"... even an inspiration. His personal revitalization, however incomplete, echoed a promise he campaigned on — the resurgence of Pennsylvania communities that feel left behind, a left-wing response to the appeal that Donald J. Trump made in winning Pennsylvania and other industrial states in 2016."
The NYT quotes voters who say things like "I found it inspiring. I admired that he actually showed up for the debate" and "I didn’t think that Fetterman did great [in the debate] but I think it was great that he still went out there and did it."
You may remember what I said after the debate:
Will anyone switch their vote from Fetterman to Oz because Fetterman struggled to speak in the debate last night?
I think not. What's overwhelmingly important is which party gets the majority in the Senate, and every single Senate race could be the one that shifts the power one way or the other. All Fetterman needed to do was not seem dangerously incompetent, and he crossed that low bar. The rest is chitter-chatter. Good night!
But for those who chose to go after Fetterman by trashing him for his disability, as if he is an idiot, you were an idiot.
Posts
132 comments:
Interesting.
It makes me wonder what percentage of the electorate sees such things not through a partisan (Left or Right), horse-race lens, but rather through other filters.
@Althouse, no, I trash the man for having — according to the town’s residents — been a crappy mayor of Braddock, and I will trash him for the episode where he chased a black jogger “for acting suspiciously.” It seems to me that jogging while black should inot be treated as a crime and should not leave one staring down the barrel of a loaded shotgun, as though Pennsylvania in the 21st century is like the Deep South of the 1870s.
I will, however, trash people who imply that a brain injury and the consequent cognitive impairment is like Greg Abbott being wheelchair bound.
But for those who chose to go after Fetterman by trashing him for his disability, as if he is an idiot, you were an idiot.
Ouch.
Hope I didn't do that shit.
Of course there are people on the left who think those of us who have disabilities should be aborted by doctors -- kill them while they are young -- or suffocated while they are sleeping, or shit like that.
What I've noticed after this train wreck of a mid-term election, Republicans on the right are blaming pro-lifers(!) for their defeats. "We got to kill more babies, that will solve it. Who gives a shit about those little babies?"
Mothers! You dumb fucks. Why would you trust liberals about how women think about abortion? Maybe young girls are indoctrinated and loud and proud. But do any of you idiots think women who have given birth are ignorant about unborn children?
Use your brains! Liberals are lying to you and you damn idiots listen to them. Spare me your fear.
"But for those who chose to go after Fetterman by trashing him for his disability, as if he is an idiot, you were an idiot."
I certainly don't agree with "trashing" Fetterman. But his performance was ridiculous. He is not capable of a normal job, much less being a Senator, until he has recovered.
Aren't stroke victims supposed to take time off, and rebuild their facilities incrementally? Aren't they supposed to rest, and stay free from anxiety and high-pressure situations? It's an intense physical and mental endeavor to recover. I have one friend who still hasn't fully recovered after three years. He drives for Uber now, because he can't handle his former profession. He's intelligent, but his mind does not work the same. His comprehension and his memory are not what they once were. (There may be more to it than just a stroke, but I haven't inquired.)
Those around Fetterman - his wife, family, friends, and colleagues - are unspeakably cruel. He should be resting, recuperating, and focusing on whatever therapy he needs. Was there not one person to tell him, "This is not healthy for you"? His doctor should lose his license. What kind of doctor would do this to his own patient, and then lie about it publicly?
Oz wasn't a great candidate. But he was intelligent, articulate, and capable of handling the job. That Fetterman could win this election after being exposed as mentally incompetent is just unbelievable to me. The electorate in this country is made up of easily manipulated children. "He was inspiring." Are you kidding me?
My friend who drives Uber is inspiring. He's overcome a number of physical and mental limitations. But if he were to run for public office, even at a local level, that would not be inspiring. That would be reckless and foolish.
"But for those who chose to go after Fetterman by trashing him for his disability, as if he is an idiot, you were an idiot."
Allow me to turn that around. You know who were treated as if they were idiots? The voters of Pennsylvania by the lefties. Days after winning the primary, Fetterman became cognitively impaired. The correct move would have been to replace The Fetter with Conner Lamb, the second place finisher. But no, the Commie left chose to pretend Fetterman was fit as fiddle. Their mindset was to attempt to fool the electorate (i e treat them as idiots). When that didn't work as his disability become more evident, they played that card.
Mocking his disability? What disability? We were told throughout the campaign he's good to go.
