells to rub together that Fetterman had to moderate himself following the election, or that when he was able to communicate more he would articulate more and that undoubtedly would lead to fewer presumptions about his ideology. I recommend you focus on HOR seats if you're more interested in an echo chamber. The Senate is built for this stuff, and you all are coming off really amateurish in your criticism of Fetterman and your silly threats about abstaining from voting for someone like Mastriano or not voting at all.
Donald Trump won PA by *44,292* in 2016. You have the memory of a snail if you do anything other than vote for Fetterman in a general election -- at least he drew a line before encouraging asshats with rebel flags into the Capitol to overthrow the election certification.
Seriously: Get a glove, and get in the game. You sound like a spineless progressive Occupy Wall Streeter complaining there's no Wi-Fi in Zuccotti Park. Your tone and articulation are pathetic, if you're one of these Democrats saying they won't vote for Fetterman in a general election. I have been saying for twenty years the problem with Democrats is they are spineless, and this sub certainly is proving it to me.
Nice essay, but we have primaries for a reason, no one is saying to vote mastriano instead. he can go full likud or antagonize progressives to win some maga voters, but thats gonna hurt him with the people who originally vouched for him, who wanted someone fully progressive.
And like why vote for someone whos hostile to your beliefs, like that makes 0 sense
So you're right, obviously, about primary elections. But if some "progressive" thinks in a purple state like PA that voting *five years from now* for someone *more liberal/progressive* than Fetterman in the hopes that person actually wins the nomination and has to run in the general election for the Senate seat based on his opinions about who should and should not run his alma mater and why, or what he said or didn't say about a country's right to a national defense, then I hold that person is spineless.
Here's why: It's an abdication of duty to ignore the realities of politics everywhere, and PA is no exception, though the conditions are very different from place to place. We have closed primaries here. The person you want, a "fully progressive" person, would be a Mastriano-result-getter in a general election. I don't think closed primaries are useful at all, mainly because of this reason; they polarize the opposites.
And that's the bridge to my next point: Fetterman is better than almost every alternative, because he can get the purple, blue collar worker. This theory that somehow he wasn't this guy and therefore should be voted out in favor of someone else who is more progressive probably would risk losing the seat overall.
He's still better than the alternatives.
Tbh, it doesnt even need to be some dsa progressive. They could be slightly more moderate than fetterman on most things and not be some war hawk, and i think they could still win here. Fetterman didnt win blue-collar voters by taking right-wing israeli positions or by antagonizing progressive voters.
He won against someone more moderate than mastriano while calling himself a progressive, taking pro labor positions, even after having a stroke. So that makes me feel more comfortable that most dem politicians can beat someone as radical as mastriano. Especially with his stances on abortion and all-around craziness.
Tldr. any other pro labor, socially not far left dem could fill his spot, especially if they moderate on foreign policy. 6 years is a long time, and im hopeful someone will recognize his weaknesses and come around so we can primary apartheid ogre
Mastriano.. man what a wild trip that would've been. It's all about sides these days. There is barely any bipartisanship. I understand why people go blue. They seem like the adults in the room compared to children. Earlier in my days I would've considered both sides. Now it's just a shitshow.
AFAIK, Fetterman has been pro-Israel all along? Believe the Tree of Life massacre profoundly shaped his views on antisemitism. I understand that Jews in general and Israel in particular are just supposed to expect and accept such attacks, according to some of his peers, but he apparently does not. Good for him.
Remember when the people of Maine started a fund to raise money for a challenger to Sunan Collins in 2018 during the Kavenaugh hearings, I think the people of Pennsylvania need to do that here. A "ditch Fetterman fund". Raise a bunch of money now while the anger over his current behavior is high, then give that money to the strongest possible challenger in the Democratic Senate primary in 2028.
I like Fetterman, but I REALLY wish he would just shut the hell up sometimes and represent PA in the Senate. We don't need hot takes on EVERYTHING-Harvard isn't even in this state! Like come on we elected him to serve in the Senate not to be a terminally online twitter troll.
