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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFetterman "confused"
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5801767-john-fetterman-republican-popularity/?tbref=hpHe does not understand why he is popular among Republicans, yet not popular with Democrats. He struggles through a few sentences and then explains that he is in favor of war with Iran and a supporter of Israel's actions in Gaza. Thus, he underlines his confusion.
I submit that Fetterman's confusion is the flip side to Susan Collins' frequently bouts of "concerns"
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Justice
(7,260 posts)TDS!
lame54
(39,743 posts)There is potential there. Fetterman and Collins, recovering from their electoral loses choose to open a Bed and Breakfast in rural Oregon. Delighted audiences will enjoy how this mismatched pair of pols navigate the challenges of finances and friendship all the while maintaining deeply problematic opinions on foreign intervention.
With guest star Kristen Synema as the crazy niece and Joe Manchin as the owner of the general store.
I could even envision a crossover with Madison Cawthorn on a very special episode about Nazis with cognitive dissonance.
And studio audiences are encouraged to bring
rotten tomatoes.
mr715
(3,528 posts)Jeanine Pirro can have a visit where she struggles with alcoholism.
Pete Hegseth hosts an all male boot camp for troubled youth.
Lauren Boebert gets lost.
Maybe one of their guest rooms is haunted by the ghost of Charlie Kirk?
ColoringFool
(694 posts)
markodochartaigh
(5,543 posts)Maddie Cawthorn rear ends a police car and within a couple of months is made an honorary sheriff the next county over.
https://www.miaminewtimes.com/uncategorized/ex-congressman-madison-cawthorn-named-honorary-deputy-despite-crash-20234236/
ColoringFool
(694 posts)Greybnk48
(10,723 posts)
oasis
(53,663 posts)
gab13by13
(32,277 posts)I gave him money and voted for him and his abrupt turn around has me confused.
Was it his stroke that took away his common sense and turned him into a Magat?
His wife has to be an American citizen, right?
mr715
(3,528 posts)I think it was the stroke that scrambled his circuits. I think his wife is a citizen, but she is naturalized. Maybe from Brazil? I hope furious with her husband.
Yeah, it was the stroke. It was a big, left hemisphere one. He isn't the same dude he was.
ShazzieB
(22,568 posts)I don't follow him closely, being from a different part of the country and all, but I remember the wave of enthusiasm I saw here at DU when he threw his hat in the ring for the Dem senatorial nomination. What people were saying about him then doesn't match up with how he's behaved since the stroke AT ALL. I know brain damage can change someone's personality, and that points to the stroke being the culprit.
While I HATE the way he's been voting in the Senate, as well as other things he's been saying and doing, I can't help but feel sorry for him. Before anyone comes at me, let me explain further. I think he is genuinely confused. I believe the stroke really did scramble his brain, in ways he's not fully aware of, and I don't think he realizes how drastically his behavior has changed. I think he knows something is wrong and that his constituents and other Democrats are upset with him, but he can't work out what the problem is. The man is non compos mentis.
Of course, I can't prove any of this, but that's what I think, and IF I'm right about what he's experiencing, it sounds like a nightmare to me. That's what I mean when I say I feel sorry for him. I also think he needs to resign from the Senate and give Pennsylvania a chance to elect a Democrat who's fully functional to fill that seat, but I don't know what it's going to take to get him to realize that, or if it's even possible.
31st Street Bridge
(196 posts)This guy was always a plant, a fake, a fraud.
He was the scion of a central PA fortune sent to western PA disguised as some blue-collar everyman.
He fooled people and ambushed Conor Lamb in the primary.
Now, the same fools who voted for him are trying to blame the stroke.
Sorry. Zombie John is not a stroke-addled traitor. He was a fake to begin with.
Now, his Shrek-like head is fully planted up the orange ass of Child Rapist 47.
littlemissmartypants
(33,431 posts)Why are we beating up on him? He's only one person in the mix.
What does calling attention to his disability and amplifying our discontent do toward the creation of solutions to our problems?
It seems cruel, crude, and unproductive. YMMV
mr715
(3,528 posts)On the broader point, if he is unfit, he should resign.
Presumably no one is forcing him to go on news and put his face out there if he is utterly broken behind the scenes.
He is one person, and that 1 person was sufficient to get Sec. Mullin. Had he voted differently in committee, that would not happen.
I think his position on Iran and Israel are cruel - much more so than the mild criticism of people on this board - and he should be held accountable for them no matter what demons he is facing. He does not have to serve. He could step down at any time.
littlemissmartypants
(33,431 posts)And I don't trust what anyone says these days without documentation. I appreciate you sharing the information with me.
