I keep coming back to the hoodies. I know it has no bearings on Fetterman's actual policy positions that he wears Carhartt in the Senate, but... you know, even for a guy of that size, there's really nothing preventing him from showing up to work in the bizcaz fits you see men wear on the campaign trail all the time. Obviously it's nothing new for politicians to cosplay as poor, and certainly standing next to Mehmet Frickin' Oz helped make Fetterman look legit by comparison, but for a dude with a Master's from Harvard to lean into the working-class hero image so hard only makes sense if your primary goal as an elected official is to stand in for the *idea* of the working class rather than any specific policy, pro-worker or otherwise. I'm not sure this is a pivot so much as an admission on Fetterman's part that he's not a "positions" guy so much as a "postures" one.
With apologies to folks who rankle at the term "Bernie bro" (and rightfully so) - I suspect Fetterman was so overt in his support of Sanders in 2016 because Sanders (or at least his surrogates) took a similar tack. Yes, Sanders obviously has his socialist bonafides, but he got as far as he did in large part by claiming "I'm not a career politician [sic]," a claim bolstered by conspicuous shabbiness (for a Senator, anyway) and by standing next to Hillary Clinton (aka the phoniest phony who ever phonied).
Because when the Democrats have to chose between winning elections and groveling before the donor class, they will always choose the grovel.
Few donor blocks donate more or wield more power than the military-industrial complex. And what's good for the weapons manufacturers may not be good for human rights, but it sure is good for Big Oil and Wall Street.
People wonder why minorities and the young are moving towards Trump.
The answer is that they aren't exactly. They are just starting to suspect the enemy of their enemy might not be their friend exactly, but may be the key to getting the Wall Street parasites' collective grip off their neck.
It's hard to convincingly say that Trump is an existential threat to Democracy when:
1) they voted to increase Trump's military budget every single year.
2) the Democrats are now conducting a full court press to abrogate free speech and make sure that you don't read anything the Ivy League thinks in appropriate or un-American.
When both parties hate the middle class, who do you vote for?
I’m a native Pennsylvanian who’s donated to Fetterman’s campaigns in the past. I responded to the last fundraising text I got from him with “Free Palestine.” I haven’t heard from him since.
Bernie seemed to run as a progressive populist in 2016, getting the vast majority of rural, and even ''conservative'' voters in the primary. In 2020, he leaned heavily into the 'Woke', racial politics stuff, and went even harder on green politics. It's so odd. I wish the Progressive movement today looked more like his 2016 coalition.
I’m a PA independent (after 30 years as a Dem). I didn’t vote for Fetterman because of his belief that humans can be born in the wrong body and any man can say he’s a woman & play women’s sports, go to a female homeless shelter, be housed in a female prison. I hope his moderation will include re-thinking these issues, he could earn my vote.
Nice to see you have your eye on the important things.
Totally more important than income inequality, climate change, the destruction of social mobility, the destruction of the middle class, the hemorrhaging of the money into ill-advised (but very profitable in the short term) military adventures which pour weapons and training into the people we'll be fighting in a decade.
Unlike these things, which actually effect your life and the lives of every American (and most of the world), I'm glad to know that your number one issue is identity politics.
I keep coming back to the hoodies. I know it has no bearings on Fetterman's actual policy positions that he wears Carhartt in the Senate, but... you know, even for a guy of that size, there's really nothing preventing him from showing up to work in the bizcaz fits you see men wear on the campaign trail all the time. Obviously it's nothing new for politicians to cosplay as poor, and certainly standing next to Mehmet Frickin' Oz helped make Fetterman look legit by comparison, but for a dude with a Master's from Harvard to lean into the working-class hero image so hard only makes sense if your primary goal as an elected official is to stand in for the *idea* of the working class rather than any specific policy, pro-worker or otherwise. I'm not sure this is a pivot so much as an admission on Fetterman's part that he's not a "positions" guy so much as a "postures" one.
With apologies to folks who rankle at the term "Bernie bro" (and rightfully so) - I suspect Fetterman was so overt in his support of Sanders in 2016 because Sanders (or at least his surrogates) took a similar tack. Yes, Sanders obviously has his socialist bonafides, but he got as far as he did in large part by claiming "I'm not a career politician [sic]," a claim bolstered by conspicuous shabbiness (for a Senator, anyway) and by standing next to Hillary Clinton (aka the phoniest phony who ever phonied).
Because when the Democrats have to chose between winning elections and groveling before the donor class, they will always choose the grovel.
Few donor blocks donate more or wield more power than the military-industrial complex. And what's good for the weapons manufacturers may not be good for human rights, but it sure is good for Big Oil and Wall Street.
People wonder why minorities and the young are moving towards Trump.
The answer is that they aren't exactly. They are just starting to suspect the enemy of their enemy might not be their friend exactly, but may be the key to getting the Wall Street parasites' collective grip off their neck.
It's hard to convincingly say that Trump is an existential threat to Democracy when:
1) they voted to increase Trump's military budget every single year.
2) the Democrats are now conducting a full court press to abrogate free speech and make sure that you don't read anything the Ivy League thinks in appropriate or un-American.
When both parties hate the middle class, who do you vote for?
You vote for RFK Jr.
I’m a native Pennsylvanian who’s donated to Fetterman’s campaigns in the past. I responded to the last fundraising text I got from him with “Free Palestine.” I haven’t heard from him since.
Meaning of words shift too. 2020 Bernie sounded a lot different than 2016 Bernie but they were both supposedly "progressive."
Bernie seemed to run as a progressive populist in 2016, getting the vast majority of rural, and even ''conservative'' voters in the primary. In 2020, he leaned heavily into the 'Woke', racial politics stuff, and went even harder on green politics. It's so odd. I wish the Progressive movement today looked more like his 2016 coalition.
Me too
I rejoice at the stroke he had, and pray another one strikes this disgusting child killer.
I’m a PA independent (after 30 years as a Dem). I didn’t vote for Fetterman because of his belief that humans can be born in the wrong body and any man can say he’s a woman & play women’s sports, go to a female homeless shelter, be housed in a female prison. I hope his moderation will include re-thinking these issues, he could earn my vote.
Nice to see you have your eye on the important things.
Totally more important than income inequality, climate change, the destruction of social mobility, the destruction of the middle class, the hemorrhaging of the money into ill-advised (but very profitable in the short term) military adventures which pour weapons and training into the people we'll be fighting in a decade.
Unlike these things, which actually effect your life and the lives of every American (and most of the world), I'm glad to know that your number one issue is identity politics.
Pretty standard flex - “progressive” on the way up but not after arrival.
Fascinating topic