The Pennsylvania US Senate debate is over. Democratic candidate John Fetterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz faced off for their one and only showdown in a race that could help determine who controls the upper chamber in the next session of Congress. The 2022 midterms are just days away. And if voters in the Keystone State were on the fence regarding Fetterman’s health—last night answered those questions. Spencer had the rundown, but it was a trainwreck for Fetterman, who struggled consistently to string cogent thoughts and sentences together.
Two of the most damning portions of the debate were Fetterman’s inability to pivot from his past anti-fracking remarks and refusing to apologize for running down an unarmed black man with a shotgun when he was mayor of Braddock. As Oz aptly noted, Fetterman has yet to apologize for the incident, chalking it up to some weird interpretation of his duties as mayor. For those of you who watched, the mayor of Braddock is not a law enforcement official, which Fetterman offered as his excuse. He was doing his job.
The Democratic lieutenant governor also refused to release his health records, saying his doctor’s note was sufficient evidence showing he was healthy. The irony is that in delivering that line, it tossed that note—and the narrative—into the toilet. A lot of us knew this trainwreck was coming—and an NBC reporter, Dasha Burns, was the one who told the truth following her interview with Mr. Fetterman (via AP):
An NBC News correspondent who interviewed Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman says an on-air remark she made about him having difficulty following part of their conversation should not be seen as a commentary on his fitness for office after he suffered a stroke.
But reporter Dasha Burns’ comment that Fetterman appeared to have trouble understanding small talk prior to their interview has attracted attention — and Republicans have retweeted it as they seek an advantage in the closely followed Senate race between Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz.
Fetterman, a Democrat, suffered a stroke on May 13, and his health has emerged as a major issue in the campaign.
Burns’ …interview with Fetterman… was his first on-camera interview since his stroke. He used a closed-captioning device that printed text of Burns’ questions on a computer screen in front of him.
Fetterman appeared to have little trouble answering the questions after he read them, although NBC showed him fumbling for the word “empathetic.” Burns said that when the captioning device was off, “it wasn’t clear he was understanding our conversation.”
“This is just nonsense,” business reporter and podcaster Kara Swisher, who had a stroke herself in 2011, said on Twitter. “Maybe this reporter is just bad at small talk.”
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Chris Cuomo: "Is [John Fetterman's} brain function in tact?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 26, 2022
Neurologist: "It's hard to say..." pic.twitter.com/NF62GEYlaV
OOF:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 26, 2022
"We said this would be unlike any debate you have ever seen, and we perhaps understated just how different this would be. Clearly, the biggest issue was John Fetterman's health and his ability both to comprehend speech and then to speak coherently on the issues of the day." pic.twitter.com/s6PqB7PQNo
FETTERMAN: "We need to make sure that Dr. Oz and the Republicans believe in cutting Medicare and social security...I would support and stand and to support security—social security." pic.twitter.com/jApE5MpnTo
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 26, 2022
OZ: "Why haven't you apologized to that unarmed, innocent black man, who you put a shotgun to his chest?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 26, 2022
FETTERMAN: "I made the opportunity to defend our community as the chief law enforcement officer there." pic.twitter.com/5BBEGW2WPH
Unbelievably, moments after being read his own quote saying "I don't support fracking at all," John Fetterman says "I've always supported fracking." pic.twitter.com/OglPqOuKAd
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 26, 2022
Simply unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/lcWvIgD9m0
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 26, 2022
When asked to explain why he won't release his medical records, Fetterman points to the doctor who "cleared" him as "fit to serve."
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 26, 2022
The doctor that signed his doctor's note is a donor to Fetterman's campaign. pic.twitter.com/3u6scM3AVQ
Lol John Fetterman just defended putting gun to black jogger by labeling himself the “chief law enforcement officer” of Braddock. Is that really a mayoral role? Commander in chief of the Braddock police force?
— Brent Scher (@BrentScher) October 26, 2022
Burns’ remarks led to a total excoriation by her colleagues—Gisele Fetterman demanded an apology for her ableist insinuations. There was then a flurry of stories about how closed captioning isn’t a litmus test on intelligence. No one was saying that it was—what was a concern was whether Fetterman was healthy enough to serve. Did he have the cognitive function to serve as a United States Senator? Last night answered that question decisively.
Absolutely not.
Ms. Burns deserves an apology.
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