However, one stroke almost always leads to others, and the information that I shared about R hemisphere strokes is accurate.
If he's just being an assh*le then fuck him. Send him to the dustbin of history with DJ and the rest of the psychopaths and that's that.
Flicked off like a bug. The End.
Thanks for your reply mr715. Enjoy your day. ❤️
1. Aggressive, callous, and cunning
2. Complete absence of conscience and empathy
3. Very adept at manipulating others
4. Willingness to engage in immoral, criminal conduct
5. Willingness to take what they want and do as they please, regardless of who is hurt or wronged
6. Deceptive ability to appear outwardly benevolent
7. Deceptive ability to behave in superficially charming ways to hide purely selfish motives
8. Willingness to use intimidation and violence to control others in order to satisfy their own needs
9. Willingness to intentionally violate the basic inherent human rights of others
10. Complete absence of any sense of guilt or remorse for the harm their actions have caused to others
11. Rationalization of their own immoral behavior
12. Will attempt to lay blame upon someone else for their own conduct
13. Denial, will deny their own wrongdoing outright
14. Utter contemptuousness toward the feelings and desires of their fellow beings
15. Pathological lying, will say anything without any concern for truth to advance their own hidden agendas
16. Ablity to feign [fake] normal human emotions and empathy
17. Distorted sense of the consequences of their actions
18. Total failure to accept any responsibility for their own socially irresponsible ways
19. Strong bellef that they will never be brought to justice for their criminal behavior
radical noodle
(10,591 posts)don't know they've been affected mentally. My mother changed a great deal after her stroke even though physically she was pretty much back to normal. She had no idea she was doing the nutty things she was doing. If this is the problem, he likely doesn't realize it enough to consider resigning and there's no guarantee he would listen to advisors if they told him.
paleotn
(22,189 posts)damage the country and put us all at risk from an adversary skilled in asymmetric warfare?! His health potentially DRIVING those votes makes it an issue. Ya think?!
Ms. Toad
(38,607 posts)To make others' lives better - or dramatically worse. He needs to recognize this and step down.
By your reasoning, we should stop beating up on Trump, who is equally, if not more disabled.
littlemissmartypants
(33,431 posts)Please see the reply to mr715. Thank you. 💐
1. Aggressive, callous, and cunning
2. Complete absence of conscience and empathy
3. Very adept at manipulating others
4. Willingness to engage in immoral, criminal conduct
5. Willingness to take what they want and do as they please, regardless of who is hurt or wronged
6. Deceptive ability to appear outwardly benevolent
7. Deceptive ability to behave in superficially charming ways to hide purely selfish motives
8. Willingness to use intimidation and violence to control others in order to satisfy their own needs
9. Willingness to intentionally violate the basic inherent human rights of others
10. Complete absence of any sense of guilt or remorse for the harm their actions have caused to others
11. Rationalization of their own immoral behavior
12. Will attempt to lay blame upon someone else for their own conduct
13. Denial, will deny their own wrongdoing outright
14. Utter contemptuousness toward the feelings and desires of their fellow beings
15. Pathological lying, will say anything without any concern for truth to advance their own hidden agendas
16. Ablity to feign [fake] normal human emotions and empathy
17. Distorted sense of the consequences of their actions
18. Total failure to accept any responsibility for their own socially irresponsible ways
19. Strong bellef that they will never be brought to justice for their criminal behavior
ColoringFool
(694 posts)A QUISLING TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
Ruby the Liberal
(26,663 posts)out of committee - overriding the R chair who was trying to stop it. I won't even bother to go through his pro-Trump voting record and visits to Maralago.
snowybirdie
(6,681 posts)Various forms of dementia recently. A stroke can be the cause of one of these types. If he's confused and erratic, the cause may be dementia. He's to be pitied. Another case where family needs to step in.
carpetbagger
(5,484 posts)I have sympathy for him, but he needs to step down if he rejects all that he used to stand for except for edginess and contrarian style.
WinstonSmith4740
(3,436 posts)I do have a little experience with dealing with the aftermath of a stroke, as my late husband had a fairly nasty one, but then again, there are no "good" ones. While he was in the hospital, their social worker took me aside to explain what to expect, and what my future held. One of the things she explained is that very often, if a stroke patient had a strong personality trait, it tended to do one of two things...it either came out in spades, or completely reversed itself.
I think this is probably what happened to Fetterman...everything he ever believed in or stood for did a 180 on him, which turned him into a Republican. So it's up to the people of Pennsylvania to fix this...it's unfortunate that he's in office for about another 4 years. Maybe if his constituents get fed up enough, they'll recall him. After all, they elected him as a Democrat, and he seems to have abandoned a lot of what he promised.
