I just thought this was a super interesting part of a fascinating race. I was told (here & many other places) the GOP spin of "he's brain damaged, he can't be an elected official," & as it turns out: most voters understand that sometimes life knocks you down, & that it's a privilege to get back up again. That the getting back up makes you who you are.

very interesting. To those of us who know people who have had a stroke, and who have watched people dig out from the after effects of the stroke, it's not surprising that Fettermans opponents were striking against him in the way that they did concerning his hesitant speech. Consider how tRump often publicly made fun of people with disabilities or people who are going through hard times in their lives. He has turned the republican party into a bunch of bullies who feel as though they can do and say anything without repercussion.

>GOP spin of “he’s brain damaged

In what way is that spin?

That’s what a stroke is.

I think it's also entirely possible that for the immediate day or two after the debate that people were considering voting for Oz, but as time passed, they softened and figured Fetterman will recover. I did not expect Fetterman to win by this solid of a margin.

tbh I don't think it has anything to do with people not caring about what happened At the debate and trusting fettermans ability to recover. I think most of the people who votes for Fetterman would have voted for a corpse over voting for OZ. Which I agree with.

I be honest. I went from emphatically voting for Fetterman to voting against Oz.

In my mind, if Fetterman couldnt recover substantially enough, it all hinged on Shapiro winning and appointing a replacement that was still better than Oz.

My bff had a massive hemorrhagic stroke, which very few people survive (its an aneurysm, or 2 in her case, essentially exploding inside your head, ppl usually bleed out too fast for intervention). And she is the strongest, smartest & most empathetic person I know, she'd be incredible in any office. The fact that she needs a little brace on her leg to keep her foot straighter & uses a cane hasn't taken any of that away.

I'm not going to respond to them bc there's no reaching people who refuse to learn but just in this small thread, there's already someone saying he should be disqualified bc he needs (most likely temporary) accommodations. That those accommodations prove that Fetterman is not mentally fit.

I remember when McCain had massive trouble speaking during a congressional hearing, actual word salad, before the brain tumor was public knowledge, & I didn't hear one word that he was unfit for that job, from either side of the aisle. Most people were just concerned for him.

The second part of the quote- "can't be an elected official" is spin.

Funny how ya didn't include that part.

I saw it that way too. Either Fetterman will recover and the stroke won't be an issue in 6 years, or another Democrat will be running for it then.

Hell, that seat being empty would be an upgrade over Toomey and Oz if it came down to that.

Fetterman didn't have a good debate, but Oz didn't do a thing to make himself seem more likeable that night either.

There it is

>The second part of the quote- “can’t be an elected official” is spin.

Wouldn’t including the first part (verifiable fact) with the second part (opinion that can easily be discounted) also be spin?

Oz is a conman. You can see it in his face. Fetterman may have major issues but he is a good person.

The comment called the statement "he's brain damaged, he can't be an elected official," spin.

Also often' spin" is something technically true, but presented in a way to give a specific impression. So "Brain damaged" in the common usages is pejorative. And of course, by the same token "difficulty with auditory processing" puts it in the least negative light.

I don't think the debate played any factor in how people voted. I think debates are purely media spectacules I don't think they've ever influenced an election, not in a long time at least.

Now that the election is over, I think people can admit that no one was impressed by Fetterman in the debate. I see the election as an indictment of Dr. Oz and the GOP way more than I do an endorsement of Fetterman. I think if you could have shown the debate to primary voters the day before the election, people would have overwhelmingly chosen Lamb instead of Fetterman. Maybe he’ll get better, but the performance definitely wasn’t confidence inspiring.

oh yea, no. he's too close to being a Bond villain to be likeable

Toomey is a massive piece of shit for the antics he played over the veterans health bill this year so I completely agree.

I’ve never watched a debate and cared. People know exactly who they are going to vote for long before any debate. Debates are bullshit and done only for television. I’ve never seen a debate where they both didn’t look awful.

My friend had a CVST (like a stroke, but in a vein instead of an artery) at age 20. During recovery, she said it was like taking every word you'd ever learned, writing them on little pieces of paper, throwing them in a huge pile, then trying to piece them together to form sentences. Sometimes she would be asked what an object was. She KNEW it was a cup, she could THINK "Cup", but she couldn't SAY Cup.

