John Fetterman gave his first televised interview to MSNBC on Wednesday since suffering a stroke on May 13. Everyone expected him to answer the one question now hounding his campaign: When will he debate Dr. Mehmet Oz, his Republican opponent for this midterm’s Pennsylvania Senate seat?
But, instead of answering it, Fetterman played the victim card. Because here is the glib theme and tone he maintained throughout the interview while doggedly dodging that question:
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Desperation is the worst cologne and they understand that Dr. Oz’s campaign is in shambles, whether you look at the polls, you look at the fundraising. You know, they’ve just figured out that, you know, let’s appeal to folks that get their jollies making fun of the stroke dude.
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How could Oz be so dumb?
Even so, I have a question that should hound Oz even more: How could a brainy cardiothoracic surgeon like him be dumb as to give Fetterman this opportunity to call his bluff?
After all, they are entering the final, do-or-die months of their Pennsylvania (swing-state) Senate campaign. And this doctor is spending most of his time taking cheap shots at this stroke patient for political gain. This, among other things, by insinuating that Fetterman has only himself to blame for never eating a single piece of vegetable a single day in his life.
It’s bad enough that Oz is making a mockery of his Hippocratic oath. But it’s actually a testament to Fetterman’s remarkable health that he had already recovered sufficiently enough from his stroke to return to the campaign trail on August 12.
Recovering Fetterman still smarter than healthy Trump
Naturally, he’s still dealing with the “lingering impacts of the auditory processing,” which not just stroke victims but all their family and friends can relate to. But there’s the catch!
I have listened as Fetterman apparently lost his train of thought or stumbled over an occasional word. But, truth be told, he still sounded more coherent than Donald Trump did in any of the debates he had with Joe Biden during the 2016 presidential campaign.
More to the point, Fetterman has nothing to lose by getting on stage in recovery mode and debating a doctor who has mocked his stroke with such Trumpian cruelty. After all, he can blame all mistakes on his recovery…
But, trust me, nobody will care about his lapses. They will be too rapt anticipating and then reveling in the (well-rehearsed) zingers Fetterman is famous for. And with each one he lands, Oz will be left looking like a bigger jerk than he already does, if that’s even possible.
And that will be all she wrote! Because even Oz will be too ashamed to even set foot on a debate stage for the remainder of their campaign…