From the post:
"But for those who chose to go after Fetterman by trashing him for his disability, as if he is an idiot, you were an idiot. "
He was damaged goods, politically, before he had a stroke. The voters in Philly gave him a participation trophy. Labeling people who called into question his competence for the tasks in the Senate as idiots is an insult.
Yet people continue to trash him in the comments here, lost in their partisan haze.
Lead a horse to water, Yada yada.
Is Biden's disability off limits?
Unmarried women broke Democrat by 37 points; everybody else broke Republican.
That seems like a better point for insight to start with to get to the mysterious empathy vote.
A founding fathers' insight that was cancelled by the 19th amendment.
They’re giving him one helluva participation trophy. That said, being a senator isn’t exactly hard work. Maybe Progressive should put him in new commercials: It’s so easy even a caveman (or Jon Fetterman) can do it.
Fetterman post stroke is probably more capable of being a Senator than Walker, yet Republicans push him forward no matter what.
PA also elected a dead corpse as state rep. I guess that was pity too. Admittedly, it should show Oz what is necessary to be a politician in PA.
You know who were treated as if they were idiots? The voters of Pennsylvania by the lefties.
@Humperdink, but they weren’t wrong, were they?
Welcome to fantasy land. For those who believe that Fetterman's performance helped him because it's written in the NY Times, you're the biggest idiots of all. The people who made those comments likely would have voted for a dead man as long as he has a D by his name. Their explanation is just rationalization for what they were going to do anyway. The second biggest idiots are those people who cast their vote based on sympathy for his condition, if that really did happen. Enjoy your senator, idiots.
It's not like there was a great choice between the Turkish TV snake oil Doctor and the stroked out skinhead in a hoodie. But don't be fooled by statistics. The country isn't deeply divided. Neither party is trusted by the electorate for good reason. The cranks on both sides are divided from reality and the American people rejected both Trump and AOC.
He’s an idiot what also happens to have a disability- you can be and have. Not mutually exclusive. Fair and right to mock the idiocy. You’re an idiot if you don’t recognize that…
Idiots…
They say the same thing about Delusional Joe. They don't care that Fetterman wants to release 1/3 of the prisoners from prison, when Philadelphia is a battleground of violent crime. Or that Joe Biden was selling us to China. They don't care because they sound nice, and oh, the poor guy had a stroke. Don't cry to us when Pennsylvania looks like Chicago. It's what you voted for.
What's emanating from your penumbra said...
Welcome to fantasy land. For those who believe that Fetterman's performance helped him because it's written in the NY Times, you're the biggest idiots of all. The people who made those comments likely would have voted for a dead man as long as he has a D by his name. Their explanation is just rationalization for what they were going to do anyway. The second biggest idiots are those people who cast their vote based on sympathy for his condition, if that really did happen. Enjoy your senator, idiots.
11/10/22, 5:24 AM
THIS^^^^^
Hump said: "You know who were treated as if they were idiots? The voters of Pennsylvania by the lefties."
Big Mike responded: "@Humperdink, but they weren’t wrong, were they?"
Nope, they knew their electorate to a "T". Headline this morning in the American Thinker: Welcome to Pennsylvania, America's Capital of Stupid
Hump said: "You know who were treated as if they were idiots? The voters of Pennsylvania by the lefties."
Big Mike responded: "@Humperdink, but they weren’t wrong, were they?"
Nope, they knew their electorate to a "T". Headline this morning in the American Thinker: Welcome to Pennsylvania, America's Capital of Stupid
It points to something larger. As I watched NBC 'reporter' Katy Tur muse about Fetterman being possible future Presidential material I thought, we've reached the point to where competency does not even enter into things any longer.
Party uber alles. All Fetterman had to do was to be able to mouth keywords. Abortion rights. End the fillibuster. Tax the rich. If he could say these keywords, even out of context, even without any remote attachment to the question he was asked, he would get votes.
That and the entirety of Philadelphia being corrupt. I mean seriously- 90%+ voters in the City of Brotherly Head Beatings voting for the guy who wants no cash bail and thinks its a swell idea to let prisoners out of prison?
We've reached the no competency level in so many things now.
Right color? you get the job. Right gender? You get the promotion. Right victim class? You get whatever you want. Just name it. Qualifications? You can't ask me that. That's racist, white supremacist bullshit.
