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

[Progressive Pessimist]

Let's remember that Fetterman ran in the Democratic primary for the 2016 Senate election. He clearly has always wanted to be Senator.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I saw a thumbnail image of Fetterman on YouTube earlier today, and his appearance fits the stereotype of a tough, no nonsense, blue-collar, WWC miner, construction worker, contractor, or factory worker. I don't know that much about his background. Is this why many seem to have such confidence in his capabilities as a candidate for federal or statewide office?

He's got a master of public policy from Harvard and comes from a rich family.

This doesn't matter to me. It kind of reminds me of Jay Rockefeller. I don't know how most Pennsylvanians will take that though.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I know that Wawa is a staple of Pennsylvania but is Costello's entire campaign going to be nothing but references to the store? How embarrassing if so.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Dang, I was hoping to avoid a divisive primary. My issue is honestly that I like both Fetterman and Kenyatta so much that I want to vote for both. I really wish Kenyatta had run for LG or something instead. Still with Fetterman for the moment, but I really like both, so my mind isn't completely made up yet.

I'm right there with you. I like both and can't decide yet.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I didn't think Lamb was going to jump in once Fetterman made his move, but I guess he's worried about what's going to happen to his district. It's understandable.

But anyway, I like all three of Fetterman, Kenyatta, and Lamb. I don't know who would do the best among the three, but I won't complain if any of them are nominated.

[Progressive Pessimist]

https://mobile.twitter.com/Logan_Ratick/status/1389694573941862404


Rescenthaler endorses Parnell

Lamb-Parnell rematch?

[Progressive Pessimist]

I will take either Fetterman or Lamb. Both have different, and seemingly equal, pros that they would offer to help us take this seat back.

[Progressive Pessimist]

https://twitter.com/JonathanTamari/status/1445441371066667009

Cool candidate PAGOP!

For a state that is still a solid swing state in most ways yet which the GOP controls in the legislature, the Pennsylvania GOP really sucks at recruiting statewide candidates. That more than anything is probably why the state's elections in 2018 were blowouts for the Democrats when they probably should have been more similar to Michigan's results.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I am a big defender of my state, even after being sorely disappointed in it last year, but I am more than happy to have Fetterman keep s***ing on Oz carpetbagging from here if it means we can win the Senate seat. Some things are more important than pride.

[Progressive Pessimist]

This is the most shocking part. Oz has squandered so much time here. And the question is, Oz hasn't done anything to change the trajectory all summer long, so what indication do we have that he's really going to change course in the next 3 months?

https://twitter.com/jimgeraghty/status/1554082722917777408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7...

This is actually a good point. Oz has been out campaigning, Fetterman has not and yet he is being crushed in polls right now. Perhaps it just goes to show the importance of social media as a political tool now.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Saying he is "Pennsylvania's Doctor" makes it sound like he is their Surgeon general or something. Now, if he had held that position he would probably be in a much better position to win. Instead I don't even know if we should be considering a credible medical professional at all. He is a celebrity talk show host and snake oil salesman more than anything, and that perception seems to be sticking.

[Progressive Pessimist]

That "1/3 of dangerous criminals" quote is ridiculous enough just based on the fact that I don't think even the most anti-cop, pro-defunding the police activist would even be a proponent of that. going this route reeks of desperation by the Oz campaign. I get that crime is usually an issue where Democratic perceptions are weak, but this is kind of absurd.

The biggest thing that struck me about that Parks & Rec ad is that the show was making fun of polished career politicians whose only talent is to look handsome in a suit and issue vapid soundbites.  I mean, does that truly describe Fetterman?

Oz is so bad at this...

[Progressive Pessimist]

It also would not surprise me if Oz truly did not have his heart in this. I really think initially he thought he would be able to parachute in and use the 'Dr Oz' fame to his advantage and the accolades he got from people during that show to boost his candidacy, and I think now he may be realizing that it was a total miscalculation.

Yup, and he possibly assumed the national environment alone would carry him over the finish line.

I think a lot of Republicans are thinking that way this year. Ironically, that is what could end up backfiring on them. It's very reminiscent of their idol, Trump. When Trump is at his most arrogant, that's usually when he suffers the most.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Unsurprisingly, the Oz campaign seems desperate and is throwing anything at the wall to see what sticks. Let's just hope that nothing actually does end up sticking.

[Progressive Pessimist]

https://twitter.com/ShaneGoldmacher/status/1556645785860771842?t=f1h2V3FOE3-ycKE...