QueerDuck
(1,688 posts)
mr715
(3,528 posts)It isn't so much as a 180 degree turn to Republican, but his emotional regulation, impulsivity, and executive control circuitry is messed up. His shifts are more metacognitive, so it results in a dude that says the wrong things and takes some bad positions. His identity is still Democratic. He hasn't disavowed that, nor seems willing to.
fujiyamasan
(1,681 posts)That’s been the case since the 10/07 Hamas attacks on Israel, so nothing new or surpising there. Nothing will change that world view. What’s alarming is how his views on just other issues also aligned with republicans such as ICE and just about everything else. Eventually it just became contrarian for the point of being one, just like Sinema. I could almost forgive Manchin, being from the most Trump friendly state in the country.
Unfortunately the state of PA is stuck with him until 2028. I don’t believe any recall mechanisms exist for federal office.
BumRushDaShow
(169,524 posts)He also had a pacemaker with a defibrillator implanted, and I know that can also impact mood and personality.
At 6'8", there would have been a tendency to have more potential health issues as it is, especially as he has grown older.
If anything, his breaks with (D)s are on just a couple narrow subjects that have dominated the news the past year - Israel (which is translating in to this mess with Iran), paying federal employees, and more recently, the immigration thing (despite him being married to a naturalized citizen).
WinstonSmith4740
(3,436 posts)Sometimes math is hard!
BumRushDaShow
(169,524 posts)Don't I know it! 
pcdb
(112 posts)He lives in a swing state and wants to Democrats to hold the seat.
mr715
(3,528 posts)So, no, that dog won't hunt. There is a balance between intraparty politics and general electioneering. He has made it so he cannot win a Democratic primary, so he won't have to worry about reelection. Presumably he could run as an independent or a republican, but he hasn't shown any inclination to do so.
He is unwell and will likely not run for reelection. His path, should he seek reelection, is very clear.
AZProgressive
(29,927 posts)The same excuses that worked for Manchin didn't work for Sinema and won't work with Fetterman.
Adopting right wing policies doesn't help center-left candidates do better in elections. This study deals with Europe but a lot of the same concepts apply which is this strategy often alienates existing supporters and fails to win new voters. Based on his approval ratings with Democrats he is making the same mistake.
Adopting rightwing policies ‘does not help centre-left win votes’
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/jan/10/adopting-rightwing-policies-does-not-help-centre-left-win-votes
tavernier
(14,438 posts)I just spent a week in Charleston WV and during that time there were several large protests by mostly students at the State House. I know at least one involved immigration. Perhaps the youth of this dying city (people are abandoning it in droves) are fed up with politics as usual. Manchin in his sheep’s clothing conned us all, but especially the good people of this heartbreakingly beautiful state.
Polybius
(21,887 posts)He still votes with his Democratic colleges the vast majority of times. He was also strongly pro-choice and pro-gay rights pre-stroke, and still is. So why no 180 on that?
Cosmocat
(15,418 posts)going back to when he was first running for LT Gov, met him a few times.
Pre stroke he was liberal warrior.
Did not mealy mouth things, was direct about his support of our key issues.
AND, was direct calling republicans out as the lunatics they are on issues.
Past that, he trolled them a lot on twitter, and did things like hung a rainbow flag from the LT Govs window - just to piss them off, which it did. He leaned into a lot of stuff like that.
As LT Gov used his secondary role in the senate to the Ds advantage in ways that he was allowed that they normally do not, which again, pissed the Rs off to no end.
Post stroke ...
Totally different guy.
Only way I can square it is what you are noted ...
But, we are stuck with him now for four years.
Its infuriating, but at this point I see him as a republican who will break ranks and support a few D (American) priorities.
Scrivener7
(59,486 posts)
Bread and Circuses
(2,020 posts)He’s been doing this for a long time.
Bristlecone
(11,106 posts)dawn5651
(771 posts)
karynnj
(60,958 posts)him (or followed him) in his years as a PA Lt Governor and mayor could really say that. He had the stroke a few days before the primary. The rest of us really have no "before" to compare his current to.
As to major shifts, are there things he said when running that are in contrast to current positions. As to Israel and Iran, he ran in 2022 when neither were anywhere near the issue they are now.
dawn5651
(771 posts)to much from my comment.
karynnj
(60,958 posts)that I really didn't know. I followed the election from afar and read more about things his team did pointing out missteps of Oz. Most of what I knew of him was not related to positions as much as a few accounts of who he and his wife were.
Thinking that, I wondered if at least the PA people have more insight.
dawn5651
(771 posts)him as the new wonder boy of democratic politics. now i am not so sure....