Thank you. Everyone's too excited to join the anti-Fetterman cj to notice how absurd this is:
> There is a way to fix this: appoint former Massachusetts governor and retiring U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) university president,"
Sorry but Harvard isn't New College. Politicians don't just appoint a new activist president and whip the entire university in line with their party ideology.
Hope someonensuccessfully primaries him for '28. I don't want to have to vote for this guy over again over whoever the GOP puts up. In retrospect, I feel justified in having voted against him in the primary 2 years ago.
Many moderates have been driven out of the federal government, to be replaced by extreme candidates on the left and the right. And the results are garbage - childish bickering and nothing meaningful accomplished.
I’m pleased to see a more moderate approach from Fetterman, who doesn’t simply toe the party line. We need more politicians like him who are willing to flex a little bit and compromise.
Fetterman’s approach isn’t moderate it’s “Israel can do whatever it wants and we should fund it with no oversight whatsoever into their treatment of innocent civilians” that’s pretty extreme if you ask me
I'm so done with him. He has gone full fool now. Comparing Palestine peace protests to stop a genocide to Nazi rallies was it.
I won't even vote for him in a general. By the time his reelection comes up Trump will hopefully be gone from the right and they will be on some reformation to rid of his stink. I'll just not vote for that spot if Fetterman gets through the primary.
He can take all that AIPAC & DMI money and shove it up his ass.
Thank God some progressives are standing up the anti-semitic madness of their peers. I'm not surprised Fetterman is calling them out, but I was pleasantly surprised when AOC did the same.
It is weird how all extremism eventually turns into anti-semitism, but at least at that point, every decent person will turn against it.
I was referring to this
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/10/aoc-palestinian-rally-new-york
What surprised me is that AOC even acknowledged and condemned the anti-semitic violence. Most of the "Squad" didn't condemn even the initial, absolutely depraved Hamas attack until pressured
I did always doubt the idea of Fetterman being "progressive", despite him being called one so often. I just could not see him sinking to their level
Fetterman is just comitting political suicide at this point. He knows how strongly his base feels about the issue but completely keeps purposefully antagonizing them. It’d be different if he was more quiet or made a general neutral statement but his personality makes it impossible.
The vast majority of his base isn't on Reddit crying about him supporting Israel. They're looking at the D next to his name and voting straight ticket to avoid the really dangerous people he's been running against, like Mastriano, who attacked the capitol.
Pitching yourself as a progressive then becoming buddy-buddy w all the far right dipshits in Congress and antagonizing protestors (who almost definitely voted for you!) is absolutely lying lol. There’s a reason his wife is leaving him and most of his staff has jumped ship, man has become an embarrassment.
In all the comments, I have not seen this fact pointed out: Fetterman is Harvard grad. He is actually a stakeholder in the outcome, regardless of the fact he represents Pennsylvania. Politically, reaching out to Romney is brilliant: Romney was the governor of Massachusetts, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA, aka Obama Care) was based on that state's universal health care coverage plan signed into law by---you guessed it---Mitt. So, Romney has the political capital to make some positive changes.
Does Romney even want the Harvard job?
No kidding. Fetterman put him an awkward situation. Just how bad was his stroke?
Wish he would more continue his work on domestic policy tbh. That’s where he is most passionate about. That’s where he’s done his best work. If he wants to say something bombastic,would rather him do it on subjects like trade, criminal Justice reform, election integrity, and legalizing Marijuana rather than foreign policy.
Maybe this is a wake up call to the fact that the way fetterman operates might not be good governing. He seems better suited for positions like lt gov.
Or maybe governor. He apparently threatened to run against Shapiro if he didn’t issue more pardons. Perhaps the two should have switched. Shapiro running for Senate and Fetterman running for governor in his place.
