Fetterman accused of mocking constituents in viral video

[Alben Barkley]

Was this - and Fetterman's other recent controversies - really a price worth paying for not having a Senator "who lives in New Jersey?"

Fetterman ignored some leftist activist badgering him in a video that may well be selectively edited to not even show the full context! Well that does it, clearly Pennsylvania would have been better off with a TV medical quack and charlatan with no political experience or clear beliefs representing them! And it’s all about him being from New Jersey, nothing to do with him being laughably unqualified!

[wnwnwn]

Maybe the dems need a better "WWC oriented" senator for the next decades.

[Steve from Lambeth]

Was this - and Fetterman's other recent controversies - really a price worth paying for not having a Senator "who lives in New Jersey?"

Fetterman ignored some leftist activist badgering him in a video that may well be selectively edited to not even show the full context! Well that does it, clearly Pennsylvania would have been better off with a TV medical quack and charlatan with no political experience or clear beliefs representing them! And it’s all about him being from New Jersey, nothing to do with him being laughably unqualified!

I'm a Republican. I always supported Oz - even in the primary when I worked out very quickly that Barnette was untested and McCormick was just a sorry soul.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Was this - and Fetterman's other recent controversies - really a price worth paying for not having a Senator "who lives in New Jersey?"

Yes. Fetterman has certainly squandered a lot of good-will and potential though.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Just 2 years ago, people were talking about him as a potential president.

And he’d make a good one.  No one on the far left minded this sort of thing when it was aimed at right-wingers.  They’re just salty that they’re on the receiving end on one issue where they disagree with him.  For better or worse, Fetterman is a fighter and a bit of a troll.  If you’re gonna laugh about him trolling Republicans, then don’t whine about stuff like this.

Was this - and Fetterman's other recent controversies - really a price worth paying for not having a Senator "who lives in New Jersey?"

Fetterman has been a phenomenal Senator.  But even if he hadn’t, he’d still be far better than the elitist, carpetbagging, anti-abortion, Trumpist sociopathic literal puppy killer you guys nominated.

He’s the new Sinema. The 51st Dem always will be.

Imagine actually believing this

Anyway, this was pretty clearly staged by bad-faith whacktivists and the fact they don’t show the full interaction from the beginning doesn’t exactly scream good-faith.  I don’t blame him for ignoring random Sunrise nutjobs.  I also don’t blame him for recording the interaction in case they tried to release a deliberately misleading edited version of the encounter (which would be very on brand for these sorts of folks and may well have been their original intention).

Was this - and Fetterman's other recent controversies - really a price worth paying for not having a Senator "who lives in New Jersey?"

Yes. Fetterman has certainly squandered a lot of good-will and potential though.

How dare Fetterman not agree with the far left on literally every issue!  Doesn’t he know he’s supposed to represent far-left activists?  What, does he think he’s supposed to represent the people of Pennsylvania or something?  The nerve of that guy!

[Progressive Pessimist]

Just 2 years ago, people were talking about him as a potential president.

And he’d make a good one.  No one on the far left minded this sort of thing when it was aimed at right-wingers.  They’re just salty that they’re on the receiving end on one issue where they disagree with him.  For better or worse, Fetterman is a fighter and a bit of a troll.  If you’re gonna laugh about him trolling Republicans, then don’t whine about stuff like this.

Was this - and Fetterman's other recent controversies - really a price worth paying for not having a Senator "who lives in New Jersey?"

Fetterman has been a phenomenal Senator.  But even if he hadn’t, he’d still be far better than the elitist, carpetbagging, anti-abortion, Trumpist sociopathic literal puppy killer you guys nominated.

He’s the new Sinema. The 51st Dem always will be.

Imagine actually believing this

Anyway, this was pretty clearly staged by bad-faith whacktivists and the fact they don’t show the full interaction from the beginning doesn’t exactly scream good-faith.  I don’t blame him for ignoring random Sunrise nutjobs.  I also don’t blame him for recording the interaction in case they tried to release a deliberately misleading edited version of the encounter (which would be very on brand for these sorts of folks and may well have been their original intention).

Was this - and Fetterman's other recent controversies - really a price worth paying for not having a Senator "who lives in New Jersey?"

Yes. Fetterman has certainly squandered a lot of good-will and potential though.

How dare Fetterman not agree with the far left on literally every issue!  Doesn’t he know he’s supposed to represent far-left activists?  What, does he think he’s supposed to represent the people of Pennsylvania or something?  The nerve of that guy!