That Fetterman will be in a Senate overseen by Kamala Harris, who is the VP to Joe Biden should not be viewed as an odd coincidence. Rather, a sign that we're at a point where we are about to kiss our civilization goodbye. Think I'm overstating this? Look around you, in every facet of our lives today. What used to be known as standards are now...gone.
I go back to my previous Fetterman test. If you owned a shoe store and needed a manager, would you hire John Fetterman to manage your shoe store? No? But you'll hire him to be a United States Senator?
Fetterman's behavior before the stroke was muttering street-person level crazy: instead of changing the policies that resulted in murders in the town he led, he grandiosely tattooed their murder dates on his arm. That should have repulsed voters: it's like mocking Holocaust survivors while poaching the victimhood of others -- while defending a politics that guarantees the murders will continue.
He should keep getting those tattoos: once he started, why did stop? Because soon even his face would be covered with visual reminders to all that democrat policies on crime are creating the bloodbath in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. So he cheap ended these lives too by feigning such deep concern in the first place.
I apologize to muttering street people for comparing Fetterman to them. This man was deeply disturbed a long time ago.
Cute how the NYT pretends that Fetterman voters watched the debate and voted after this. Most of his votes were cast before the debate and I'd venture that most of his votes were collected by harvesters.
The last 10 days of fear mongering, "Democracy is at risk!" worked. Another impressive showing by the Democrat hive-mind.
Fetterman wasn’t the least qualified Dem to win in Pennsylvania.
Dead man wins reelection as Pennsylvania state representative
Jeez. He’s not an idiot, but he’s still not currently capable of doing the job. There’s a difference. People vote for candidates for all sorts of reasons. Being able to do the job is one of them. Being inspirational is another. Different strokes, as they say.
I’m afraid of the people who found that big ugly doofus relatable.
a promise [Fetterman] campaigned on — the resurgence of Pennsylvania communities that feel left behind, a left-wing response to the appeal that Donald J. Trump made in winning Pennsylvania and other industrial states in 2016.
Trumpism, not dead, won in Pennsylvania.
Many of those Penn voters who supported Trump and Fetterman were and are lifelong Democrats. They tend to have strong partisan feelings both for the D and against the R.
The Republican was a rich doctor, a swell. The Democrat affected the image and persona of a normie. His having to struggle with a serious medical issue only reinforced that.
Interestingly, the Republican was an immigrant. The immigrant lost. If the party affiliations had been reversed and an immigrant Dem had been defeated, the NYT would be saying it proves the very same working class, white, Trump-supporting voters are xenophobes, racists and fascists.
Isn’t Oz a Turkish citizen? He said he’d renounce that citizenship after being elected. Why not now? To me, although he said a lot of right things, I would not have been able to get past that: you say you are going to do something - after getting elected - but will you? You have the power to do it now but you won’t.
Seems like that sums up politicians, particularly democrats at the moment.
Fetterman is a placeholder. While he seems to have done well with the recovery, I don’t think he has the ability to be in such a position, no matter how ‘inspiring’ it is.
Pennsylvanians also re-elected a Democrat state representative, Tony DeLuca, who died of lymphoma in October. He got 85% of the vote.
Fetterman's speech and mobility problems pale in comparison to those of DeLuca.
You can say the voters are stupid, but what does this incident tell you about the Republican candidate and the Republican Party?
Via Instapundit:
https://www.tmz.com/2022/11/09/dead-state-representative-tony-deluca-reelect-pennsylvania/
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
NOTE: I'll enter this a hundred times if I have to. When is this going to get fixed?
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
Also, we can't criticize Biden for continuing despite his dementia. We need to admire that.
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
I'll just repeat what I have been saying: if I were a Dem in PA, I would've voted for Senator Rutabega in a heartbeat, solely to keep the seat out of GOP hands (and indeed the entire Senate out of GOP hands, unless Walker can get over the goal line in the GA runoff). All the man has to do is show up and vote...and if he can't do that, the Dem Gov will simply replace him with another Dem. Simple. (And if someone like Angry Grandpa can be president, certainly Fetterman can be a senator, ferchrissakes.)
Agree that Fetterman should not be mocked or even blamed —this fiasco was caused by his handlers, who are truly stupid and cruel. Fetterman IS inspirational. I am reminded of Roman Hruska’s defense of a dull-normal candidate for the Supreme Court, to the effect that even mediocre people needed representation.