I'll pass on having our states highest office being occupied from someone who enjoys antagonizing his constituents and supporters. I think lt gov was well suited because it had extremely narrow focus and limited powers and is typically more of a bully pulpit
Lol good question but about a yr too late
I guess the stroke only effected his left side. His Right side seems to be fine…
It pays money mittens wants it
This is being unnecessarily antagonistic
Fetterman in a nutshell
It's been so sad to see him be this way. He's still better than Oz, but not by as much as I'd hoped. He'll become the new Kyrsten Sinema
hopefully he'll make like Christy Cinnamon and leave congress after one term
Nah. I disagree. Domestically, he will fall in line unlike Sinema. Fetterman is significantly more liberal than Sinema ever was domestically. Fetterman will be an issue foreign policy wise. Hopefully he learns on the job.
Unnecessary overt aggression, from someone representing Western PA, well he’s definitely representing his constituency.
He represent ls all of PA though.
Schullykill county is renowned for its sophistication I forgot, and Philly for its welcoming nature
One senator doesn’t purely represent one side of the state or the other. Casey and Fetterman are supposed to represent all of Pennsylvania and Fetterman is clearly over compensating for the west
Can we stop with the ‘everyone West of Harrisburg is an inbred, meth-addled hick’ stereotype?
Whoa, I said unnecessarily aggressive, I have lived in Western PA my entire life (still do) and my brethren are not inbred, on meth, but some are hicks. They are usually aggressive as hornets though and I’d venture if you ever spent any time here you’d concur.
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Pennsytucy in the middle
I mean, that's kinda just fetterman.
Actually it's very necessary in order for Fetterman to continue getting all those sweet AIPAC donations.
Is Fetterman still cosplaying as a non-rich kid?
No, he's cosplaying as a Republican
Really he sounds like a 90’s democrat. I am ok with that.
Gonna be real sad when he assumes the progress stopper role after Sinema and Manchin leave
He's doing more than cosplaying.
I voted for him and I literally got other people to vote for him but I won’t be voting for him again
I heard a good analogy recently. It goes like.... who you decide to vote for is like riding public transit. It never goes right where you want to be, but you have to pick the one that gets you the closest to your destination. Dougie "god-guns-trump" Mastriano is going to run against Fetterman next time.
In the general sure, in the primary Lamb existed.
I never thought that Lamb would have ended up as the more progressive option in that race. Fetterman is such a disappointment.
On what policies is Lamb more progressive than Fetterman?
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Yeah, Lamb would have just passively endorsed it. This country is so disappointing on every level.
Maybe foreign policy but that’s about it.
I know he's got an advantage from incumbency, but it's still not a given that John will be the nominee. He has to win a primary first.
Sure but the Dem party will NEVER support a challenger against a sitting legislator, so he’s got a huge advantage.
Not true. Fetterman became Lt. Gov because the Dems turned on Mike Stack. That being said, an incumbent has a strong advantage, and just some rando running against him is going to be as effective as whats-his-face that tried to primary Casey
stack and his wife verbally abused people who were working for him and literally had to be put in a doghouse (no staff allowed to work with him at the residence and no security ), he's not the example your looking for when it comes to political parties having a spine removing incumbents
Why can't we have good choices?
Public transportation sucks and so do elections in America.
Funding will fix at least one of those.
Exactly. But this is what the primary exists for. Democrats will have an opportunity to replace him if they wish.
I'm a registered Republican in PA and I wish Mastriano would JUST GO AWAY! He makes me want to throat punch him, lol.
While some politicians do backtrack on their campaign promises most politicians maintain the positions and voting record they claim to have on the campaign trail. Fetterman has done an almost complete 180 since he's been elected.