On the far-left notion, he was kind of expected to be the successive national figure to the insurgent progressive part of the Democratic Party, yet he has likely alienated those most likely to be his base in a national primary, should he ever pursue it.

[Horus]

Still going to win in 2028 regardless of who wins PA.

Hot take: With his health issues and potential fading approvals among Dems, I tend to believe he doesn't run for reelection. You heard it here first.

I've also heard rumors that his wife wants to enter politics and he's trying to set his seat up for her to take over. But I'm not sure how this helps.

[President Johnson]

I really don't care about the hoodies and stuff, but this was just plain rude. He could've politely asked her to call his office ahead of time for interviews and left it at that rather than mockingly pretend to be interested and shut her off... while also recording her on his own phone for some weird reason.

I want to like this guy. I do. But he's not making it easy for me and the more of this stuff I see from him, the less I want him running for president. Even Obama wasn't this high on his own supply.

This perfectly sums up my thoughts. Honestly a behavior you would expect from certain other types. Maybe the stroke has unironically caused some damage, given other latest incidents as well.

[Horus]

I really don't care about the hoodies and stuff, but this was just plain rude. He could've politely asked her to call his office ahead of time for interviews and left it at that rather than mockingly pretend to be interested and shut her off... while also recording her on his own phone for some weird reason.

I want to like this guy. I do. But he's not making it easy for me and the more of this stuff I see from him, the less I want him running for president. Even Obama wasn't this high on his own supply.

This perfectly sums up my thoughts. Honestly a behavior you would expect from certain other types. Maybe the stroke has unironically caused some damage, given other latest incidents as well.

I don't care that he doesn't wear a suit, but he could make an effort to not look like an utter slob. Maxwell Frost doesn't always wear a suit, but he's still well dressed.

[President Johnson]

I really don't care about the hoodies and stuff, but this was just plain rude. He could've politely asked her to call his office ahead of time for interviews and left it at that rather than mockingly pretend to be interested and shut her off... while also recording her on his own phone for some weird reason.

I want to like this guy. I do. But he's not making it easy for me and the more of this stuff I see from him, the less I want him running for president. Even Obama wasn't this high on his own supply.

This perfectly sums up my thoughts. Honestly a behavior you would expect from certain other types. Maybe the stroke has unironically caused some damage, given other latest incidents as well.

I don't care that he doesn't wear a suit, but he could make an effort to not look like an utter slob. Maxwell Frost doesn't always wear a suit, but he's still well dressed.

I agree, though I'm generally more conservative on the issue of dress code. I'd say he doesn't have to wear a tie, but at least a white or blue shirt and jacket would be approriate. That can even look decent with a blue jeans and Derbys.

[DaleCooper]

Was this - and Fetterman's other recent controversies - really a price worth paying for not having a Senator "who lives in New Jersey?"

Oh hell yeah, lmao.

[Anti Democrat Democrat Club]

This was predicable, everyone knew he was a dick; his supporters just got mad at everyone who brought it up.

I think we all knew he was. There's just a difference between being a dick to a snake oil salesman a stone's throw away from NYC and a Palestinian activist. Even I'm uncomfortable with his stance and think it crosses a line into blind, unquestioned support.

I won't quite call him a Manchin yet - many others in the party share his stances on Israel - but he provides a similar role. The thing about his fopo is that his outspokenness provides cover for those that do share his views. It's sort of like the minimum wage debate - while everyone is angry over Sinema/Fetterman being loud they don't notice the Coonses and Shaheens of the world who share their same views.

[courts]

He’s the new Sinema. The 51st Dem always will be.

somehow more annoying than her

[Freshly-touched grass]

Anyway, this was pretty clearly staged by bad-faith whacktivists and the fact they don’t show the full interaction from the beginning doesn’t exactly scream good-faith.  I don’t blame him for ignoring random Sunrise nutjobs.  I also don’t blame him for recording the interaction in case they tried to release a deliberately misleading edited version of the encounter (which would be very on brand for these sorts of folks and may well have been their original intention).

This tweet is over a month old, so the full interaction should be available by now, especially since Fetterman was recording too. By the looks of this video, Fetterman walked by a random activist who politely asked him why he changed his position on an important environmental issue. It would at least appear that she was acting in good faith, and he was not. I'm happy to revise my opinion if there exists a longer video that suggests otherwise.

Any member of Congress who acts this way towards a constituent is obviously going to be scrutinized.