She recovered, and went on to get a Masters in Microbiology.

I'm glad your friend survived her aneurysm. That's what killed Mythbuster Grant Imihara.

I am bonkers happy for your friend, even though she rudely draws attention to my solidly average grade in bio right now with no stroke.

And yeah, I accidentally left out, it sometimes takes my friend a minute to come up with the exact word she wants to use in a given situation, but her mastery of concepts, including futurism in tech (I say bc it's well beyond me. I didn't think 3D printers would ever be real) is 100%.

That's what some people refuse to accept: just bc you move through life differently, doesn't mean you're not as sharp or sharper than the next person. Honestly idk how people with really physically disabling issues but perfectly good brains get through the damn day, people are just jags in the extreme with this stuff. Ironically they can learn, but actively refuse to.

If true I think it would be out of fear of Fetterman losing versus deciding Lamb would be a better congressman. Or fear from people misunderstanding his medical condition after the stroke. Fetterman has a temporary disability from medical emergency. No one legitimate in the media or GOP has said that he has been effected cognitively. Even if Fetterman needs to use aids to effectively communicate the rest of his life it wouldn't impact his ability to function as a Senator.

Oz not caring enough about the Steelers is why he lost.

As a citizen of PA, Fetterman definitely has not proven to me that he’s totally fine. He could release the medical records around his stroke any day and clear up all doubt, but he hasn’t done that. And the fact that he hasn’t done that certainly suggests that his doctors think something other than he’s totally fine. If his doctors were writing “John Fetterman is 100% of the man he was before the stroke,” don’t you think he would have been kicking in doors at the Post Gazette to get it published?

He COULD be fine, but he could also not be fine. And as the public servant, it’s on him to prove it.

Edit: it’s wild that this has turned into a downvote party. He 100% has not proven he’s fine. There is no chance whatsoever people would accept the same evidence if it was Donald Trump, and rightfully so. He’s a public servant, he already won the election, I don’t get why people would stan unnecessarily for this guy.

That's like just your opinion man

The debate impact question is an interesting one. I think in the end voters respect people who show up and the positive from that even with a very bad performance will out way the negative from refusing to debate. Only candidates in the most partisan states and districts can really get away with skipping all debates. Look at Arizona and how Hobbs, who refused to debate Lake, is running so much farther behind Kelly and the Secretary of State Dem candidate.

The fact he didn't know the Steelers had a bye week this past weekend was just another in the long list of things which showed he was out of touch and had little connection to this state at all.

Even if Oz is better at speaking, I don’t care for what he says. I know his political views do not match mine and Fetterman’s do.

Fetterman will recover and be a great Senator, or he won’t recover and will still be a better Senator than Oz.

Here’s what his doctor says. link

Thank you! I hope your friend continues her recovery!!!!

The only 2 people I've ever trusted in politics are John Fetterman and Bernie Sanders

Nobody fucks with the jesus

Debates are theatrics the grand majority of the time. When their policies are that vastly different, who is the debate really serving other than it being a vestigial form of politicking. They don't have nuanced variations of the same policy. There may be a small contingent of folks riding the fence (fucking how?), and maybe that's enough to eek out a win. IDK. Dorks like Ben Shapiro have really soured me on the idea of debates. In the internet age, it's incredibly easy to look at policies, find soundbytes, and find non-debate speeches online. Which are far better, imo, of finding out what a politician is going to fight for.

Exactly my stance also. I met Fetterman before his stroke. Had my vote solidified. Oz being the opposition only further solidified. But I was both perplexed and disappointed by the lack of transparency following the stroke. As a health professional, I know that what’s being portrayed is not the actual reality of his health predicament. His neurological damage is profound. But here’s hoping there’s improvement ahead.

I honestly don't care. He's a reliable vote in the right direction. Anything else is a bonus

Lamb's "we have to work with the Republicans" crap just doesn't fly anymore.

Most people know somebody who has had a stroke. Most people don't vote shallowly

Where is that Lil Phantom Lawyer dude. He is eerily silent nowadays …

I remember listening to that hearing and wondering if McCain was having a stroke.

So glad that your BFF if doing well.

