Analysis

Corporate Media Narrative Destroyed As John Fetterman Shows He’s Just Regular Guy

ANALYSIS
GettyImages-1251924100

(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Gage Klipper Commentary & Analysis Writer
Font Size:

Once a darling of the left and boogeyman for the right, Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman failed to live up to the narrative both sides created for him. In doing so, he’s shown it doesn’t take much to succeed in politics. All you have to do is be a relatively normal guy.

A recent Quinnipiac poll showed that Fetterman is wildly popular among Pennsylvania Democrats, with a favorability margin of 76% to 7%. But after a high profile string of decidedly un-woke pronouncements, this perception isn’t due to him being a fanatical progressive. Rather, Democrats are more likely to support him for spouting common sense.

Right off the bat, conservative media zeroed in on Fetterman. In our defense, he was a pretty easy — and legitimate — target. He cosplayed as working class in oversized shorts and hoodies, despite attending Harvard and having his less-than-impressive career subsidized by his wealthy family. It made — and continues to make — a mockery of not just professional standards, but the people he claims to represent. “Look how relatable I am,” his outfits scream, “I’m just as unsophisticated as you rubes.” Yet any working man — even the biggest ultra-MAGA patriot — would still have the basic social aptitude and sense of respect to put on a damn suit if he was going to meet the president.

Not to mention Fetterman looks like Shrek on steroids, so the memes really made themselves.

Then came the stroke. Although he was largely hidden from the public, it’s safe to assume he was completely debilitated. When he finally re-emerged, the signs were all there that he had not yet fully recovered. In a sane world, he would have stepped down; he had no business running for the Senate — let alone serving. This would have earned him both sympathy and respect across the political spectrum. (RELATED: GOP Senate Candidate Says He And Fetterman Could Be ‘Good Allies’: REPORT)

Alas, he didn’t. The Democratic Party, like the bootleg-Soviet wannabe that it is, can never admit fallibility. No, Fetterman was Very Qualified™. He’s the perfect candidate. If you thought otherwise, well, that’s because you’re “ableist.” Fetterman was a brave hero, doing his part to build a more inclusive society; stroke victims everywhere will see him and think, “Maybe I can be a Senator, too.” Representation matters. For her part, his wife Giselle, who by every measure seems like a vicious ideologue and overall harpy, reveled in soaking up the spotlight and speaking for her convalescent husband.

The duo became an SNL skit of themselves, and no conservative commentator could pass that up.

This turned into a vicious cycle. The more Democrats inexplicably defended him, the more Republicans rightfully attacked him. The more Republicans attacked him, the more fiercely Democrats defended him. Such is the world we live in.

Although Fetterman seemed fairly progressive, his record as a small town mayor did not leave all that much to go on. Both sides just assumed his policies fit the caricatures they built for him. The left made the typically safe assumption that once in office, the Party would easily bend him to its will. This is routine for Democrats who can still string a sentence together; what chance did Fetterman have? The right, meanwhile, assumed that he must be an open borders, pro-terrorist, woke nut job if the left loves him so much.

So for the right, the take away was always this: it doesn’t make much to succeed in politics. You can be a literal vegetable, and the Democratic propaganda machine will still wheel you to victory. This is true, but only half the story.

Over the past several weeks, Fetterman has made it clear he isn’t as nuts as conservatives feared. He came out unapologetically in support of Israel and refused to accept the progressive equivocation between the Hamas terrorist attack and Israel’s response. He’s even taken shots at members of his own party over their “truly disturbing” stances and called out left-wing protesters for their “rank antisemitism.”

He also comes off as a border hawk, breaking with the party line. “You essentially have Pittsburgh showing up there at the border,” he told Politico of the border crisis. “It isn’t xenophobic to be concerned about the border,” he told his fellow Democrats.

With a deeper dive into the Quinnipiac poll, it’s clear these positions play well with Pennsylvania Democrats. Over one-third said his position on the border made them view him more favorably, while only 9% said it made them view him less favorably. A quarter said his support for Israel made them view him more favorably, while only 14% said it made them view him less favorably. (RELATED: John Fetterman To James Carville: ‘Shut The F*ck Up’)

These aren’t huge numbers — and the Democratic party certainly has a radicalism problem — but it’s still a win for sanity. The majority that said these issues don’t change their view of him either way at least signals that most normal people aren’t outraged over common sense policies as progressives would have you believe. Those people can still be swayed if they are effectively engaged. The Democratic machine can get anyone elected through fear and lies, but it takes some basic sanity to maintain broad popularity.

This isn’t a call for Republicans to moderate and compromise with the far-left. No, it’s a reminder for Republicans to stay the course — to not concede — because the silent majority is on their side. All it will take is some better communication.