Senator John Fetterman once boasted about being a progressive. Now he doesn’t recognize them anymore.
“It’s not that I left the title, the title left me,” said Fetterman, 54, who dismissed Dr. Oz in 2022 to help keep the US Senate blue, and has vowed that “Progressive Values” are at the heart of his political identity.
“The longer, [progressives] moved and migrated to some positions that I don’t agree with and I feel more comfortable being a Democrat,” the controversial Pennsylvania lawmaker told The Post this week during an exclusive sit-down in his DC office.
The interview was conducted in the dark, which his staff said was his personal choice.
One thing about Fetterman that hasn’t changed is his wardrobe. He wore his trademark Hoodie and gym shorts to sit in the Post, and later donned a Pittsburgh Steelers beanie. Well-wishers have sent him so many hoodies that he doesn’t know what to do with them.
Less than four years ago, Fetterman was a Bernie Sanders-loving, true-blue progressive.
“I’m proud that @BernieSanders is back,” he said during the event 2016 primary school against Hillary Clinton.
John Fetterman says progressives have become increasingly crazy for him. Rod Lamkey – CNP
In his own run for the US Senate in 2016, Fetterman urged his followers to “make a plan to vote for the most progressive candidate in this race.”
And in November 2020 he put former Florida Governor Jeb Bush on notice: “My friend, I am a progressive Democrat,” he tweeted.
But things changed when he took office. At first, it was the defund of the police movement.
Then the immigration crisis — and the reluctance of many of his colleagues to address it — destroyed his progressive armor.
“There is a crisis,” he said. “We have a crisis at our border, and it should not be controversial that we should have a secure border.”
Sen. John Fetterman has picked up new conservative fans — but disappointed many progressive allies. AP
Fetterman cited alarming figures from US Customs and Border Protection showing there were more than 300,000 migrants encountered at the southern border in December.
“That’s bigger than the population of Pittsburgh. . . .That [Pennsylvania’s] the second largest city — and that’s one month,” he said.
Both parties need to come together and develop and “comprehensive solution” to illegal immigration, he said, declining to assess the Biden administration’s performance on the immigration crisis.
“He recognizes that there are issues there,” the senator said, insisting Biden is looking for a bipartisan deal and is not afraid of a “shock” from the left.
Before Oct. 7, Senator John Fetterman was mostly making news for his refusal to follow the Senate dress code. Getty Images
Cities like New York — which has been overwhelmed by more than 165,000 immigrants since spring 2022, forcing painful budget cuts — should receive aid from the federal government to help balance the burden, Fetterman said. Mayor Adams’ efforts to open Washington’s purse strings have so far been unsuccessful.
“We have Democratic cities across the country that have brought this issue forward and they deserve to be supported and I believe they will ultimately be supported at the federal level,” Fetterman said.
Israel was also a turning point in its evolution.
After October 7, when “certain quarters” of progressives embraced hate speech, including the far-left “Squad”, which he had criticized in the past, the decision was thrown.
“For example, ‘From the river to the sea’ or pretending that that is not what it means. . . I will never be a part of that,” Fetterman said, referring to Squad Representative Rashida Tlaib, who was censured by the House of Representatives for chanting slogans calling for the genocide of Jews.
Senator John Fetterman’s office has many reminders of his support for Israel. Rod Lamkey – CNP
Fetterman is not Jewish, but Israel is close to his heart.
“It’s just a lot of moral clarity in the situation because you have a special relationship with Israel,” he said.
“That country best reflects the kind of open, progressive, liberal policies, and it’s a strange paradox that the most progressive members of our party don’t seem to realize that Israel is a country that upholds those values.”
Fetterman is reminded of the war in Israel every day. Pictures of Israeli and American hostages captured by Hamas adorn the interior of his office. Another wall is dedicated to those who have been saved.
Senator John Fetterman asked for the interview to be conducted with the lights off – which he said was private. priority Rod Lamkey – CNP
“I get emotional thinking about it. What if it was my children? What if it’s my wife?,” he told The Post. “Where does such evil come from? I don’t know where the next bottom is. . . that kind of brutality cannot be allowed to survive and endure. It needs to be destroyed.”
He reiterated his staunch support for Israel’s war objective – to eliminate Hamas entirely – something the Biden administration has worked overtime to persuade the country to reduce.
His embrace of Israel has alienated the left wing of his party, many of whom support his campaign under the false belief that he is a fellow traveler.
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Videos of Fetterman thumbing his nose at progressive scofflaws now regularly zip up on X.
“No one should trust John Fetterman,” said Nathan J. Robinson, a socialist and editor of the far-left magazine Hal Hawal Semasa. “He has repeatedly lied and betrayed his progressive supporters.”
Conservatives, meanwhile, have taken a second approving view.
“How is it possible that John Fetterman in recent months seems to be more grounded than half of the senate GOP???” said Donald Trump Jr. in a X post last weekusing internet slang for conservative.
On other issues, he has tried to keep his head down.
Although he leans toward everyman style, Fetterman grew up in an affluent Pennsylvania suburb. His father, Karl Fetterman, was a wealthy partner in Kling Bros. Insurance. He graduated from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in 1999 with a master’s degree in public policy.
Fetterman doesn’t talk much about his alma mater — and the scandal surrounding Claudine Gay, its former Harvard president who was ousted for plagiarism following her disastrous congressional testimony in which she refused to say whether calling for the genocide of the Jews was against the school’s code. behavior
“I don’t believe in that whole void culture and participate in that,” he said of Gay’s removal. “A running joke when I was at Harvard was the Kremlin on the Charles.”
But he condemned his words. “We should not have nuances when we talk about calls for genocide. There is no gray area there. No nuance about that. That must be condemned,” he said.
Despite Fetterman’s serious health problems — including a near-fatal stroke and treatment for depression — his speech improved significantly. And he insists his health problems will not affect his ability to serve.
“Of course, there are a lot of really mean and cruel things that are said and labels and things,” he said. “I have been able to fully participate.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