Let's face it 15 years ago Lamb would've been a republican. That's far more of a critique of the current republicans than it should be

Can confirm. You obviously know it's a cup, you know you know the word cup, the word cup feels right on the edge of your tongue, but for the life of you, you cannot say cup.

I have the same issue due to brain damage. The way people react is ridiculous. I'm just as intelligent as I always was, I still am a masters educated historian even if I can't fucking say cup sometimes. But everyone thinks you're dumb because of it. Which is well, dumb.

Fascinating!!!!

What's with people wanting to see other people's medical records? His doctor released a statement saying he has no work restrictions. The same doctor who fills out his medical records. If you don't believe the doctor's statement, you're not going to believe his medical record either. His medical record is none of your fucking business.

EDIT: Since I can't reply to u/Willow-girl ...

> This doesn't mean he is able to do the job

Actually it does. You don't want it to so you can keep screeching about medical records. Are you a physician who is capable of determining his abilities by looking at his medical records?

EDIT 2: Still can't comment to u/Willow-girl ...

I don't think YOU understand what "work restrictions" are. In your example, you're talking about a physical job. Being a senator is not a physical job. It's an administrative job that requires thinking. Work restrictions would mean he can't do that. The good doctor says he can. I'll ask again, what is the difference in validity between a letter and a medical record and what qualifications do you have to evaluate a medical record? And for the record, you had no problem with trump who wouldn't release his medical records and he clearly has severe cognitive issues.

"I was OK with Trump up until the election-denier BS." - You

Or maybe it's because he thinks PA is on the coast.

So you’re not voting for Biden if he runs again considering he has said the same?

That’s unfair to Bond villains.

The one land mine that oz needed to avoid was abortion bans.

He drove right into the pit.

For a snake oil salesman he really isn't good at talking.

He failed.

Loads of them had already cast early ballots by the time the debate took place. That’s why Fetterman’s campaign kept delaying the scheduling. If it had happened a month prior, it’s reasonable to think the <2% margin would have tilted. Oz was a terrible candidate but post-debate he gained several points in polling. It just happened too late in the campaign cycle.

I imagine lamb shoving his third steak into his mouth at a fancy restaurant washing it down with expensive wine and you ask if you can have a bread roll.

The button on his shirt busts off and he burps loudly in your face while telling you, 'Sorry kid, but we just don't have the resources for that right."

He then eats a live child in one bite while rubbing his bloated belly.

You walk outside and see Fetterman working as a garbage man who sees you bummed out and offers you a hit from his blunt.

That's how I viewed this race, and yes I'll take the blunt over whatever the hell the elitist first option is.

No I would have voted for lamb in the general I just think that message stinks

So all the things in the past that have been accomplished in a bipartisan manner you disagree with?:

You are a hard leftist I’m guessing? No room for anything except total government authority as long as it’s from the left?

Has anyone done a wellness check on pAul?

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If it's mostly aphasia, Fetterman is fine. Hopefully a full recovery will happen, but it's only been 6 months. And I don't think Fetterman hasn't it that bad at the moment (not to say it wasn't worse before)

I went into cardiac arrest and spent a week in a medically induced coma on ECMO not expected to live. Came out of it worried about how I was mentally and it was mostly like I had a bad concussion without the brain slamming against my skull. "pump head" is what my doctors called it.

Anyway, for about 4-5 months I dealt with aphasia. I could write out what I wanted to say and even read it with no problem. Talking on the fly, was easy. Thinking about a question and giving a response was a different story. That was confusing for family to deal with: "But you just.... it doesn't make sense!"

I couldn't simply ask for a "a bottle of water". It was "cup of fluid" or even in Spanish, "necessito agua." And it was always with the simple words. It wasn't like I was struggling with complex words or phrases. Ironically, I probably had less trouble with them.

So maybe for the first year, Fetterman is not giving unprepared speeches, or talking off the cuff in the Senate Chamber.

The only people being asked are the people asking to serve in the Senate. I don’t normally ask that people for the their tax records, but we fairly ask that if our politicians. I’m not even saying he needs to release his whole medical record; if he has some sort of disparaging historical detail, that obviously doesn’t matter. He would only need to release the records specifically related to his stroke and diagnosis. But releasing a letter is a deliberate evasion.

I heard somewhere that Oz's gaff about abortions being between a woman, her doctor, and local politicians (if it was even a gaff) was the most quoted and talked about thing from that debate.