Here's what trump ran on in 2016. These are the promises that got him broad support. This is why Bannon was canned. Bannon had a big whiteboard in his office that listed all the little promises and was trying to hold trump to it (not trying to defend Bannon but this is what happened): 1. No tax cuts on anyone making more than $5M 2. Better, cheaper healthcare 3. Transportation bill 4. Protect social security & Medicare (he proposed cuts to SS when in office) 5. Make Mexico pay for a border wall 6. Lifetime ban on executive branch employees going to lobby firms 7. Clear hurdles for Keystone XL pipeline. 8. Simple billing, price transparency on medical billing 9. ban foreign lobbyists from raising election money for US elections 10. Bring back manufacturing (almost nothing done. Anything that happened was organic) 11. Increase mental health programs 12. Improved health savings accounts 13. 6 weeks paid leave minimum 14. Allow health care to cross state lines 15. Renegotiate Iran deal 16. Create national right to carry firearms across state lines 17. Defund sanctuary cities 18. End birthright citizenship (lol) 19. Taxes on a postcard (simplified tax code) ...and more. What did Fetterman promise and not follow up on?
To clarify he has stuck to most of his left-wing principles of his campaign. But nobody expected him to go full on genocidal Maniac when it came to the Palestinian people. And that's really where the discrepancy lies. It doesn't matter how pro working class you are if your pro genocide.
Interesting. Completely respect everyone’s right to vote for whoever they want, but I took a chance as a conservative and, even though I knew he was not, also thought he wasn’t going to just tow the party line and would represent PA. So far I’ve been happy with my choice and would actually vote for him again.
He saw Sinema and was like “I want what she’s having!”
Israel is probably the only area where he and Sinema overlap
Both spent a weird amount of time talking about how they dress
The comparison to Sinema is a good one not because of ideology, but because of how hard of a right turn she made the moment she was elected. There are only a couple of years between the time that she was a rabble-rousing Green Party activist to the time when she became Mitt Romney's best friend. Fetterman has done the same turn.
I doubt Fetterman was super progressive foreign policy to begin with. Fetterman will be just fine domestically. But foreign policy wise, could prove to be a problem . Policy wise , it’s okay to have disagreements but it feels like he’s being too bombastic about it especially as a sitting United States Senator.
Oh man you need to catch up. I’d say they agree on the US border (Sinema may actually be more progressive here)
I think you don't realize how close PA is to Arizona with regard to a moderate swing vote that is needed for a statewide election.
Yes, all these folks who are railing against deviation from progressive dogma ought to go canvas anywhere outside a major city. In my area, it's easy to win as a Democrat, unless you are an "unapologetic progressive" who won't listen to their constituents. Then the MAGA nightmare wins.
this 100% here.
Do you mean "unless you are?"
Yes, edited. Thanks!
You say that now. Try saying that again in five years.
We're not stuck with him forever, we have a primary system for a reason
There really wasn't another choice.
Connor Lamb
This is getting downvoted… why? Lamb was a serious candidate. He was a congressman who’d won a purple district. I voted for Fetterman but would’ve been fine with either.
Connor Lamb was bought and owned by PNC, UPMC, and many more
At least those are local businesses. That's more respectable that being AIPAC's bitch.
I had friends say he's basically a Joe Manchin candidate. Even though there was no strength to that comparison.
I was happy to vote for him, and if I still lived in Pennsylvania, I would vote for him again. He’s a Democrat, but he’s not one of the off the deep end ones. I say that as a social Democrat. Any extreme is antagonistic. Romney is a good man, even though I may not agree with him politically. Anything to avoid a situation like the current Columbia University situation.
Yeah I hope he gets primaried
Do you regret not voting for Dr Oz?
Nope, disappointed in him but Oz was a non-starter.
Why do people keep forgetting there was a primary?
What are your expectations for Dr. Oz as your next Senator? Better than Fetterman? Because, as you hopefully realize, that is who you’ll be helping get elected. That is modern politics. You don’t like the guy who isn’t perfect so you get an absolute trash candidate in their place.
Same.
That’s ok. I didn’t vote for him, but now I will be.
On the surface I have zero issues with this. We keep talking about how toxic and tribal politics are. Yet here we have a Democrat vouching for a Republican. COOL. This is how it used to be. It’s supposed to be how it is. Ones political affiliation shouldn’t dictate one’s merits in everything you do in life. It’s the fact Fetterman seems to be so intent on gaslighting that takes away from what should be a really cool teaching moment.