You know what would be inspirational: someone with the grace to say “I was looking forward to a race and to representing the people of this great state, but I’ve had a stroke, and the course of my recovery is uncertain, so I have to withdraw.”
Unexpectedly, a future president of the United States may be rehabbing right now, but not like the young George Dubya kind of rehabbing, the Fetterman kind of rehabilitation. Fetterman is tall. And like Trump, didn’t have a political background until now.
Could Fetterman be better than Biden in 2024?
Inquiring minds want… VP Kamala Harris wants to know.
I missed those reports logging all the people that bashed Fetterman for his affects of his stroke. All I saw reported was his refusal to campaign, his plan to release convicted murderers in his effort to empty the prisons, and his not so stellar term as a mayor.
This is twice Democrats have put tribalism in front of competence. Biden and Fetterman can not care for themselves, not sure how they are supposed to serve the people.
Regardless of his mental capacity, he was elected to do as he's told. He is only there to push the 'Yarp' or 'Narp' button. No doubt Hank Johnson will be asked to teach him about Guam.
The Millennial votes came in early in the cycle because of the TikTok ads Fetterman had made pre-stroke. He and or the DNC reached out and young voters in PA gave him a margin Oz could not overcome. I agree with Althouse’s Blue Dog-like description but the cake was baked, as they say. Fetterman (like Hobbs in AZ) always acted like the debates were unimportant. The actions are BIG clues to the modern state of elections.
The real story is that Pennsylvania Deplorables found brain-damaged Fetterdude far more relatable than the RINO carpetbagger friend-of-faithless-Oprah from Turkey.
As an unforced political error Trump’s support of Oz in 2022 is rivaled only by Trump’s pooch-screwing of the Georgia Senate seats in 2021, resulting in Democratic control of the Senate and the passage of mega-spending bills that doomed the economy.
So much winning.
So the dems voted for a dead guy and a bully who is not all there. Im sure that noble statesman Hank Johnson feels vindicated that Guam did indeed flip.
I feel much better now.
Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats can take pride in nominating candidates like Herschel Walker or Fetterman. Republicans can, however,take some comfort in the fact that Walker's transgressions actually cost him votes among Republicans....Fetterman's election makes one wonder if there is any debility, physical or moral, that makes a Democrat unelectable.....Fetterman doesn't have a benign presence. Perhaps his lack of focus blunts some of his hostility. A brain damaged Fetterman is probably a better bargain than a sharp edged Fetterman in total control of his faculties.
Reload man. Don’t re-post.
The rest is chitter-chatter. Good night! But for those who chose to go after Fetterman by trashing him for his disability, as if he is an idiot, you were an idiot.
For people like Ann the only point to politics is to win elections.
The quality of people who win those elections is irrelevant to Ann. Only the power is relevant to her.
All you are doing is making an argument against the 19th amendment Ann.
I think it says something, as well, about the way the job is viewed. If a person were asked is it okay for John Fetterman to fly this plane you're boarding or is it okay for John Fetterman to perform this knee replacement you are about to have or is it okay for John Fetterman to be your lawyer in this murder case that's about to start, I think most people would say no, he isn't a very good choice for any of those things. But being a Senator? That doesn't take a lot, does it? and besides there is staff who can do a lot of the work.
Iowa just reelected Chuck Grassley who's 89 years old. Dianne Feinstein is 95. The job really doesn't seem to require much, at least a lot of voters don't think it does (not that I'm advocating for mandatory age limits, especially given how the millennials and Gen-xers seem to have broken in this election. No "Logan's Run" idea here, that's for sure!).
Althouse wrote -
"All Fetterman needed to do was not seem dangerously incompetent, and he crossed that low bar."
Did he though?
Beyond the cheating, this Pennsylvania election reflects an electorate strongly influenced by the candidate's appearance of sincerity more than actual competence. Pre-stroke Fetterman is a deadbeat with a record of failed governance and an array of ridiculous, dangerous ideas.
Come to think of it, judging by their elected officials, this may simply reflect the Democrat party.
People in Pennsylvania, as in all other states, voted on one issue: Do I want the Senate in Republican hands, or Democrat? All else matters not. A warm vegetable can show up and vote the party line, as Strom Thurmond proved back in the day.
"But being a Senator? That doesn't take a lot, does it?"
The job of a senator is to bloviate, vote the party line, and avoid ever taking responsibility for anything. Doesn't take much brainpower.
so, it's Time For A Pool!