Daily Kos!?!??! I had no idea that was still around. No sarcasm, but I have not heard that name for a long while.

Right. Bond villains don’t kill hundreds of dogs in misguided medical experiments.

Would have voted for Lamb because he has a (D) beside his name.

You people would rather have stalemate in Congress, stalemate that would have prevented the Americans with Disabilities Act from being passed,

You people would rather have something like CHIP not passed.

The Gang of 14 made sure that SCOTUS picks had votes from each side, until Dems "Nuked" the deal in 2013. It was good while it lasted.

2010 Obama tax deal. Would have not happened unless Obama had agreed to work with Repubs. If he had not only the upper class would have continued to see tax cuts instead of the middle class that Obama wanted as well.

&#x200B;

But go ahead, downvote me because you people are so fucking partisan that you would rather see nothing get done instead of something.

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Nope.

Debilitating stroke events are a legitimate reason to question someone’s fitness to serve a 6-year term, sorry that is the reality and I’m sorry that it is. -sincerely, healthcare provider/Fetterman supporter

Oz was an idiot. That’s why he lost

The coast of New Jersey…lol

Less than two percent margin? What results are you reading?

Im sorry, but again: you’re missing the point of those of his supporters who had legitimate pause from all this. 1) he had an established health condition diagnosed 5 years ago 2) he was told he needed to take this medication so he wouldn’t have a stroke and possibly die 3) he didn’t take the medication or follow up with his cardiologist after that 4) he then had a massive stroke and almost died on the campaign trail 5) he didn’t release all of the records involved in that stroke event, only a letter from a campaign donor 6) he did not present a convincing case for full recovery at the debate against a physician who was, if anything, kind and considerate and finally 7) when the media began to point out the obvious, individual journalists were dragged publicly for no reason other than political agenda. There was plenty of justification for the concern and it was not ableism to say so.

Yep. My dad had a few minis and a major. He recovered fine over time. Eventually he had a massive stroke that he never recovered from, but he was in his 70s by then.

The stroke didn’t affect my vote.

I mean you basically did. Dude is barely reading aloud at a third grade level

i voted via mail in ballot prior to the debate for JF. So it had zero to do with my vote.

His political views could completely match mine as if he read my mind and i still wouldn't vote for him, I could never trust anything he said

It definitely didn't help!

Edit: and happy end of your cake day!

As soon as he said it, Fetterman’s Team had grabbed the quote and ran with it like they were in the Pierogi Race at PNC Park. It was the first thing that showed up the moment you Googled anything about the debate. As much as I hated that he did the debate. His team made up for it in spades.

Also worth mentioning that anyone who had been following Fetterman's recovery didn't see his performance in the debate as a snapshot but rather a positive trend on his road to recovery. I remember his first interview after the stroke, I was concerned; it was clear he wasn't really listening. But every subsequent interview he seemed a bit more comfortable in his own skin and was adapting. Eventually it became known that he was struggling with auditory processing and then it all made sense.

Was he great in the debate? No. But he was better than he had been in the interviews leading up to it and the trend was promising. Then add on top of that the (lack of) favorability of Oz as the article points out... and then add on top of that how Fetterman made it a slogan about getting knocked down and standing back up... cue Chumbawamba (They Might Be Giants cover of Tubthumping).

I think that this undersells Fettermans ability to move people to the polls who wouldn’t otherwise be going

People's Ableism really on full frontal display this year

Bond villains know how to make a veggie tray

Pre-stroke/if he recovers fully, i think he could be a guy that pushes for stuff like Marijuana Legalization and maybe makes some headlines, and sways public opinion if that is even possible.

If he never recovers any more than the point he was at during the debate he's still gonna vote with the Democrats. For as much as people like to make ableist comments about how "i can't believe PA elected this guy" i don't think his values and decision-making skills are effected so much that he can't function as a Senator(which is a fake job where they don't do any real work)

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Yeah, the clip of Oz saying that got significantly more views than any of Fetterman's rough moments speaking that night

The debate performances really don't matter because the vast majority of voters don't watch it and the ones who do already decided who they were voting for months ago.

I mean, they show pretty clear evidence that the exact date of the debate had a visible impact on Oz and Fetterman's ratings.