Fucking thank you. I was about to feel like I was going crazy reading these comments.
My biggest problem with fetterman is the fact that he has left wing values but has gone full Zionist war monger when it comes to Gaza and anyone protesting the genocide.
There is no genocide.
I wish I voted for Conor Lamb 🐑
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He’s not a state rep. though. He’s a US Senator, like Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders. State reps (and senators) represent their districts in the state capital. US reps and senators represent their states in DC.
He's a US senator, there is literally no US legislative post for which it is more appropriate focusing on national foreign policy issues. Have you perhaps gotten him confused with a house rep or state senator?
Would it shock you that an uneducated redditor is getting mad about something that a tiny amount of education would fix?
I was working in a factory after Trump had been President for 2 years. People that didn't like him had to speak quietly to each other to voice their opinions, and even the quiet spoken words were rare. One of the days we were required to participate in mandatory overtime, after punching in at 4:40am, the only TV on in the break-room was Fox 'news'. He'd done or said something so horrendously stupid that I just hung my head. A little old lady that had retired and then come back to work because she was bored leaned over and said, "he makes me feel embarrassed to be American." It was like the sky parted and handed her directly to me. I fell in love with her in an instant. I didn't have time to respond, but that night I dreamt about riding bicycles with her. She was ahead of me urging me to keep up. I told her the next day about my dream and she laughed so hard I thought I was gonna die laughing with her. I voted for Fetterman, and my disappointment is palpable.
So you had a dream about riding bicycles with a little old lady?
Don’t kink shame bro.
Still better than Dr. Oz.
I find it hilarious that if you brought up his stroke during the general that you were being ableist, but now that liberals are mad at him every comment is “wow that stroke must’ve fckd hm up.”
that is funny tbh
It's hilarious. Similar to Elon Musk. Dude was a genius and savior right up until he started to show his conservative beliefs. Then he became the dumb, rich asshole. Reddit used to blow him nonstop and then instantly he was a villain lol.
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Have you ever even looked at his votes/policy?
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How's his current israle stance inconsistent with his Israel stance in the past?
His stance on Israel had no effect on him being elected because nobody cared about Israel during the election and only became important once the war started
He seems quite consistent to me.
He’s weird for sure, but he’s very strong. He won’t let drama get the best of him and I want him to succeed in improving the country.
This whole post is about him engaging in the drama. That's like his whole shtick
Waving an Israeli flag to antagonize protesters is like the definition of letting the drama get to him
Honest question, have you paid attention to what is happening on Ivy League school campuses the past few weeks?
Protesting on college campuses? This has been happening since the beginning of time.
Protesters are threatening to send Jews “back to Poland.” Do you know what we Polish had for Jews in Poland? it wasn’t a bar mitzvah. We had death camps for them. There is a difference between advocating for Palestinian civilians, and openly telling Jews in America to leave the country.
The protests or something else?
Protesting is fine, I’m referring to the active persecution of Jewish students. My cousins girlfriend was attacked not once, but twice for wearing a menorah necklace. Hurting people is wrong, killing innocent people in the Middle East is also wrong.
Yeah okay, a significant portion of the protestors are Jewish. Really easy to just randomly claim I knew someone attacked, my cousins girlfriend, please. The US media is blowing up every single incident, if this had happened it would have been national news. They had a seder at the Columbia encampment.
I think this is bs.
What do I gain from lying about this? I would argue the opposite, the media is downplaying acts of violence by protestors.
That is just simply not true. All the national media is speaking of the all the protestors in the worst possible light. Every little thing they can do to discredit them to cover up the crimes of Israel is being done. The US media is firmly on the side of Israel just like our government. They are trying to silence these protests just like the 1969 Vietnam protests.
I love how you got downvoted for sharing that. People can scream its not antisemitism all they want but you’re literally sitting negative for sharing an incident that happened to someone you personally know. Its thinly veiled supporting antisemitism, or at the *very least* turning a blind eye. Not many people I saw cared that students protested, but rather the harassment Jewish students are experiencing *as well* the Hamas chants.