How Long, before the democrat governor replaces fettered-man?
I'm Assuming that they'll need to wait until he's sworn in?
Bonus Question: WHEN they tell fettered-man that he resigned, will they replace him with his illegal alien wife? Can they legally place an illegal alien into a senate position?
The problem here for the GOP was not Fetterman. An opponent that actually lived in PA, unlike Dr. Oz, would have done better.
Trump's folly.
hombre said...
Pre-stroke Fetterman is a deadbeat with a record of failed governance and an array of ridiculous, dangerous ideas.
Yes, BUT! he wore a hoody! He had tattoos! Nothing appears more sincere than hoodies and tats!
Also, he was a white guy, who ran a town full of blacks (that he'd chase around with a shotgun)
So, there's THAT
Fetterman's in rough shape, but in a fist fight with DeLuca, my money is on Fetterman.
Ground and pound should be Fetterman's strategy. The work's already half done.
The choice made by Fetterman voters was the Democrat Party. If Fetterman bows out of the Senate next year, no one will be surprised.
Well Ann, why don't we grant medical degrees to students with Down Syndrome and then let them perform brain surgery as their vocation? For that matter, why don't we just let double amputees play in the NFL? Any why don't we let murderers become cops? After all, who knows more about crime than a murderer. Fetterman was a dangerous fool before he had a stroke and now he is a dangerous, brain damaged and incompetent fool. If the damn idiots of Pennsylvania want a turnip as their mayor or governor then I'm all in. But that's not what those assholes have done, is it?
I have no use for writers that use flowery language to describe the truly execrable. Putting lipstick on a pig.
Hats off to Blogger exhelodrvr1 for sneaking into the middle of that daily, repetitive exercise!
Dems get better and better at turning out voters by working for months with early voting. They concentrate their efforts on areas with mostly democratic voters. These effort gets better each election cycle. Republicans have virtually no early voting efforts. Instead, they criticize early voting so many republicans fear voting by absentee ballots. The comments here condemn the early voting efforts of the liberals but fail to comprehend how effective it is. Republicans concentrate on big rallies, ads, and endless fund raising for more ads that most voters ignore. There is virtually no ground game.
The comments here and on all conservative blogs condemn early voting but ignore reality. Given the low turnout for midterms,
Clearly less then half of conservative voters don’t vote. I received hundreds of donation requests each day on my email but never received any reminder to vote early. Any donation I made would just be used to request more donations. Florida was the only state where Republicans worked on registration and early voting. It worked. Complaining about early voting is like complaining about the weather. It does nothing.
'We like crime, more criminals on the streets, and how he released violent criminals out of prison.... inspiring... nifty and charming.'
OK.
In the desire for fairness and equity I think Ann and her fellow travelers who are so enamored of Fetterman and his fortitude and perseverance should be restricted to only seeing physicians who don't seem to be dangerously incompetent. After all, isn't it the worst kind of Ableism to prevent people from becoming surgeons based on their cognitive ability?
Piling on, but:
"trashing him for his disability, as if he is an idiot, you were an idiot"
No one trashed him "for his disability." Sentient commentators noted his inability to form coherent thoughts in a way once considered necessary for policy analysis and political judgment. They trashed Dems for putting up someone obviously incapable of doing the actual job.
But I don't think any idiocy on any side made any difference. If Dems vote for Fet, as he is, neither "trashing" nor kid gloves could have swayed them. They voted for a vote, neck size be damned.
So equity is the flawed concept behind Fetterman's election according to the NYT. Now let's do Walker and see if the rationalization holds.
Ann:
Indicating negative commentary about Fetterman's mental capacity is idiotic is....insulting.
At this point, we as a nation are embracing Democrat politicians who are physically incapable of performing the demanding job of governing. Biden and Fetterman, sure, but also go to Pelosi, Maxine Waters, Dianne Feinstein, Jerrold Nadler. These aren't just members of their parties, these are 75-90 year old party leaders in prominent and powerful roles.
And their roles are entirely intellectual/mental in required proficiency.
If we as a nation no longer believe mental capacity is a needed characteristic of an elected official, what we are really saying is that the candidate doesn't matter anymore. Only the party.
Personally, while I can see the argument we are effectively voting for parties and not candidates, I'm not ready to say individuals don't matter.
Michael "Ozzie" Myers, the 1970s Congressman, is back in the news in Philly. At 79 (Biden's age) he's been convicted again. This time of election fraud. But of course, that never happens. Especially not in Philadelphia.
