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John Fetterman used to be known, sadly, as the boy who had a stroke.
And maybe the man who always wears a hoodie.
That has changed a lot.
Now the Pennsylvania senator has alienated most of his Democratic Party with an independence that often finds him sided with the Trump administration.
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Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has spent the past few years standing out as a figurehead in his party. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
Now he has become Joe Manchin, who drove the Biden people crazy by resisting many of their libertarian efforts.
But I will go further than that. I think he’s a lot like the late John McCain – except for the POW part, of course – as a maverick who seems to enjoy breaking away from party orthodoxy. Republican McCain, you will recall, was a champion of campaign finance reform with a true Democrat in Russ Feingold.
Is Fetterman paying the price? Indeed.
Fetterman’s fame has taken a toll. In 2023, he had 68 points. Now you have a negative 40 points. That’s a 108 point turnaround, which is absolutely amazing.
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Now some Democrats are openly talking about a primary challenge to Fetterman in 2028, assuming he runs again.
In an appearance on Fox News, Fetterman explained his latest departure: the vote to confirm President Trump’s choice, Markwayne Mullin, as secretary of Homeland Security, and was the decisive decision in removing his nomination from the committee. Mullin was recently confirmed.
“I believe in a very secure border,” Fetterman told Lara Trump. “We also agreed that we must expel all the criminals. Me and my friend Markwayne, we agree on that…
“I know I’m going to take a lot of Democratic blowback, which is strange to me, because there wasn’t really a lot of Democratic outrage when 300,000 people were met at our border during the previous administration. I was …
He added: “That might separate me from other people in my party. But that’s not a country for a party.”
Fetterman voted to confirm Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Country over party? Does this concept still exist in this hyperpolarized age? That feeling was often praised. Now, not so much.
Let’s face it, Democrats would have voted for any DHS nominee this side of Bernie Sanders just because that person was chosen by Trump.
In the same way, Fetterman has strongly supported the president’s war against Iran, the world’s leading terrorist state since 1979, and he broke with Chuck Schumer and the party line, which means that the attack can only be criticized.
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In X, Fetterman refers to the fact that he urged President Trump to fire Kristi Noem.
He also said that his party is motivated by Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS).
James Carville, who admits to suffering from TDS and has attacked Trump with obscenities, has been ripping Fetterman.
“Can I pray in public?” Carville said on the podcast. “John Fetterman, whatever you do, keep your position. Don’t change. We don’t want you. Stay where you are. Because you’ve been wrong about everything (expletive) you’ve ever said, and we don’t want you to break your lane.”
Fetterman responded to Carville in his Fox News interview: “Jim has been fighting for justice for the last 30 years now. I’m proud to be on the right side of Epic Fury. I’m proud to be on the right side of staying with Israel…
“He agreed to that [he’s] blinded by TDS. I’m the guy who represents Pennsylvania. I’m not a weird angry person online. You know, representing a state like Pennsylvania that keeps you honest, and I’m the only one this cycle who flipped for the seat.”
Fetterman draws a lot of press. The Guardian reports that his vote for Mullin “prompted US House member Brendan Boyle, another Pennsylvania Democrat, that the vote showed why Fetterman is Donald Trump’s ‘favorite Democrat.’
“He has to go,” said Boyle.
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Rep. Pat Ryan, DN.Y., said: “If you needed more proof that Fetterman has completely abandoned his people, here it is. The people of Pennsylvania deserve a congressman who really stands up for them.”
In the 2022 US Senate race, Fetterman introduced former Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Pa., in first place before defeating Dr. Mehmet Oz, R-Pa., generally, despite a grueling debate where Fetterman can’t work hard.
The Lamb now says: “Did the people think that this watchman was voting to protect their rights? Come on.”
Moe Davis of North Carolina, who ran unsuccessfully for a House seat, is now apologizing for sharing his list of donors with the Fetterman camp. “I deeply regret any role I may have had in helping me get elected [Fetterman] in 2022.”
Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., says Fetterman “needs to go.” (Robert Deutsch/USA Today Network)
On the other hand, Washington Examiner columnist Salena Zito, who reported extensively from Pennsylvania, shared this statistic with radio host Hugh Hewitt: “The argument made by Lamb, that Fetterman is not a true Democrat, Fetterman votes 93% of the time with Democrats, and Lamb voted 68% of the time with Democrats is about 30’s points.
Zito added that “there are a lot of postings, but the Democrats I talk to, even they know that there is this kind of Internet organization against Fetterman, it’s very difficult for me to find anyone outside the left, and by the way, all this is related to Israel, right?”
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If you put the team fights aside for a moment – very difficult, I know – Fetterman shows the courage of his convictions. The man is brave.
Perhaps Fetterman, who still wears his trademark hoodie, strays too far from his fellow Democrats, but that’s a risk he chooses to take.
I’m surprised that fighting back from a stroke is a factor here. In a brutal memoir, Fetterman admits that he struggled with depression, even suicidal thoughts, and was banished by his wife from the family home because his presence was too difficult for the children. Looking back, he wrote, “I should have stopped.”
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“Paranoid. Doesn’t eat. Doesn’t sleep. Doesn’t talk. Doesn’t work. Quit. Shy. Desperate.”
John Fetterman worked harder than anyone. I wonder if that increased his desire to say what he really thinks, regardless of the political cost. No matter what happens with his Senate career, he’s getting worse.
