5 mo. ago • 72%

Fetterman, Flashing a Sharper Edge, Keeps Picking Fights With the Left

www.nytimes.com Fetterman, Flashing a Sharper Edge, Keeps Picking Fights With the Left

The first-term Pennsylvanian has battled with progressives on Israel, immigration and energy, adopting a more caustic political persona and alienating some supporters.

48 comments

What happened to Fettermen? Was it all a ploy?

51
- Don't worry. He is our Susan Collins.
  
  Despite all of his rhetoric, Mr. Fetterman so far has voted like a reliable Democratic foot soldier.
  
  43
  
  When everyone left of fascism is in a single party now, there’s bound to be some divisions in people’s actual beliefs within the D party. It’s unsurprising that some Democrats are going to be more moderate in some areas than others, this is what coalition government looks like, and is a healthy part of a working democracy.
  
  It’d be better if we had ranked choice voting nationally, and could allow for smaller parties to win national seats. But short of that future, I don’t mind Fetterman voicing his thoughts and voting party line when it matters.
  
  4
- Dude is from a pretty purple constituency. Why are people surprised that he’s a mix of red and blue stances on things?
  
  18
  
  He campaigned as a leftist but once elected his voting and support streak has been consistently red. People feel misled because he completely misrepresented himself to his constituents
  
  26
- He ran as a self proclaimed progressive only to land in the Senate and become a ghoulish genocide defender reminiscent of the ADL.
  
  17
  
  Not just that: people who campaigned for him were wary of the risk he might turn right once elected. So he went out early to really convince the leftist coalitions backing him he was legit and definitely not going to do exactly what he did.
  
  7
  
  He was always pro Israel. At no point did he act like he wasn't a Zionist, all his other policies he did claim were progressive
  
  0
- It’s easy to blame the stroke but I don’t know if it’s fair or accurate…
  
  14
  
  Never trust someone from York County.
  
  7
- He's a silver spoon baby who tricked the working class that he was one of them by wearing Crocs and hoodies. I was calling him out and getting downvoted as a result since he was sworn in.
  
  -1
Sienna is retiring, someone has to be the new "ran as a progressive Democrat, reveal to be a backstabbing moron with no convictions whatsoever" in the senate

35
- Sinema
  
  13
- Can we condense that to "Manchin-ed"?
  
  10
  
  I dunno Manchin was always pretty upfront a conservative beholden to the coal industry.
  
  20
- The prosperous stick in the mud to lobbyist track.
  
  3
Progressives should start running as centrists. They'll only have to run against one party instead of two, and centrists have made it clear that they will run as progressives.

20
I'm super disappointed in him. Was a big fan of his when I saw him run, and I really liked some of the things I heard about him, like how he got a tattoo marking the date of death for each of 9 people in his city who were murdered while he was mayor. It really made me think that he felt the heavy burden of responsibility and wanted to make the world a better place.

But this... I mean, this ain't it. It does get a little complicated because of his stroke. I don't know how much of the personality he's currently displaying to the world was endemic in him before the stroke. It could be that this has been who he was the entire time, and he just hid it from the world. Either way, though, I think it's clear that he represents a lot of unfulfilled hope. Granted, he's likely still better than Oz, but that's a pretty damned low bar. Fingers crossed he gets beat in the next election by someone who delivers on the hope that Fetterman originally promised.

20
Those strokes were unfortunate.

20
I would like to primary him. Not because I think I'd win - I definitely wouldn't - but because I want to ask him what the fuck happened to him. Like, dude, you used to be cool.

14
- I mean, literally a stroke?
  
  At least assuming the premise isn't false. Maybe he always had these deeply problematic views but it was just under the radar -- especially when national political attention only really came to him when campaigning against an actual snake oil peddler lunatic.
  
  2
Bullshit article fuck off.

4
- What do you take issue with? Fetterman is not a good politician.
  
  The only good thing he ever did was beat Oz. That's all he was good for.
  
  12
So NOW you all dislike Fetterman! Get in line, I was hating on the man long before he was elected because he was a proven bigot.

1
I need depression to finish the job for once.

-3
Another day, another fascist account to block

-57
- Fuck fascists, but there is nothing fascist about this post, champ.
  
  45
  
  Creating additional division enables fascism, and you defending it muddies the waters
  
  -57
- Ok, I'll bite. What exactly is fascist about this post?
  
  31
  
  They assume all critiques of the DNC is fascist, Russian, Republican talking points. Instead of holding their party accountable they punch out at everyone trying to do the job they should be doing.
  
  25
  
  Referring to "the left" could only come from someone right-of-them.
  
  -33
- ok?
  
  7
  
  Don’t take it personally, haters gonna hate. Keep posting.
  
  2

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