What did Fetterman's tattoo say? The one he covered over? "I will make you hurt"? Sort of a sign that even before the stroke he wasn't exactly senatorial material. But of course, the fact checkers have explanations for that the tat that turn anyone who brings it up into liars and bullies.
Still, it's okay with me if you want to blame Trump for endorsing a celebrity outsider to run in a noticeably close-knit state that shuns out-of-staters. Politics is not The Celebrity Apprentice.
Earnest Prole nailed it:
"As an unforced political error Trump’s support of Oz in 2022 is rivaled only by Trump’s pooch-screwing of the Georgia Senate seats in 2021, resulting in Democratic control of the Senate and the passage of mega-spending bills that doomed the economy."
Everyone gets a trophy just for showing up?
Sure, that’s a great way to run a country.
So the only guy who makes our national village idiot, Slow Joe, seem cogent is suitable for elective office? Strange times indeed!
Ann Althouse said: "But for those who chose to go after Fetterman by trashing him for his disability, as if he is an idiot, you were an idiot. " I disagree with the premise, there wasn't a lot of people here 'going after' his as if he was an idiot. There were a lot of people pointing out that his stroke damaged brain wasn't working well enough to be a senator. The cartoon where two cops are standing by an empty wheelchair sayin "He can't get far on foot" isn't 'going after' the disability it's observing the disability.
So mental ability to do the job is no longer a consideration? I guess so, what with Biden and now Fetterman.
"Piling on, but:
"trashing him for his disability, as if he is an idiot, you were an idiot"
No one trashed him "for his disability." Sentient commentators noted his inability to form coherent thoughts in a way once considered necessary for policy analysis and political judgment. They trashed Dems for putting up someone obviously incapable of doing the actual job.
But I don't think any idiocy on any side made any difference. If Dems vote for Fet, as he is, neither "trashing" nor kid gloves could have swayed them. They voted for a vote, neck size be damned"
Ditto what Sebastian posted. I don't make fun of the retarded but I don't want them governing me. This "don't trash him because of his "disability" is nothing more than "Tha'ssss RA-cist" dressed up in a hoodie.
Marcus B. THEOLDMAN
Made it through Nicole without any harm.
Yes, Earnest Prole nailed it. We dropped the ball. Twice and a fumble.
So, is Fetterman for or against fracking?
This should be clearly known by now in a state like PA.
Unattorney,
Excellent thought provoking comment. Please consider commenting more often.
I think democrats have always had a much better ground game than republicans, particularly in the big cities where it dovetails naturally with party machine governance.* As you intimate, vote harvesting, drop boxes, "mail-in ballots," and early voting are modern force multipliers that fit hand in glove with this age old advantage. I just don't think republicans have the political will or passion to mount a comparable effort.
* - in the early seventies, I once asked What if I wanted to become a CTA motorman, go downtown and fill out an application was the answer. A fireman? Talk to your precinct captain.
I for one just hope that he shows up in the Senate chamber in his Carhartts and hoodies. Let's get on with the Idiocratization of the country.
Recently I read the phrase "squatting in the ruins of a once great civilization" and once you start seeing it, you see it everywhere.
The Britons stabled their livestock in magnificent Roman baths and let them shit all over the mosaics. Sound familiar? What's old is new again.
When push comes to shove, the deciding attribute of a senate candidate is whether he will vote blue or red. The people who voted for Fetterman,, assuming the vote was not rigged in someway, voted for blue. End of story.
Tank would do the same (for red).
The simple fact of the matter is Fetterman, in his current state, is utterly incapable of performing the duties of a United States senator. If voters find it inspiring that they are represented by someone who literally cannot do the job, then so be it. I see no drawback to that course of action.
As for quotes from voters, you can find quotes from voters to match any opinion that you want, if you try hard enough. I'm sure they could have found Fetterman voters who were thrilled to vote for a legitimate space alien and welcomed their new alien overlords, as well as Oz voters who really feel bummed that the Yellow Brick Road will not be built any time soon. Heck, you can just find someone who claims to have voted for someone - no real way to verify this, and journalists are usually too lazy to check - and they can say whatever you want. Quotes from voters is on the same level as "sources say."
A founding fathers' insight that was cancelled by the 19th amendment.
Countries that bar the political participation of women (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, etc) are all shitholes so what was your point again?
