used to be known, sadly, as the guy who had the stroke.
And maybe the man who always wore the hoodie.
That has dramatically changed.
Now the senator has alienated much of his own Democratic Party with an independent streak that often finds him siding with the .
Now hes become Joe Manchin, who drove the Biden people crazy by resisting many of their liberal initiatives.
But Id go further than that. I think hes become more like the late John McCain â without the POW part, of course â as a maverick who seems to delight in breaking with party orthodoxy. The Republican McCain, youll recall, was a champion of campaign finance reform with an actual Democrat in Russ Feingold.
Is Fetterman paying a price? Oh, yeah.
Fettermans popularity has taken a beating. In 2023, he was at plus 68 points. Now hes at negative 40 points. That is a 108-point swing, absolutely stunning.
Now some Democrats are openly talking about a primary challenge against Fetterman in 2028, assuming he runs again.
In an appearance on Fox News, Fetterman explained his latest transgression: voting to confirm President Trump’s pick, Markwayne Mullin, as Homeland Security secretary, and proved to be the deciding vote in getting his nomination out of committee. Mullin was just confirmed.
“I believe in a very secure border,” Fetterman told Lara Trump. “We also agreed that we should deport all of the criminals. My friend Markwayne and I, we agree on thatâ¦
“I know Im going to take a lot of Democratic blowback, which is strange to me, because there wasnt really a lot of Democratic outrage when 300,000 people were encountered at our border during the prior administration. I wasâ¦We might be in the same Democratic Party, but clearly they didnt have a problem with that open-border situation.”
He added: “That may isolate me with some people in my party. But thats not country over party.”
Country over party? Does the concept even exist anymore in this hyperpolarized age? That sentiment used to be admired. Now, not so much.
Lets face it, Democrats would have voted against any DHS nominee this side of Bernie Sanders simply because that person was picked by Trump.
In the same vein, Fetterman has largely supported the presidents war against Iran, the worlds leading terror state since 1979, again breaking with and the party line, which is that the attack can only be criticized.Â
On X, Fetterman alluded to the fact that he had urged President Trump to fire Kristi Noem.
Hes also said that his party is motivated by Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS).
James Carville, who admits to suffering from TDS and has attacked Trump in obscenity-filled tirades, has also been ripping Fetterman.
“Can I say a public prayer?” Carville said on a podcast. “John Fetterman, whatever you do, keep your position. Dont change. We dont want you. Stay right where you are. Because youve been wrong about every (expletive) thing that youve ever said, and we dont want you to break your streak.”
Fetterman responded to Carville in his Fox News interview: “Jim has been struggling for relevance for the last 30 years now. Im proud to be on the right side of Epic Fury. Im proud to be on the right side about staying in with Israelâ¦Â
“He acknowledged that [hes] blinded by TDS. Im a guy that actually represents Pennsylvania. Im not an angry weird guy online. You know, to represent a state like Pennsylvania that keeps you honest, and Im the only one this cycle that flipped a seat as well.”
Fetterman is drawing plenty of critical press. The Guardian reports that his vote for Mullin “prompted US House member Brendan Boyle, another Pennsylvania Democrat, to say th