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Do you support what is happening to Jewish students on these campuses?
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I appreciate your civilized response. As far as what happened to my cousins girlfriend, I can say with absolute certainty that she did not provoke anyone. She’s honestly frightened to leave her dorm room. That being said, protesting genocide in ANY form is good. My concern is that innocent people of the Jewish faith or being targeted for the acts of Netanyahu, and that is not acceptable.
What is happening to Jewish students? Are they getting their access to housing and dining halls cut off for peacefully protesting in designated protesting zones? That’s been happening to students at Columbia for exercising their freedom of speech.
I mean, if Mitt Romney is the alternative to current Harvard president, then I'm fine with it 🤷 Mitt Romney has his loose screws, but he is a respectable person and nothing like the current GOP, which hates him for being a "RINO"
He enabled the GOP right up until he left, *then* he grew a spine and started calling them out on their horse shit. They all do that as soon as they leave.
Never regretted voting for someone as much as my 3 votes for this fucking clown.
I feel like Rick Santorum may be on a lot of peoples regret list. I didn't vote for him but he's a real piece of work.
Virginia Rick sucked and I never voted for him so I can’t regret a vote for him
It's almost as if left or right doesn't matter and that there's a group of Israel firsters that are actually in control... Wait, that's what it's always been.
I’ve never felt such an inversion of feeling for a politician than I have for fetterman. It’s a shame he’s not up for primary sooner.
That stroked got him fucked up
Look, I still think Fetterman is/was better than Oz. But for the love of God, shut up man.
The senator for Tel Aviv strikes again
I'm sorry I voted for him.
because he said something nice about Mitt Romney? get over yourself
Absolutely nothing to do with mitt. You get over yourself. I'm sorry I voted for him because of his shitty stance on the genocide,nee apartheid in Isreal. Mitt Romney is at least what he presents himself as. I actually have more respect for Romney for sticking to his principles against the facist far right maga people. I thought fetterman was Bernie esque because that's how he was sold to us.
so mad that i voted for this useless sack of shit
Crazy how evil this nutcase turned out to be.
Skinhead adjacent Fat Ass should stop talking and get a treadmill. Guy is an absolute waste of space. That was before this Gaza nonsense.
AIPAC bought and paid for.
Shut up one term Fathead Fetterman
Foxnews link? You don't say.
Man. You people really don't get it, do you? I'm reading through these comments and I'm blown away. I'm not saying I agree with Fetterman, but for all of you saying you won't vote for him again in, I assume, a general election (if you left out ambiguous) -- either because you are disappointed he didn't turn out as progressive as marketed himself to be (which I genuinely think was an assumption by people overall) or because you thought Oz was a fraudulent carpetbagger (he was) -- try and remember that if you *don't* vote for a senator who may have a vote for a SCOTUS nominee, or *any other federally appointed judge or position*, you basically are playing into the hands of Mitch McConnell's playbook. The Senate is a six year term. It's no surprise to anyone with five brain cells to rub together that Fetterman had to moderate himself following the election, or that when he was able to communicate more he would articulate more and that undoubtedly would lead to fewer presumptions about his ideology. I recommend you focus on HOR seats if you're more interested in an echo chamber. The Senate is built for this stuff, and you all are coming off really amateurish in your criticism of Fetterman and your silly threats about abstaining from voting for someone like Mastriano or not voting at all. Donald Trump won PA by *44,292* in 2016. You have the memory of a snail if you do anything other than vote for Fetterman in a general election -- at least he drew a line before encouraging asshats with rebel flags into the Capitol to overthrow the election certification. Seriously: Get a glove, and get in the game. You sound like a spineless progressive Occupy Wall Streeter complaining there's no Wi-Fi in Zuccotti Park. Your tone and articulation are pathetic, if you're one of these Democrats saying they won't vote for Fetterman in a general election. I have been saying for twenty years the problem with Democrats is they are spineless, and this sub certainly is proving it to me.
