Democrat John Fetterman managed to cinch a victory against his Republican opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz, to become Pennsylvania’s newest Senator. However, there was a whole lot of concern going into the race that Fetterman, who suffered a stroke not too terribly long ago, would not be able to discharge the duties of his office. Well, according to one of his advisers, it seems that fear is completely justified.
“Spotted in Senate basement: John Fetterman He didn’t answer when I asked if he’ll be able to wear his hoodie on Senate floor,” Huffington Post reporter Igor Bobic posted in a tweet that caught the attention of Fetterman advisor Rebecca Katz.
“Two things we need to get out of the way: 1) John Fetterman has a suit and will wear it to the Capitol. 2) He is still recovering from a stroke and has lingering auditory processing challenges. The way Hill reporters are used to yelling questions at Senators will not work here,” she stated in her reply.
Two things we need to get out of the way:
1) John Fetterman has a suit and will wear it to the Capitol.
2) He is still recovering from a stroke and has lingering auditory processing challenges. The way Hill reporters are used to yelling questions at Senators will not work here. https://t.co/0UCe47d9QC
— Rebecca Katz (@RebeccaKKatz) November 15, 2022
There you have it, folks. Right from someone who is close to the man and works with him personally. Fetterman is suffering from cognitive issues and cannot fully carry out the duties he’s been entrusted with as the newly elected senator of the state of Pennsylvania. People were aware of Fetterman’s issues going into the midterm election, but that didn’t stop them from voting for him.
According to the Conservative Brief, the race was a tough one for both Oz and Fetterman. In fact, Fetterman’s hometown newspaper threw their support behind his Republican opposition. That has to hurt just a teeny, tiny little bit, right? I mean, to be rejected by the people who know you best, your own community, is pretty telling.
“The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said in its endorsement that Oz was the ‘better bet for Pennsylvania’ and cast doubts on Fetterman’s ability to serve as senator due to his recent stroke and his debate performance,” the report said.
“During Tuesday’s debate, after hundreds of thousands of votes had already been cast, voters finally learned something about where the candidates stood. They learned, among other things, that Mr. Oz opposes federal intervention in abortion rights, and Mr. Fetterman supports the broader Constitutional guarantees provided by the overturned Roe v. Wade decision. They learned Mr. Fetterman supports a federally mandated $15-an-hour minimum wage, and Mr. Oz wants market forces to raise wages. They learned both candidates support fracking. They also learned both men are politicians, as they ducked and dodged questions about why they had changed their minds on fracking,” the editorial board for the newspaper explained.
“Neither candidate has experience as a U.S. senator. Given the lack of substance during the campaign, many voters will have to make a leap of faith on Nov. 8,” the board continued.“We believe Mr. Oz is the better bet for Pennsylvania.”
The board then noted some rather significant concerns about Fetterman and his health.
“Mr. Fetterman’s health — he suffered a serious stroke in May — is not the issue. His lack of transparency, however, in refusing to release his medical records is troubling. It suggests an impulse to conceal and a mistrust of the people. All candidates for a major elected office should release their medical records, as did Mr. Oz. If you want privacy, don’t run for public office,” the board remarked.
“Mr. Fetterman’s life experience and maturity are also concerns. He has lived off his family’s money for much of his life. That has allowed him to do some good things, including mentoring disadvantaged young people and working to improve community policing and economic development in Braddock. That work, along with his six-foot-eight frame, shaved head, and tattoos, attracted national media attention. Still, Mr. Fetterman, despite his hoodies and shorts, has little experience in holding real jobs or facing the problems of working people,” the piece added.
The board then highlighted a rather scary situation involving Fetterman pulling a gun on an unarmed black man.
“In 2013, as the mayor of Braddock, Mr. Fetterman, after hearing gunshots, pulled a shotgun on an unarmed Black jogger. It was, we believe, an honest mistake. Still, it’s troubling that Mr. Fetterman never apologized for it. And during Tuesday’s debate, confronted with his 2018 statement that he didn’t support fracking, Mr. Fetterman still said, with a straight face, that he always supported fracking,” they stated.
During the debate with Oz, Fetterman had a difficult time forming sentences and expressing his thoughts, which his political campaign blamed on the closed-captioning system that was provided for him being “delayed” and “filled with errors.”
The communication chief for Nexstar said both candidates tested the system twice, however Fetterman only did one rehearsal.