[oldtimer]

Still going to win in 2028 regardless of who wins PA.

He's currently the most unpopular Senator ever recorded apart from Sinema, and his numbers aren't getting better.

[President Johnson]

Still going to win in 2028 regardless of who wins PA.

Hot take: With his health issues and potential fading approvals among Dems, I tend to believe he doesn't run for reelection. You heard it here first.

That sounds like an underrated scenario.

[xavier110]

He’s the new Sinema. The 51st Dem always will be.

Imagine actually believing this

Anyway, this was pretty clearly staged by bad-faith whacktivists and the fact they don’t show the full interaction from the beginning doesn’t exactly scream good-faith.  I don’t blame him for ignoring random Sunrise nutjobs.  I also don’t blame him for recording the interaction in case they tried to release a deliberately misleading edited version of the encounter (which would be very on brand for these sorts of folks and may well have been their original intention).

this isn't even some conspiracy. To this point:

The thing about his fopo is that his outspokenness provides cover for those that do share his views. It's sort of like the minimum wage debate - while everyone is angry over Sinema/Fetterman being loud they don't notice the Coonses and Shaheens of the world who share their same views.

There’s always now some loudmouth sucking up space by default, on various sides, in a kayfabe way. Fetterman will now draw heat for things the median Dem does not want to touch already and shoot things down from a centrist point of view.

Just like how the leaders from both sides trot out MTG or AOC or some Resist Lib out to say something silly and draw attention from other goingson.

It’s all political theater, it’s all meaningless. The force of the universe is to cater to whatever finance/tech/major industry and the defense sector in particular wants.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

For the record, I do think Fetterman is too uncritically supportive of Israel, but I also think that - however he tries to brand himself, he has been a very progressive Senator overall.  He’s just not a lunatic on immigration and he is super pro-Israel (although he was always like that, it’s just no one really cared till 10/7).  

That said, I think some folks wanted him to be Bernie Sanders 2.0 (which was never realistic in PA btw) and are pretty disappointed that he’s basically a much more trolling-prone Sherrod Brown instead.  Personally, I think Sanders and Brown are both two of the best current Senators, so I’m happy either way.  However, there is a big difference between being a Sanders-type and basically a socially progressive union Democrat.  Those differences will tend to be most pronounced on foreign policy, immigration, and perhaps guns (although Brown and Fetterman both support gun control) and parochial environmental issues (ex: Fetterman has always supported fracking).

I mean, Fetterman supports $15 minimum wage, Medicare for All, abolishing the filibuster, gun control, the PRO Act, eliminating all abortion restrictions, a wealth tax, etc.  He’s objectively nowhere remotely close to being Sinema/Manchin 2.0.  The only real risk for that is Hickenlooper tbh and even that’s probably a stretch aside from certain environmental issues.  Of course, the whole idea that there will always be one Democrat holding everything up is a silly myth popularized by doomers and #BothSides types.  He’s very progressive (if not in name, then in every meaningful sense), but he’s not a Berniecrat.  And I think some folks are mistakenly conflating the two when Berniecrats are simply one faction of the modern progressive movement in the US.  

[Burke Bro]

For the record, I do think Fetterman is too uncritically supportive of Israel, but I also think that - however he tries to brand himself, he has been a very progressive Senator overall.  He’s just not a lunatic on immigration and he is super pro-Israel (although he was always like that, it’s just no one really cared till 10/7). 

That said, I think some folks wanted him to be Bernie Sanders 2.0 (which was never realistic in PA btw) and are pretty disappointed that he’s basically a much more trolling-prone Sherrod Brown instead.  Personally, I think Sanders and Brown are both two of the best current Senators, so I’m happy either way.  However, there is a big difference between being a Sanders-type and basically a socially progressive union Democrat.  Those differences will tend to be most pronounced on foreign policy, immigration, and perhaps guns (although Brown and Fetterman both support gun control) and parochial environmental issues (ex: Fetterman has always supported fracking).

I mean, Fetterman supports $15 minimum wage, Medicare for All, abolishing the filibuster, gun control, the PRO Act, eliminating all abortion restrictions, a wealth tax, etc.  He’s objectively nowhere remotely close to being Sinema/Manchin 2.0.  The only real risk for that is Hickenlooper tbh and even that’s probably a stretch aside from certain environmental issues.  Of course, the whole idea that there will always be one Democrat holding everything up is a silly myth popularized by doomers and #BothSides types.  He’s very progressive (if not in name, then in every meaningful sense), but he’s not a Berniecrat.  And I think some folks are mistakenly conflating the two when Berniecrats are simply one faction of the modern progressive movement in the US. 