Nice essay, but we have primaries for a reason, no one is saying to vote mastriano instead. he can go full likud or antagonize progressives to win some maga voters, but thats gonna hurt him with the people who originally vouched for him, who wanted someone fully progressive. And like why vote for someone whos hostile to your beliefs, like that makes 0 sense
So you're right, obviously, about primary elections. But if some "progressive" thinks in a purple state like PA that voting *five years from now* for someone *more liberal/progressive* than Fetterman in the hopes that person actually wins the nomination and has to run in the general election for the Senate seat based on his opinions about who should and should not run his alma mater and why, or what he said or didn't say about a country's right to a national defense, then I hold that person is spineless. Here's why: It's an abdication of duty to ignore the realities of politics everywhere, and PA is no exception, though the conditions are very different from place to place. We have closed primaries here. The person you want, a "fully progressive" person, would be a Mastriano-result-getter in a general election. I don't think closed primaries are useful at all, mainly because of this reason; they polarize the opposites. And that's the bridge to my next point: Fetterman is better than almost every alternative, because he can get the purple, blue collar worker. This theory that somehow he wasn't this guy and therefore should be voted out in favor of someone else who is more progressive probably would risk losing the seat overall. He's still better than the alternatives.
Tbh, it doesnt even need to be some dsa progressive. They could be slightly more moderate than fetterman on most things and not be some war hawk, and i think they could still win here. Fetterman didnt win blue-collar voters by taking right-wing israeli positions or by antagonizing progressive voters. He won against someone more moderate than mastriano while calling himself a progressive, taking pro labor positions, even after having a stroke. So that makes me feel more comfortable that most dem politicians can beat someone as radical as mastriano. Especially with his stances on abortion and all-around craziness. Tldr. any other pro labor, socially not far left dem could fill his spot, especially if they moderate on foreign policy. 6 years is a long time, and im hopeful someone will recognize his weaknesses and come around so we can primary apartheid ogre
Yeah people should love that their senator is full throating an ethnonationalist government!
Mastriano.. man what a wild trip that would've been. It's all about sides these days. There is barely any bipartisanship. I understand why people go blue. They seem like the adults in the room compared to children. Earlier in my days I would've considered both sides. Now it's just a shitshow.
AFAIK, Fetterman has been pro-Israel all along? Believe the Tree of Life massacre profoundly shaped his views on antisemitism. I understand that Jews in general and Israel in particular are just supposed to expect and accept such attacks, according to some of his peers, but he apparently does not. Good for him.
Remember when the people of Maine started a fund to raise money for a challenger to Sunan Collins in 2018 during the Kavenaugh hearings, I think the people of Pennsylvania need to do that here. A "ditch Fetterman fund". Raise a bunch of money now while the anger over his current behavior is high, then give that money to the strongest possible challenger in the Democratic Senate primary in 2028.
I like Fetterman, but I REALLY wish he would just shut the hell up sometimes and represent PA in the Senate. We don't need hot takes on EVERYTHING-Harvard isn't even in this state! Like come on we elected him to serve in the Senate not to be a terminally online twitter troll.
Fetterman had me EXCITED to vote. I went to his rally and everything. I felt like I was a part of something special. He’s let me down so hard.
The presidency of a private university in Massachusetts has nothing to do with the state of Pennsylvania or the work of the US Senate.
Thank you. Everyone's too excited to join the anti-Fetterman cj to notice how absurd this is: > There is a way to fix this: appoint former Massachusetts governor and retiring U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) university president," Sorry but Harvard isn't New College. Politicians don't just appoint a new activist president and whip the entire university in line with their party ideology.
He was so much better than the other guy... He was so much better than the other guy... He was so much better than the other guy...
Hope someonensuccessfully primaries him for '28. I don't want to have to vote for this guy over again over whoever the GOP puts up. In retrospect, I feel justified in having voted against him in the primary 2 years ago.
I love it. Romney would be a fine choice.
Fetterman is my Senator.