From the standpoint of reliably voting as told by party leaders, Fetterman is a better choice. Of course, it signifies that Pennsylvanians do not believe having an active Senator representing their interests is that important. It might serve to consider what this frontman view of US senators means. But do we really believe some of the fossils in the Senate, especially on the Democrat side, are anything more than fronting their staff who ensure they "know" how to vote when roused to act?
They don't care that Fetterman wants to release 1/3 of the prisoners from prison, when Philadelphia is a battleground of violent crime.
@wendybar, then Philadelphia gets what they voted for, don’t they?
The party of Anti- is Pro-.
Idiotic is voting for such a racist policy as unfettered abortion.
They re-elected a fucking dead man.
Democrats have no shame which it why they win.
Now tell me more about 2am hammer fights...
Again, idiotic single white women.
'Awww, the poor widdle guy. Mr. Boots, get off the kitchen table!'
Mark said...
Yet people continue to trash him in the comments here, lost in their partisan haze.
Lefty Mark wants those prisons emptied RIGHT NOW !
That was pre-stroke, which was caused by his ignoring medical advice for five years.
Republicans on the right are blaming pro-lifers(!) for their defeats
Rationalized through edge cases, [Professor] Ford witch hunts (rape is a criminal choice, right? Wherefore art thou, sisterhood?), social progress (e.g. underage girls with "benefits"), casting couches (e.g. the splooge-covered ceiling... take a knee), and demos-cracy... "burden" of evidence sequestered in darkness.
To paraphrase Shakespeare: Deny thy dignity and refuse thy agency. And you'll no longer be a human.
But for those who chose to go after Fetterman by trashing him for his disability, as if he is an idiot, you were an idiot.
Choice politics from conception to stroke to granny in death do us part... with psychogenic progressive conditions leaving a trail of some, select lives that matter.
"Looks like Fetterman is posting here under a pseudonym." - Andrew
"Bang...zoom" - Ralph Kramden
holy fuck RMc
thanks for running up our numbers (I guess)
boy Blogger really did a number on your ass
If I have to find another fookin' mountain, motorcycle, bicycle, or stoplight, I'm going to start sending that fucker a bill for my services
do your own work, you lazy A.I.!
Amadeus 48 said...
The problem here for the GOP was not Fetterman. An opponent that actually lived in PA, unlike Dr. Oz, would have done better.
Trump's folly.
Nothing to do with the vote harvesting and mail in ballots.
All Trump's fault.
That is the 80 IQ take.
Fetterman was an idiot before the stroke. He is now a bigger idiot. Sure, Democrats relate to him, he now has the IQ of the average Democrat voter.
And, let's put this in perspective- if Fetterman were your plumber, or your neurosurgeon, would you let him work for or on you? Of course not. The voters are clearly saying that being a Senator is about the same level of work ability as being a ticket taker. Now, I can relate to that idea, obviously, but most would actually disagree with this from the left.
'All Trump's fault.'
Not all Trump's fault.
But Trump played king-maker and endorsed a losing candidate, some of that is on him.
'Nothing to do with the vote harvesting and mail in ballots.'
Either republicans put voting reforms in place or they need to learn to play the new game.
They've had two years knowing the new rules and haven't adapted.
Learn to play the new game or die.
Unattorney,
Most of the commenters from the right have no problem with early voting as long as it is in-person with photo ID with registratrion address. And, yes, the GOP does a piss-poor job getting their voters to the polls- this has been a problem for the party for my entire life.
Most of us have no problem with absentee balloting as long as you have to show a photo ID to receive one, and/or a photo ID to turn one in. What we really object to, however, is the mass-mailing of ballots to all "registered voters", or allowing people to request such ballots on-line or via mail request without verifying ID. Even worse, the one security feature that used to be used to control fraud in absentee balloting, signature verification, is now defunct- any signature apparently is OK, and even a lack of signature is OK in a lot jurisdictions that just happen to be controlled by Democrats.
Seems like there's a lot of room between "trashing him for his disability" and "saying he's clearly not mentally & physically fit enough for the demanding job he's asking to be given" while also holding him accountable for his lies about his actual condition (and the Media's complicity with same).
But yeah, ok, the spin is everyone who reacted to his debate performance and unedited public speaking since then is an awful bigot who hates disabled people, sure.
