I reported earlier on some surprising comments from Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) in regard to President-elect Donald Trump’s nominations for positions in his administration.
One of the things that’s interesting about the senator is that he’s willing to admit certain truths, even it many on his side aren’t. He’s willing to support Republicans and call out Democrats for bad moves.
READ MORE: Fetterman’s Surprising Remarks on Trump Nominations Have People Talking
For example, he acknowledged prior to the election that Trump was going to be strong in Pennsylvania, a critical state. He reiterated the “special connection” he thinks Trump has with the people of the state, during an interview with Politico.
Fetterman pointed out the “Walmart of Trump swag” in western Pennsylvania, where “people are pulling up and buying” Trump gear at 9 p.m. like “fireworks on July 3rd”:
Fetterman said billionaire Elon Musk’s endorsement of Trump also mattered — and that Democrats looked “weak” when they tried unsuccessfully to stop his $1 million giveaway to voters. He also said the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, a 45-minute drive from his home, “changed everything.”
“Immediately after that, when I was out, I saw people with custom shirts with that image,” he said, referring to the iconic photo of Trump raising his fist after being shot. “It’s like, ‘They tried everything. They impeached this man, they put him on trial. You know, the media. And now they tried to kill him, and he survived.’ And he had the presence of mind to even respond, and created that. What if that was [Barack] Obama? Can you imagine what that would have meant to Democrats?”
All of that is so true, but you don’t expect a Democrat to acknowledge it. He recognizes how important that moment was for many people, especially folks from the area.
Fetterman also made clear he wasn’t going to demonize people because they voted for Trump. He spoke out against the Democratic tactic of calling Trump supporters “fascists.”
I love people that are absolutely going to vote for Trump. They’re not fascists. They’re not those things. I think if you go to the tickle switch, use those kinds of terms, then it’s kind of hard to walk back on those things.
That’s kind of a word that really isn’t part of the vernacular for voters. Scolding harder or clutching the pearls harder, that’s never going to work for Democrats.
Fetterman also spoke out against demonizing or dismissing young men by painting them as “bros” in a demeaning way, “Like, well, they’re unsophisticated, they’re shallow, or they’re crass. And we dismiss them,” he said.
That’s exactly on target. It’s why some young men found much more in common with the Trump and JD Vance after hearing them on podcasts like Joe Rogan. Fetterman said he didn’t “understand why you wouldn’t go on Rogan,” an implicit criticism of Kamala Harris who avoided going on Rogan’s show.
READ MORE: The Truth Behind Why Kamala Harris Refused to Do a Joe Rogan Interview Comes Out
I’ve always been a long-term fan of his. I don’t agree with him on everything. But don’t we all have the responsibility to challenge our views and to be a part of those conversations with people?
Forty-two million people witnessed the Trump interview [with Rogan]. The power that the platform that he created — to ignore that — I can’t imagine why anyone would do that.
Then Fetterman let loose on how former House Speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) dealt with Joe Biden being shoved to the side, yet now they were trying to blame Biden for Harris losing:
People like [Nancy] Pelosi, she really tried to — what’s the word I’m looking for? — she embraced this “she’s the godmother, she’s the enforcer.” And now she’s blaming Biden. Well, you can’t have it both ways. You got what you wanted, and now you’re still blaming Biden.
I think it’s really ironic that you have a woman at age 84 and she is still hanging on. Why not give a younger generation an opportunity to occupy that seat?
Oof, that’s a brutal truth. What a way to say, “Move along already.”
All of this was on the powers that be. First, they wanted us to believe there was nothing wrong with Biden; he was the sharpest ever. When that blew up after the debate, then suddenly, people came out of the woodwork to speak against him to shove him out. And they never gave the opportunity for anyone else to replace him, and people never got a chance to vote for the ultimate nominee. They messed it up right down the line, so they can’t just blame him for it.
Good on Fetterman for calling that out, and how Nancy got hoisted by the result of what she wanted.
