Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman’s persistent lead in the polls over his Republican rival, the Trump-backed Dr. Mehmet Oz, boggles the mind. The two are vying for the open seat currently occupied by Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who is retiring. Democrats consider this contest their best chance to pick up a Senate seat in November. Although the race has tightened in recent weeks, the RealClearPolitics average of polls still shows Fetterman with a 6.5% advantage.
One of Fetterman’s top priorities is delivering so-called criminal justice reform. During a 2020 interview, journalist Jason Flom asked him, “If you had a magic wand and you could wave it and fix one thing, what would it be?”
Without missing a beat, he replied, “Life without parole in Pennsylvania. We could save billions in revenue long term. We could save thousands of lives and not make anyone less safe. And also expunge as many permanent records of people that have been living their best lives and have been paying well beyond when they should have for a charge that they caught, you know, 10, 15, 20 years ago.”
Fixing “life without parole in Pennsylvania” was more important to this man than, say, job creation, access to quality healthcare for all, or making our streets safer. Considering Fetterman supports the immediate release of one-third of all prison inmates in the state, this shouldn’t surprise us.
But perhaps the most disturbing part of Fetterman’s biography is his utter failure of leadership during his tenure as the mayor of Braddock from 2006 to 2019.
Braddock, a borough located in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, had a population of 1,721 at the time of the 2020 census. After losing 26% of its population in the 2000s, Braddock lost an additional 20.3% over the next decade. It would be naive to think Fetterman’s progressive policies, which are to the left of even Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), had nothing to do with the town’s decline.
Fetterman moved to Braddock in 2005 and ran for mayor the following year as a “blue-collar populist.” People loved this 35-year-old man who had never worked a real job in his life and was still living off the generosity of his family. Fetterman narrowly won the race and got to work implementing his agenda.
Climate change was the centerpiece of his administration. He imposed carbon caps on local businesses, claiming that it would somehow bring manufacturing jobs to Braddock. He coined the slogan “Carbon caps equal hard hats.” How clever.
So, how did it all work out? It worked out great for Fetterman, who went on to become the Keystone State’s lieutenant governor in 2019. Braddock, however, didn’t fare quite as well.
As previously mentioned, the exodus from the borough has continued at an alarming rate. Median annual income stands at $18,000, leaving over one-third of residents below the poverty level. Braddock also has one of the highest crime rates in the state. Its per capita murder rate in 2018 was higher than that of some of the world’s most dangerous countries.
And Fetterman now hopes to take this agenda to the U.S. Senate.
Following a three-month stroke-induced hiatus, Fetterman returned to the campaign trail last month. Every single one of his public events and addresses since has served as proof that he is still suffering from physical and mental impairment as a result of his stroke.
In a clip from an August speech, Fetterman speaks in two-word phrases and, at times, appears to have difficulty recalling words. Compare this speech to one he made in February before his stroke: He speaks fluidly and without a problem.
It should come as no surprise, then, that Fetterman has tried to keep his public appearances and comments to a minimum. (He did, however, take the time to hold an abortion rally on Sunday with Alexis McGill Johnson, the president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and an avowed “defund the police” activist.) Meanwhile, he’s dismissed concerns about his health and dodged Oz’s calls for a debate. Only after being backed into a corner did he finally agree last week to a debate in mid-to-late October, but he still refuses to commit to a specific date. Considering that early voting in the state begins on Sep. 19, many will cast a ballot without having seen the debate — if it even happens.
Pennsylvanians have an important choice to make. Republicans have been slow to warm up to Oz, understandably so. But the alternative is a cognitively impaired radical who would do to the country what he did to the small town of Braddock: destroy it.
Elizabeth Stauffer is a contributor to the Washington Examiner and the Western Journal. Her articles have appeared on many websites, including MSN, RedState, Newsmax, the Federalist, and RealClearPolitics. Follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn.
