Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman’s persistent lead in the polls over his Republican rival, the Trump-backed Dr. Mehmet Oz, boggles the mind. The two are vying for the open seat currently occupied by Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who is retiring. Democrats consider this contest their best chance to pick up a Senate seat in November. Although the race has tightened in recent weeks, the RealClearPolitics average of polls still shows Fetterman with a 6.5% advantage.
One of Fetterman’s top priorities is delivering criminal justice reform. During a 2020 interview, journalist Jason Flom asked him, “If you had a magic wand and you could wave it and fix one thing, what would it be?”
Without missing a beat, he replied, “Life without parole in Pennsylvania. We could save billions in revenue long-term. We could save thousands of lives and not make anyone less safe. And also expunge as many permanent records of people that have been living their best lives and have been paying well beyond when they should have for a charge that they caught, you know, 10, 15, 20 years ago.”
Fixing “life without parole in Pennsylvania” was more important to this man than say, job creation, access to quality health care for all or making our streets safer. Considering Fetterman supports the immediate release of one-third of all prison inmates in the state, this shouldn’t surprise us.
Perhaps the most disturbing part of Fetterman’s biography is his utter failure of leadership during his tenure as the mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, from 2006 to 2019.
Fox News’ Tucker Carlson presented a scathing exposé on this woefully unqualified candidate last week. Braddock, a borough located in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, had a population of 1,721 at the time of the 2020 census. After losing 26% of its population in the 2000s, Braddock lost an additional 20.3% over the next decade.
“One man saw an opportunity in Braddock,” Carlson said. “Not an opportunity for the town, but an opportunity for himself.” He had graduated from Harvard with a master’s degree in public policy five years earlier and decided to apply what he’d learned there to revitalize the dying town. He moved to Braddock and ran for mayor the following year as a “blue collar populist.” People loved this 35-year-old man who had never worked a real job in his life and was still living off the generosity of his family.
As Carlson puts it, after narrowly winning the race, “the campaign to boost John Fetterman began.” He went on a national tour to tout the revitalization of Braddock. This included a Ted Talk and a visit or two to the liberal Aspen Institute.
The New York Times wrote, “John Fetterman had turned the busted town of Braddock, PA, into a national symbol of hope, hard work and authentic blue jeans.”
According to Carlson, Fetterman made climate change the centerpiece of his administration. To reduce unemployment, he imposed carbon caps on local businesses explaining that it would somehow bring manufacturing jobs to Braddock. He coined the slogan, “Carbon caps equal hard hats.” How clever.
Fetterman was so dedicated to lifting his adopted town out of poverty, he missed over one-third of Braddock’s monthly meetings, according to records obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
So, how did it all work out? It worked out great for Fetterman who went on to become the Keystone State’s lieutenant governor in 2019. Braddock didn’t fare quite as well.
As previously mentioned, the exodus from the borough has continued at an alarming rate. Carlson reported that the median annual income stands at $14,000 leaving over one-third of residents below the poverty level. Braddock has one of the highest crime rates in the state. Its per capita murder rate in 2018 was higher than that of some of the world’s most dangerous countries. Carlson summed it up: “Having wrecked Braddock, he became lieutenant governor. And now, he’s setting his sights on the U.S. Senate.”
It should be noted that Fetterman earned a salary of $150 per month as mayor. (Not a typo.) But it really didn’t matter all that much because as The Philadelphia Inquirer reported, “For a long stretch lasting well into his 40s, his main source of income came from his parents who gave him and his family $54,000 in 2015 alone.”
Following a three-month stroke-induced hiatus, Fetterman returned to the campaign trail last month. Struggling throughout, he delivered an 11-minute speech in Erie, Pennsylvania. A comparison of that address with those made prior to his stroke shows the extent of his impairment.
In a clip from his August speech, Fetterman speaks in two-word phrases and at times, appears to have difficulty recalling words. In a pre-stroke video released in February, he speaks fluidly.
Since then, Fetterman has made few public appearances and keeps his comments to a minimum.
He did, however, hold an abortion rally on Sunday with Alexis McGill Johnson, the president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and an avowed “defund the police” activist. Fetterman disingenuously told supporters that Oz has been ridiculing him over his impairment. After asking the crowd if they’d ever had a serious health issue, he said, “I hope … you didn’t have a doctor in your life making fun of it. …”
He’s been dodging Dr. Oz’s calls for a debate. Backed into a corner, he finally agreed last week to a debate in mid- to late October but refuses to commit to a specific date. Considering that early voting in the state begins on Sep. 19, many will cast a ballot without having seen a debate.
Pennsylvanians have an important choice to make. Republicans have been slow to warm up to Oz. They’d be wise to do so because control of the Senate is at stake.
A previous version of this article appeared on The Washington Examiner.
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One does not have to be a fan of Doctor Oz to vote against everything Fetterman and his ilk have done and continue to represent.
It’s obvious that a change is due…. a change to establish real GOP leadership. Dr. Oz is the best Senate candidate we can recruit, field and promote in PA as the antidote to democrat policy?
Gee, if only there was a national organization that controls GOP apparatus. We could call it the RNC, or something like that…. If only there were state organizations, connected to a national organization, that can plan, organize, recruit and promote quality candidates at all levels (local, state, federal) of elected office.
We need an organizational champion, someone who can lead, plan and execute, someone like Ronna McDaniel… wait, wait, no…. someone like Michael Steele….. wait, wait, no…..
I guess the problem is obvious. Party leadership is too insulated and self-interested to do any kind of a reasonable job – then they turn around and continually ask for my money…. and for what? To simply continue to do a lousy job?
I don’t want to lose any seats to dem politicians and surrender my beautiful America to the progressives, so I’ll continue to vote for the most conservative candidates who survive the process – that usually means voting with the GOP, regardless of what I think of the critters who are running – truly, a vote for the lesser of two weivels…..
If Fetterman is averaging 6.5% above Oz, something is wrong with the poling. Fetterman comes off as a moron, especially considering that bit about him being a Hahvad graduate.