Cosmocat
(15,418 posts)going back to when he was first running for LT Gov, met him a few times.
They knew me well enough to send me one of his classic black Fetterman for LT Gov t-shirts. If nothing the guy had a good sense of t-shirts - great fit (its amazing how many ill fitting tshirts there are) and quality cotton).
Pre stroke he was a liberal warrior.
Did not mealy mouth things, was direct about his support of our key issues.
AND, was direct calling republicans out as the lunatics they are on issues.
Past that, he trolled them a lot on twitter, and did things like hung a rainbow flag from the LT Govs window - just to piss them off, which it did. He leaned into a lot of stuff like that.
As LT Gov used his secondary role in the senate to the Ds advantage in ways that he was allowed that they normally do not, which again, pissed the Rs off to no end.
Post stroke ...
Totally different guy.
But, we are stuck with him now for four years.
Its infuriating, but at this point I see him as a republican who will break ranks and support a few D (American) priorities.
durablend
(9,265 posts)Maybe his fan club (IDK here, but I've seen at another prolific site) that they keep falling back on his "exemplary" 95% voting with Democrats. IDK which timeline that is.
twodogsbarking
(18,751 posts)
Initech
(108,712 posts)It's evident now that Rupert Murdoch is the head brainwasher. Can we admit how dangerous Fox News is to the collective American psyche now? 
Goonch
(5,010 posts)
Lochloosa
(16,732 posts)“I think, I think the TDS that — I think that’s the leader right now. You know, right now our party, is, is governed by the TDS,” Fetterman said in the interview.
Klarkashton
(5,280 posts)
Blue Owl
(59,052 posts)NCDem47
(3,468 posts)Put a fork in that one. He's done.
Of course the media won't ignore him for the remainder of his term because he'll continue to still be the skunk at the garden party for Democrats.
ALWAYS comes out on the wrong side for us on the votes that matter.
ColoringFool
(694 posts)He didn't go from "Sweet" to "Sour." He didn't go from "Shy" to "Extroverted." He didn't go from "Slob" to "Debonair." He didn't go from "Angry" to "Placid." Or any in the reverse.
IOW, WHERE IS THE "PERSONALITY" CHANGE?
HE CHANGED POLITICAL POSITIONS.
Cosmocat
(15,418 posts)going back to when he was first running for LT Gov, met him a few times.
They knew of me, enough that I asked and the sent me one of his vintage black Fetterman for LT Gov t-shirts - and if nothing he knew quality t-shirts, good fit, material.
Pre stroke he was liberal warrior.
First time I saw him was a basement book store in our town. Big turnout. He spoke and afterwards stayed to talk individually with everyone who wanted to talk to him, a couple dozen. I had waited til the end to see him do it and to have a more intimate discussion.
During this talk, and I am sure this was his stump speech at the time, he was very humble. One point that jumped out was that he was running for LT with Wolf for Gov, and he said softly that he would gladly lose his election if it mean Wolf winning.
There was a reason he said that. There is his lunatic Mastrinonti (sp) who was running for Gov who had a lot of support with Rs who was telling people at his events that if he won, he would make sure that a D would never win a state race again, basically saying they would not certify any election by a D at the state level. This was where all of this shit had first started boiling up early in the DT years.
THIS guy, who is now rabidly supporting the "Save" Act.
He did not mealy mouth things, was direct about his support of our key issues.
AND, was direct calling republicans out as the lunatics they are on issues.
Past that, he trolled them a lot on twitter, and did things like hung a rainbow flag from the LT Govs window - just to piss them off, which it did. He leaned into a lot of stuff like that.
As LT Gov used his secondary role in the senate to the Ds advantage in ways that he was allowed that they normally do not, which again, pissed the Rs off to no end.
To me, this was the kind of populist bulldog the Ds so desperately needed and I knew he was going to be next level from LT Gov to Gov or Senate and a POTUS candidate, and I got him behind him.
Post stroke ...
Totally different guy.
Only way I can square it is the stroke.
But, we are stuck with him now for four years.
Its infuriating, but at this point I see him as a republican who will break ranks and support a few D (American) priorities.
Ruby the Liberal
(26,663 posts)She is (or used to be) left of left.
I don't follow closely, but don't recall even seeing a photo of her attending events (or whatever) in eons.
mdbl
(8,641 posts)Who has compromised him and for what? Sooner or later it will come out.
LPBBEAR
(657 posts)remove this friggin' idiot. I have zero sympathy for the idea that his medical issues have caused problems with his mental stability just as I have zero sympathy for Trump's mental problems being caused by his Fathers abuse or whatever turned him into the monster he is.
People as f**ked up as these two don't belong in public office. Remove them all.