These are the kinds of things Democrats need to do to even the playing field with the GOP. For too long the importance of online ads and social media has been neglected by the Democratic Party.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I've always known what crudite is. But I am a Bergen County resident like Oz. I also don't think I would ever run for office in Pennsylvania. I think I'll spare myself what Oz is going through.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Because a Muslim TV personality quack doctor, with no political experience, who doesn't even live in the state he is running is just about the worst person to appeal to the GOP base and to run in a general election against a competent opponent like Fetterman who has been able to eat his crudite lunch while recovering from a stroke.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Because a Muslim TV personality quack doctor, with no political experience, who doesn't even live in the state he is running is just about the worst person to appeal to the GOP base and to run in a general election against a competent opponent like Fetterman who has been able to eat his crudite lunch while recovering from a stroke.

I mean Trump was a former T.V personality who never lived in PA and said crazy things, and PA was a swing state in which he was a GREAT fit for. He did better than any GOP presidential  nominee over the last 30 years in PA.

Trump has a personality to excuse all that though. His personality is exactly what they want, and Oz doesn't have that. The guy is awkward and comes across much more elitist than Trump does. Mastriano has that Trump-like swag more, but is somehow more toxic than Trump to all other voters.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I think the most devastating thing about the crudites video is that he claims to be in a "Wegner's" grocery store, which is a chain that does not exist. He basically merged the names of two chains, "Redner's" which is a popular chain in Pennsylvania and "Wegmans" which is an upscale chain in New Jersey that he's probably more used to. Furthermore this is even more embarrassing than if he had simply called it a "Wegmans" because that has a bunch of locations in the Philly suburbs as well, so he proved that not only is he not familiar with the Pennsylvania chain but also that he seems unaware that Wegmans exist in Pennsylvania as well.

Wegmans is the nicest grocery store I have been to. I love it there!

That ought to show you just how much suburban New Jersey is in Oz. You can't take it out of someone so easily, but most people know better than to carpetbag from here into Pennsylvania to run for a political office they have no business campaigning for.

[Progressive Pessimist]

If Barnette has not endorsed by now, I'd be surprised if she ever did.

Ted Cruz in 2016 waited till September to endorse Donald Trump.

While this is fair, wasn't this only after he looked like a winner? I doubt Oz looks like a winner right now...

I do remember late August/early September being one of the best time periods for the 2016 Trump campaign when it came to polling.

[Progressive Pessimist]

https://twitter.com/Blake_Allen13/status/1560776974146195456

Is he taking another vacation?

Regardless, imagine if a Democrat did this. They'd be called "Communist sympathizers." Fetterman ought to tar Oz the same way.

Also, might I add how thematically out-of-touch he is still being by apparently assuming that the average person reading his tweet can just drop everything they're doing on a whim, like him, and just travel halfway across the world.

[Progressive Pessimist]

The video of Oz in Vietnam was from 2019.

Okay, I was kind of wondering about that. I hadn't noticed.

Still, I think my point stands that Republicans would have no qualms about dredging up an old video of a Democrat in a Communist capitol and cast negative a light on them, so why shouldn't this be used against a Republican like Oz?

[Progressive Pessimist]

In b4 Oz says Fetterman is still in his basement

https://twitter.com/JohnFetterman/status/1560351354245337088

I love that fetterman is out there in deep red territory. Many of these areas don't get any attention from politicians so he has basically a monopoly on being able to talk to them directly. That sways votes.

Yeah, he'll get to the Philadelphia metropolitan area at some point. I don't think he's neglecting them by any means. In the meantime, it's smart of him to at least work on mending some of the bleeding Democrats have been experiencing in rural areas of the state (well, most states).

[Progressive Pessimist]

Oz's campaign is really passive-aggressive. This whole debate thing has really become a meme for them. Oz should be happy Fetterman isn't debating him yet, he would get his ass handed to him.

https://twitter.com/JonathanTamari/status/1564707937255407618?s=20&t=ENERNX9...

If you're trying to get people to vote for them both simultaneously, this doesn't even matter.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Fetterman literally sounds 90-95% back to normal in the interview from last night. In a free-wheeling interview, he seems to do way better with his speech with off the cuff stuff. I wonder if he has a harder time with some of the reading off the prompters or remembering campaign event lines from memory since those seemed to come off a little bit more rough at some of the events.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVZ54a0K3a0

I watched the interview and my biggest takeaway is that Fetterman's wife seems like a great asset to his campaign. She can hit the campaign trail on her own and probably be a benefit to the campaign.