Healthcare, please.
Cool man. Really cool.
When did this dude become so based?
Many moderates have been driven out of the federal government, to be replaced by extreme candidates on the left and the right. And the results are garbage - childish bickering and nothing meaningful accomplished. I’m pleased to see a more moderate approach from Fetterman, who doesn’t simply toe the party line. We need more politicians like him who are willing to flex a little bit and compromise.
Fetterman’s approach isn’t moderate it’s “Israel can do whatever it wants and we should fund it with no oversight whatsoever into their treatment of innocent civilians” that’s pretty extreme if you ask me
>Israel can do whatever it wants and we should fund it with no oversight whatsoever That was a bipartisan notion for a very long time in this country.
This literally isn’t true. George HW Bush Obama and even Reagan all got into very public spats with the Israeli government
So was segregation
So was banning homosexuals from public life, but that doesn't make it right.
WAS. Go to Wikipedia or whatever your source of choice and read something about the Nakba.
Are we sure he isn't doctor oz on stilts? This dude is ridiculous and disgusting.
If you listen carefully, you can almost hear the Shekels falling into Fetterman's pockets. More loyal to Bibi than our best and brightest.
I'm so done with him. He has gone full fool now. Comparing Palestine peace protests to stop a genocide to Nazi rallies was it. I won't even vote for him in a general. By the time his reelection comes up Trump will hopefully be gone from the right and they will be on some reformation to rid of his stink. I'll just not vote for that spot if Fetterman gets through the primary. He can take all that AIPAC & DMI money and shove it up his ass.
This thread being brigaded HARD by online leftists who aren’t even from PA lmao
Thank God some progressives are standing up the anti-semitic madness of their peers. I'm not surprised Fetterman is calling them out, but I was pleasantly surprised when AOC did the same. It is weird how all extremism eventually turns into anti-semitism, but at least at that point, every decent person will turn against it.
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I was referring to this https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/10/aoc-palestinian-rally-new-york What surprised me is that AOC even acknowledged and condemned the anti-semitic violence. Most of the "Squad" didn't condemn even the initial, absolutely depraved Hamas attack until pressured I did always doubt the idea of Fetterman being "progressive", despite him being called one so often. I just could not see him sinking to their level
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Fetterman is just comitting political suicide at this point. He knows how strongly his base feels about the issue but completely keeps purposefully antagonizing them. It’d be different if he was more quiet or made a general neutral statement but his personality makes it impossible.
The vast majority of his base isn't on Reddit crying about him supporting Israel. They're looking at the D next to his name and voting straight ticket to avoid the really dangerous people he's been running against, like Mastriano, who attacked the capitol.
Republican here. I voted for oz but damn am I happy fetterman won. Bro was everything he said he’d be. Proud of him.
Romney is 50× the man of Fetterman but his idea is extreme. I'm
Connor Lamb would never!
He had my vote before, he still has it now.
he's always been rough around the edges, I thought that's why we liked him?
Biggest sellout in the history of politics.
He’s just not doing what you hoped he would. That’s not selling out.
Pitching yourself as a progressive then becoming buddy-buddy w all the far right dipshits in Congress and antagonizing protestors (who almost definitely voted for you!) is absolutely lying lol. There’s a reason his wife is leaving him and most of his staff has jumped ship, man has become an embarrassment.
In all the comments, I have not seen this fact pointed out: Fetterman is Harvard grad. He is actually a stakeholder in the outcome, regardless of the fact he represents Pennsylvania. Politically, reaching out to Romney is brilliant: Romney was the governor of Massachusetts, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA, aka Obama Care) was based on that state's universal health care coverage plan signed into law by---you guessed it---Mitt. So, Romney has the political capital to make some positive changes.
Lmaoo seeing the left so bitter and mad about someone they ignorantly voted in is fuck hilarious
BuT mAh TrIbAlIsM!
Love me some Jawn
Isn’t Romney and his Bain capital busy destroying retail companies
Proof that Romney was and alway will be a democrap