Literally just click the link.

Said no one who has actually heard him speak.

Feel free to observe for yourself as you watch his victory speech.

Why is nobody reading hte article then giving guesses contrary to the evidence?

Turns out that when you attempt to relentlessly mock someone for a speech impedement people have a negative rection to that. Genuinely, conservatives are so blind to what anyone outside thier bubble thinks that they thought creulty was a winning strategy.

Just say you didn’t watch the debate and only voted for the letter next to his name. The guy is starting speeches by saying “good night”. He’s unwell

I’ll admit I’m a Republican and still can’t believe Oz was chosen. I didn’t vote for him. Terrible candidate, one of the worst I’ve ever seen.

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And they're getting it wrong again. It had nothing to do with the debate. Womens lives were literally at stake. Women would have voted for anything over losing their rights!

His digital team was amazing, I hope more Dems will take notice!

Toomey is a massive piece of shit period. I can’t believe he served as long as he did being as useless as he was.

Their right to kill their children.

> For a snake oil salesman he really isn't good at talking.

Yeah, I was surprised by that, too.

Everything that usually comes out of his mouth must be scripted.

I think its funny that Fox News is running the ableist bullshit while Iowa just re-elected Chuck Grassley too a six year term at age 89. They don't really care, its just another way they can bully their way to power.

So a letter can be false but a medical record can't be? From the same doctor? Do you hear yourself?

He lives in Jersey and ran in PA. Probably thinks they are one state.

I’ll add Ron Paul to that list

Absolutely! I forgot about him!

Nothing that happened in the debate would have changed my mind to give my vote to Fetterman.

Don't be blind. This was way more than abortion. Women were being denied LIFE SAVING medicine even if they were NOT pregnant! Simply because they were female and POSSIBLY could get pregnant! If you had a life threatening disease like Crohns for example, women were actively being denied life saving medication because the medication potentially would induce the loss of pregnancy! THIS IS A FACT!

Im not even talking about little girls who needed abortions for a multitude of reasons.

Downloaded by bots. This is the real Pennsylvanian answer

I ain't no bot. I'm a progressive voter who has followed John Fetterman since he was mayor of Braddock. I've met the man, before and after the stroke. He still recognized me.

I downvoted two bad comments with my crippled disabled human thumb. Same one I replied to you with.

Do BOTS have the ability to downvote or upvote on Reddit? Can I buy a Reddit Voting Bot Farm? Which accounts use bot farms? This is an exciting new idea that doesn't sound like reality. Very cool. Despite the content-based downvote, you get a green star for creating such an interesting fantasy.

Debating skills doesn't equate to how successful someone is or their ability to show up.

It's only ONE skill.

I voted for him because he cares about my safety as a woman.

I did watch the debate, and as an educated human 1) I understand that aphasia after a stoke does not imply that the person has impaired cognition. He is able to read and write clearly and his issue lay speaking. His prognosis is good, and his recovery is ongoing, as evidenced by his greatly improved speaking during his victory speech. Should a person be disqualified from public office becasue they have a speech impediment? 2) Even if he did have some true cognitive decline, I (and many others) would still trust his ability to govern over those that are seeking to strip women's (and LGBTQIA+) rights, suppress voting rights, increase the income gap, and adhere to fascist principles.

You owe me a new cup of coffee haha

> His doctor released a statement saying he has no work restrictions.

This doesn't mean he is able to do the job; it only means the job is not likely to hurt him.

Hopefully Fetterman will accomplish as much as Bernie has.

I cast my ballot for John on Election Day. And it wasn't because I wanted to vote against Oz (that was just a nice perk). John's done a lot of good work at the local and state level. He's mostly stayed true to his word. And he even got something done at the federal level before he was elected.

I think your argument is high grade copium.

And yet, in Georgia the so called evangelicals turned out en masse to vote for Herschel Walker, who really DOES have brain damage.

>i think he could be a guy that pushes for stuff like Marijuana Legalization

He's already started this. He (and possibly Hunter) is the reason Biden asked for the FDA to review cannabis.

>So all the things in the past that have been accomplished in a bipartisan manner you disagree with?:

What a dishonest and asinine way to frame the discussion.

Sure, yep. We want the right to kill our children. What makes you think you have the right to stop us?