A Democrat supporting Medicare for all, a $15 minimum wage, a wealth tax, etc. was basically unthinkable until Bernie Sanders came onto the scene 9 years ago. The purity tests progressives put Democratic candidates through are ridiculous and in the process they filter out the blue-collar coded candidates who appeal to the exact types of voters democrats need to win in national elections and battleground states.

[Ancestral Republican]

For the record, I do think Fetterman is too uncritically supportive of Israel, but I also think that - however he tries to brand himself, he has been a very progressive Senator overall.  He’s just not a lunatic on immigration and he is super pro-Israel (although he was always like that, it’s just no one really cared till 10/7).  

You called him a "great man" for tweeting out an attack on some normie Dems (not your Berniecrat boogeyman) who suggested that perhaps financial aid to Israel shouldn't be unconditional in perpetuity, so it's unclear where exactly you draw the line.

[Ferguson97]

Was this - and Fetterman's other recent controversies - really a price worth paying for not having a Senator "who lives in New Jersey?"

Nothing Fetterman has done or said is worse than being a Republican.

[Neo-Malthusian Misanthrope]

Maybe I'm even worse at social situations than I thought, but how is this mocking? Because he "shut the elevator door" in the constituent's face? He got ambushed and he just didn't engage, what's so bad about that? I say this as somebody who's not a big fan of Fetterman's typical showboating, and I see nothing wrong either with recording protestors who are apparently from a group that tends towards rabble-rousing.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

For the record, I do think Fetterman is too uncritically supportive of Israel, but I also think that - however he tries to brand himself, he has been a very progressive Senator overall.  He’s just not a lunatic on immigration and he is super pro-Israel (although he was always like that, it’s just no one really cared till 10/7).  

You called him a "great man" for tweeting out an attack on some normie Dems (not your Berniecrat boogeyman) who suggested that perhaps financial aid to Israel shouldn't be unconditional in perpetuity, so it's unclear where exactly you draw the line.

It appears that, as usual, you’re lying about what I said.  Or rather I should say that at the very least, I can’t find anything like that in the atlas search function nor do I recall saying that.  And even if I gave you the benefit of the doubt and assumed that you misremembered (as opposed to simply lying), I’m still not even sure what post you would be thinking of.  

My best guess would be this, except it has nothing to do with Democrats (normie or otherwise), financial aid to Israel, or attack tweets (see post immediately above it in the linked thread for context):

Good man

Or perhaps this one, but it doesn’t contain anything resembling me calling him a great man nor did it have anything to do with either tweeting or normie Democrats (on the contrary it pertained to Fetterman trolling a mob of unhinged anti-Semitic lunatics).  

Truly bizzare behaviour.

At first I thought so, but it’s actually pretty on brand for Fetterman if you look at the 2022 campaign.  The man has a genuine talent for trolling folks who try to hit him with performative bad-faith attacks.  It’s kind of a go to move for Fetterman.  

So a bunch of obnoxious whacktivists show up at his house screaming false accusations that he supports some non-existent genocide as part of a strictly performative protest that isn’t intended to accomplish anything, for better or worse, his go to response will likely be to troll them.  And it looks like he did so effectively.  

And let’s be honest, whatever one believes about the conflict, these protestors were clearly not there for a constructive, thoughtful, or nuanced dialogue.  They were there to scream dumb slogans and try to be performatively obnoxious enough to get press coverage.  

Fetterman’s a fighter and very much not the type to be intimidated by this sort of thing.  That’s great when you agree with him, but probably very frustrating when you disagree with him.  

In any case, neither match your claim.

[dead0man]

yeah, I'm not seeing the problem here.  He was a little rude to someone playing a political game, and he was rude in kind of a funny way (waiting to respond until the doors start to close is funny).  Everybody got what they wanted:the lady got to make her little video go viral, progressives that hate Mr Hoody got to do a round of recreational outrage on him, Mr Hoody got to signal to real Americans (please be offended by that as possible) that he is willing to mock these types to their face

[Steve from Lambeth]

Was this - and Fetterman's other recent controversies - really a price worth paying for not having a Senator "who lives in New Jersey?"

Nothing Fetterman has done or said is worse than being a Republican.

...I suppose?