PA-SN 2022 megathread: Shrek vs. The Wizard of Oz

[President Johnson]

Apparently Oz doesn't air any ads at this moment?

https://twitter.com/JohnFetterman/status/1547009168497950722

[President Johnson]

I now do wish McCormick won the primary and he may have without polls showing Barnette in 2nd lol.

McCormick wouldn't have been any better, in fact he may have been worse. TV personality is slightly more appealing than a hedge fund manager lol.

The issue is Oz doesn’t seem to be actively campaigning

I'm getting the impression that some Republican candidates think that all they had to do is win the primary and then they can sleepwalk to victory in November due to the environment, even in competitive states.  Oz is in this category and so is J.D. Vance.

The only difference is that one is running in a red state and the other in a purple state that still had Democrrats winning national and statewide races more often than not in the past decade.

I generally have the impression that Republicans take things for granted with their recruitments and campaign styles. Back in 2018, I felt Democrats way more often "played it safe".

[President Johnson]

Another reason I want Fetterman to win is because I'd like to see him debating Cruz, Hawley and the other lunatics in the senate chamber. If his Twitter is any indication how that might go, then grab your popcorn.

[President Johnson]

I don't see this whole continuing "i'm going to attack you for having a stroke and properly recovering from it!" thing working out well for Oz

https://twitter.com/DrOz/status/1551961187805532166

Fetterman's response, with a ratio of course:

https://twitter.com/JohnFetterman/status/1551970615191535616?cxt=HHwWgICwxajD2ok...

Owned.

Every. single. time.

[President Johnson]

https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/1552678278112092162

[President Johnson]

https://twitter.com/hollyotterbein/status/1553077650176065538?s=20&t=akUCwfD...

Indeed, but Oz losing makes the path to a solid GOP majority much harder. 

If PA flips R-->D, the GOP must win two of AZ/GA/NV to take control of the Senate (we'll discount less likely flips such as NH or CO).  And even then, it'd still be the narrowest of majorities. 

Of course, it's not at all inconceivable that the GOP holds PA and flips AZ/GA/NV to take a more commanding 52-48 majority.  But Oz is a pretty integral part of the GOP Senate machine. 

Agreed, though even a narrow 51 seat majority would be very bad news for Joe Biden. At that moment, Mitch is again Majority Leader and decides which bills and candidates for executives posts and judges get a vote on the floor. And he would definitely use that power to block Biden from filling more judicial vacancies.

Democrats need to keep the senate, ideally defend all incumbents and flip at least Pennsylvania. Especially since the 2024 map will be less friendly. Actually they need to get to 52 for having a fighting chance in 2024, even if the president wins reelection.

[President Johnson]

https://twitter.com/JohnFetterman/status/1554144607532875782

Sometimes I almost feel like this guy is a Democratic plant.

[President Johnson]

Lmao, the trolling continues. This is priceless.

https://twitter.com/JohnFetterman/status/1554563145498349569

[President Johnson]

https://twitter.com/rw_briggs/status/1556997070103482368

Yet another thing Fetterman can use to paint his opponent as an out-of-touch elitist.

[President Johnson]

Ok, NOW i'm convinced Oz is trying to lose and full of Fetterman plants

https://twitter.com/LeverNews/status/1560042929481256960

Lmao, is he trying to lose? Seriously?

As I said already, if I didn't knew better, I'd say Oz is a Democratic plant.

[President Johnson]

https://twitter.com/christos_ioa/status/1560659245414367232

Kari Lake talks about DeSantis' big d--- energy, now this? Seems like Republicans finally found a winning message!

[President Johnson]

Per Politico, Oz's legitimate new campaign strategy is to attack Fetterman for his health.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/26/dr-oz-campaign-fetterman-00053810

This part though...

A Democratic pollster who conducts focus groups for campaigns in Pennsylvania said that swing voters don’t bring up Fetterman’s health problems themselves while discussing the Senate race, but when they are asked about it, they tend to find it relatable. The pollster was granted anonymity to describe proprietary research.

“50-year-old women from Delco, they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s my husband,” said the pollster, referring to a Philadelphia suburb. “‘Oh God, are all men this way?’”

At the same time, Oz’s attacks about Fetterman’s health have turned off voters, the person said: “We heard it in our groups over and over. People just intrinsically don’t like the idea of attacking somebody for their health.”

That's exactly what you do when you're winning...

[President Johnson]

Fetterman won't appear with Biden tomorrow in Wilkes-Barre due to a prior commitment, but WILL appear on Labor Day in Pittsburgh

https://twitter.com/edokeefe/status/1564278184958377984

Great to see Joe Biden gets out on the trail! After all, he's Scranton Joe!

[President Johnson]

What even is the Oz campaign strategy at this point? They're just throwing a bunch of mean, racist, ableist sh*t at the wall and seeing what will stick

https://twitter.com/laurenhtexas/status/1565365819202207751

Bold to assume they would care about facts.

This just speaks to the desperation of the Oz campaign. Apparently, attacking Fetterman for his health wasn't enough.

Fetterman is good at countering that:

https://twitter.com/JohnFetterman/status/1564974756792770563

[President Johnson]

LMAO Toomey is coping and seething

https://twitter.com/CityAndStatePA/status/1567209970512314368

Pick your Dr. Oz:

Dr. Oz yesterday: "Nobody here cares where you come from"

Dr. Oz today: "My opponent raises tons of money from places like New York and California!"

[President Johnson]

https://twitter.com/JoshKraushaar/status/1567956665751818243

1. Imagine if a Democrat said this.

2. Oz is not an immigrant.

Nikki Haley is out of her depth. The Republican base doesn't particularly like her, and any crossover appeal to Democrats she had, arising from the Charleston shooting, was eliminated by her service in the Trump Administration.

She's yesterday's news.

True, and there's also this photograph of her with Oz at that campaign rally:

https://twitter.com/Andres__Weller/status/1567957915440496640

That crowd certainly isn't diverse, and seems to be composed mostly of middle aged to older white people. That's not the kind of coalition that will help Oz win.

An incredibly diverse crowd! /s

[President Johnson]

https://twitter.com/jonathantamari/status/1575508812269748231

Since Fetterman is relatively left-wing and belongs to the progressive faction, not a huge surprise here.

[President Johnson]

https://twitter.com/JanMurphy/status/1578805579770122240

Last time I remember such enthusiasm for senate candidate was for Beto in 2018? Crowd sizes don't necessarily matter too much, though it may underscore that Fetterman supporters will indeed turn out on November 8.

[President Johnson]

https://twitter.com/njgavio/status/1581286846973476865

In all fairness, he's not completely wrong here. At least when it comes to junk food. Obviously healthy food should be cheaper than it currently is.

Still interesting to say this as a Republican though. However, Britain a few years ago imposed a "sugar tax" on certain unhealthy snacks and drinks under a conservative government.

[President Johnson]

Key thing for Fetterman will also be Pittsburgh turnout. PGH turnout was massive in the primary, so he really needs to run up the score there.

Interestingly enough, Oz has barely touched Western PA. He heavily focused on SEPA. So, wouldn't be surprised at massive margins out of PGH for Fetterman.

Any numbers from there yet?

I would assume Fetterman should really well there because he's from Western Pennsylvania.

[President Johnson]

Will John Fetterman resign as lt. governor a few days early? His senate term already starts on January 3 while the gubermatorial term expires on January 17.