He's here, making his dishonest arguments

He was a pretty good comedian, though. Asparagus on a veggie tray? 😂

Seems the GOP's strategy of picking on a hurt guy doesn't connect to young voters

conservative journalists don't analyze things, by nature.

No, we had one candidate that's been making a difference for 18 years versus a fake cure huckster that couldn't even follow the basic standards of Columbia's ERB.

Having a mindset of voting against somebody is dangerous. Always vote for a candidate, not against another. Voting against Hilary Clinton usually meant they voted for Trump.

I just can’t believe these were our two best options to represent the people of PA.

I don’t know why people are so shocked. The republicans are taking away women’s rights they’ve had since the 70s.

Feel free to observe his ability for speaking for yourself as you watch his victory speech.

It’s such a ridiculous thing to say too. It’s like some shit that an AI algorithm would write when trying to sound like a political moderate. If you ask the American electorate whether A) abortion should be legal in all states, B) abortion should be illegal everywhere, C) abortion legal in some states and illegal in others. No one is actually going to prefer C and get jazzed over it.

He’s more like a hallmark movie villain

I’d probably vote for an intergalactic alien invader before OZ. He had to be the worst candidate the gop could have picked. It’s like they are sandbagging and losing on purpose.

No. It’s just that people realize he’s an asshole who thinks he can grift through life.

I just love you armchair psychics. And maybe people in PA aren't as stupid and redneck as to vote for a NJ resident that spent the summer in Ireland and made a handful more appearances than Senator Fetterman did. I mean, fgs, trump lost PA. What made anyone think a candidate he endorsed would win?

This comment shows how small minded and short sighted you are. MOTHERS get abortions, you realize that right? You realize when women are far enough along in their pregnancy and the fetus becomes non-viable they HAVE to perform a D&C, which is the same procedure as an abortion, and if doctors are scared that they’ll lose their license or go to jail if they perform those surgeries then we are putting womens LIVES at risk. But yes, please, keep caring more about the unborn fetus.

My personal opinion for what it's worth- I think he purposely tanked his own campaign. It was getting more obvious he wasn't really gaining any ground, he was pouring copious amounts of his own cash into the race, more than half the country and tv personalities made him a laughing stock. His ego just couldn't take it. Plus he was tired of PA rednecks fawning all over him. He had to act like he liked them.

Hardly.

If someone claims that working across the aisle is something they hate to hear a candidate talk about then they must be against any form of bipartisanship.

It's called blatant partisanship with a dash of hypocrisy sprinkled on top.

I'm curious- how did you feel when you first saw he was chosen? Were you willing to give him a chance or was it a no straight out of the gate?

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I know why you're being down voted but I totally agree with you.

It's obvious that the two party system is dragging us further into kakistocracy.

On another note, I love posts like this. When you can get both the D's and R's to sky scream you're definitely closer to the truth than not.

It felt like a slip for sure.

Maybe subconsciously he wanted to go back to the quiet life and realized being a senator doesn't get you in the spotlight the same way being on television with a tall show does.

Maybe he realized that being in a state such as Pennsylvania is so purple that it's 50/50 and many people will hate you.

And Democrats are very conservative (both parties are)

>If someone claims that working across the aisle is something they hate to hear a candidate talk about then they must be against any form of bipartisanship.

I agree that that's probably the case. But that's not what was said. He said he hates the message.

And honestly, fuck your argument. The GOP has bargained in bad faith for the last 30 years, making concessions when they had to and then backing out of their side of deals for later. You want it both ways, the left compromises and you thumb your nose at them. You're going to find it much harder to do that with the changes in the voting blocks.

Bernie is smearing antiwar protesters now. You might want to re-evaluate.

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One kills dogs and the other chased down and held an unarmed black man at gunpoint with a shotgun. Both are pretty terrible candidates it's sad that our garbage two party system continues to provide nothing but quality candidates lol.

Yeah I think a lot of people knew who Fetterman was before the stroke, do not care about the stroke/think it will impact his performance, and then voted accordingly

Also I watched the debate and could understand what he was saying/trying to say. I hope he makes a full recovery but even if he doesn't, it isn't like he can't communicate. If he doesn't speak fast enough for some, I'm sorry for them that they're so impatient.

