He Loves Us, He Loves Us Not: What Are We to Make of John Fetterman?

One of the strangest political stories of recent times has got to be the rise of Senator John Fetterman (D-PA). He first burst onto the national scene back in 2022 when he became the Democrat Party's nominee to take on Republican Mehmet Oz for the Pennsylvania Senate seat left open by Republican Pat Toomey's retirement.

Fetterman, the sitting lieutenant governor at the time, suffered a serious stroke during the campaign, calling into question his fitness to serve in the U.S. Senate were he to win. Oz, who is now President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, was a terrible candidate, and the blue-collar vote broke for Fetterman, who ultimately won by nearly +5%.

To say John Fetterman is an enigma is an understatement. Once he took office, he was criticized, and rightfully so, for his choice of clothing, the vague addressing of his health issues, his somewhat crude manner while in the Senate chamber, and his bad takes on Bidenflation.

After Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, however, a different John Fetterman began to emerge, one that didn't always march in lockstep with his party. Here's what I wrote last year after Fetterman outed himself as a staunch supporter of Israel:

It's not often that Sen. John Fetterman is praised on these pages for his political clarity, but credit where it is due: He's become the moral backbone of the Democrat Party when it comes to Israel. And it seems to be ticking off all the right people, so that makes it even better.

While many in his party sided with the terrorists, Fetterman posted posters of the Israeli hostages outside his Senate office, met with the families of the hostages, and called out pro-Hamas mobs who marched across college campuses with hateful, antisemitic rhetoric.

There is no doubt that John Fetterman is a friend to Israel. He's also willing to mock the sillier parts of his party and deride the left for its soft-on-crime stances. He outwardly supported the Harris-Walz ticket, but his face told another story.

Some have called him "based," and his recent moves certainly seem to indicate that he's taking an open-minded approach to confirming Donald Trump's nominees.

Thank you @JohnFetterman for your fairness, courage & hospitality. I appreciate our time together — and your commitment to the troops, American defense & our ally Israel.

And, from a Vikings fan…go Steelers. pic.twitter.com/a1evshskbL
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 12, 2024

I'll admit that, after years of the radical left seemingly pushing forward their agenda unchecked, it's gratifying to see at least one Democrat having moments of clarity. Let's face it, two years ago none of us thought that person would be John Fetterman.

But, then something like this happens and I'm snapped back to reality.

He's not at all "based." He may have moments when he appears to have conservative tendencies, but when it comes to many issues important to the right, with social issues being chief among them, John Fetterman is a leftist.

In the past few weeks that the Senate has been back in session, post-election, Fetterman has voted to hand a slew of activist judges lifetime appointments to the federal bench. His own campaign website shows he is as radical as it comes on the matter of abortion. He is a big fan of unions, including public sector unions, and while he's not an open-borders guy, he isn't likely to support mass deportations. And he, a father of three, demonstrably supports the castration of children, which calls into question his judgment on just about any topic.

He may be cozying up to MAGA right now, but he is, in reality, a left-leaning Democrat who will likely be a roadblock during President Trump's new administration. While he may occasionally spit out some truths, let's not for a second think John Fetterman is one of us.