Former star football player Gerald Ford tripped slightly a couple of times and was forever after depicted as a stumbling, graceless goon; Dan Quayle flubs a spelling bee answer key in a kid's classroom and is forever after depicted as a subliterate moron. Don't dare do anything but shout how stunning and brave Fetterman's performance, is, or you'll prove to women just what a heartless jerk you are and on that basis lose any shot at getting their votes. Sure, ok.
They found the halfwit Golem relatable.
America 2022 really IS a nation of retards.
I think the truth is that people see congress-critters as simply representing them, and do not see that they have actual jobs to do.
President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho, your time is nigh.
i love how the NYT says he was relatable to democrats. says it all.
Yancey Ward,
You are right to criticize mail in voting. However, if only democratic voters participate in early voting, the outcome of close election will be inevitable. Two years ago in the last Georgia runoff 500,000 fewer Republicans voted. Many people of each party can’t be bothered with in person voting,especially if the weather is bad or lines are long,etc. Isn’t it easier to get a lazy conservative to vote verses trying to get a liberal to change his beliefs? You are correct that the rules are being twisted by early voting but why let all the advantages go to the other side. You may not like the rules but refusing to participate will guarantee you lose.
have no problem with early voting as long as it is in-person with photo ID with registratrion address
Yes, the issue of merit is auditability when democracy/dictatorship matter, or a republican form of government is to remain viable.
NYT serving up their pablum with that long-handled spoon, here's another bite of that righteous 'Feel good About Yourself, Voters!'. Just think about Fetterman like you do about the special-needs grocery sacker over at the Kroger. And don't worry about his recovery - the other Democrat Senators will pitch in and help him out with the voting process, why he'll hardly know it's there.
Seriously, folks. This is a literal Lived-In-His-Parent's-Basement slacker that hasn't even demonstrated competence for part-time jobs, and has actively campaigned for murderers' releases, but here he is a Senator for Our Grand State. Can't wait to see him fillibuster for the Boy Rangers, just like in the movies.
"Iowa just reelected Chuck Grassley who's 89 years old."
That 89 year old is running an ongoing investigation by his Committee that is doing yeoman's work uncovering and challenging the malfeasance of the various intelligence organizations of the Executive Branch. He may be old, but he's doing good work. And he is doing a lot of it. I caught a hearing run by him on C-SPAN some time last spring. The FBI wonk who was the current witness wasn't having a good time of it and a lot of that was due to Grassley. Yes, his staff carries a lot of the load (as they should). Be he's still ready for prime time.
I am definitely a conservative but I get very annoyed at those who make fun of Fetterman and Biden. Maybe it's my age, I am very old, but I've watched too many video of Biden's supposed struggling walk and movements when they I know they don't indicate illness. Now, his speaking and strange ways of whispering, or shouting in such a strange manner are concerning.
As for Fetterman, I have a husband with hearing problems from a concussion, I recognize some of Fetterman's reaction to other's speech as someone who takes some time to process the words. I don't like his politics, or his personality, and I think he is not up to actually representing his district in Congress in any real way. But I still don't like making fun of him.
Big Mike said...
[They don't care that Fetterman wants to release 1/3 of the prisoners from prison, when Philadelphia is a battleground of violent crime.]
"@wendybar, then Philadelphia gets what they voted for, don’t they?"
The rest of us here in PA get what Philly voted for, too. Lucky us.
"As I watched NBC 'reporter' Katy Tur muse about Fetterman being possible future Presidential material I thought, we've reached the point to where competency does not even enter into things any longer."
Doctor Lexus: Don't worry, scrote. There are plenty of 'tards out there living really kick-ass lives. My first wife was 'tarded. She's a pilot now.
Idiocracy. We're there.
Oh, bullshit
Anyone who voted for Fetterman post the debate did so because they are a Democrat Party partisan who doesn't care about ANYTHING other than putting the Party first.
Jesus, people, own your actions
Leftists find inspiration in a deformed gourd?
Kinda makes those people who see Christ in a burnt piece of toast look rational.
Fetterman post stroke is probably more capable of being a Senator than Walker, yet Republicans push him forward no matter what. - Ingacile
More capable than Walker? Nope. Not even close.
But you? Certainly.
"But for those who chose to go after Fetterman by trashing him for his disability, as if he is an idiot, you were an idiot."
Um, but this would be "civility bullshit," which you allegedly hate.
'More capable than Walker? Nope. Not even close.'
Walker should challenge Fetterman to a pushup contest...
Mandelbaum!
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