If he doesn't recover he might not be able to make huge public pushes for things like legalization, but he'll still be able to vote and push legislation through. Would also imagine his office will actually give a shit and help people that reach out to them.

Your point about the Fetterman camp adopting a strategy to benefit as much as possible from pre-debate early voting is valid.

I think you’re likely over-rating how many voters would’ve changed their mind or not voted had they seen Fetterman’s debate performance though. The electorate is very polarized and, what’s more, understands that a senator has relatively little he or she has to actually do compared to, say, a governor.

You concede Oz was a horrible candidate. He was. Oz was also on the ballot with Mastrioni who managed to be just as bad, though for different reasons. It was a clownshow.

Another way to look at it is voting for the lesser of two evils.

Is this what this society has come to. Sad.

I blame my generation; we fucked up. We surely didn't raise you guys right. :-(

I don't think you understand what "work restrictions" are.

Work restrictions specify things you should not be doing because they pose a danger to your health. For instance, if you've had a recent back injury, a doctor may give you a work restriction like, "No lifting over 10 lbs." in order to protect you from re-aggravating it. "No work restrictions" in Fetterman's case simply means that performing the job of senator is not likely to pose a danger to his health.

>I blame my generation; we fucked up. We surely didn't raise you guys right.

Is this due to your autism?

For all his faults and concerns about his health, Fetterman is principled and makes policy decisions based on he feels is in the material interests of the working class. Oz is a snake oil salesman actions on behalf of the same old private equity vultures and Chamber of Commerce midwits that still dominate most of the GOP.

A narrow majority of PA voters understood that.

Don't think my entire generation was autistic, lol.

We didn't do a very good job though.

>It was a clownshow.

Truly

God, I hope you didn't have children

It's almost like the solution to our problems is not going to come by way of the political system.

I didn't. Had too many friends struggling to raise their kids, poor, making the kinds of deals and choices people make when they're poor. Wanted no part of that.

My generation (myself included) was not real big on commitment and the children paid a terrible price for that.

Well your god works in mysterious ways

Best way I heard it, "I'd have voted for Fetterman if he had been blinking in Morse code."

Indeed he does.

I’m not that shocked by the Fetterman thing and I’m a little surprised that so many others are.

Everyone keeps talking about how Trump defies political gravity on the right, and that’s absolutely true. However, for that exact same reason, the gravity has changed on the left as well.

In consolidating power on the right and getting so much support amongst those supporters, all of that same rhetoric has also galvanized the left and codified an ardent opposition against him and his candidates.

I don’t know why people keep losing sight of that?

For the exact same reason that Trump is so popular among the far right and the Christian right, that is exactly why he is so unpopular with everyone else.

That’s the problem that the GOP faces and why it truly is a deal with the devil.

And this isn’t going to end politely or gentlemanly for the GOP. It’s going to be a hot fucking mess.

I can’t wait to see what scorched earth bullshit he and Ron DeSantis pull on each other. I just hope that DeSantis prevails just so that Trump will run as a third-party candidate and really fuck them over one last time.

I begrudgingly voted for Fetterman since I usually vote independent candidates, but only did so after this debate. For Oz to badger the guy into a debate knowing he would perform poorly was a complete dick move but I gave a lot of credit to Fetterman for showing up.

On the other side, Oz calling to concede and congratulation Fetterman post-election was a surprisingly classy move, especially in a time where that typically doesn't happen if the Republican is the one who needs to concede.

So you think Having a fracking well in braddock is the best interest of the working class?

What work of his at the local level did you like?

Very happy with the results

Fetterman literally had a fine dining restaurant in his basement

pAul! You're alive! I am genuinely happy that you didn't fall into a pit of despair from which you could never climb out.

Well, before I answer that, what of his work do you not like? Seems you've got the Catalog of Fetterman Accomplishments there. Why would you vote for a quack doctor instead?

I didn’t vote for oz.

I really like fettermans common sense approach on fracking. It made sense in braddock to have a well.

How about you?

It doesn't bother me that he supported a gas well there, assuming it was done in an ecologically sound way. And obviously it couldn't be done, or USS wouldn't accept having to do it that way and not make obscene profit, because the deal fell through last year.

Energy abundance and replacing coal with natural gas is in the best interest of everyone.