Fetterman signals he’d consider quitting Democratic Party over majority leader pick
www.independent.co.uk
Fetterman also warned his party not to turn the next two years ‘into a circus of constant hearings’ about getting ‘payback’ on the Trump administration

Fetterman also warned his party not to turn the next two years ‘into a circus of constant hearings’ about getting ‘payback’ on the Trump administration

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman signaled that he would consider quitting the Democratic Party if the caucus elected Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen as majority leader, citing disagreements over U.S. policy toward Israel.

Fetterman was asked Saturday on Fox News whether there was a “red line” that would prompt him to walk away from his party if it moved further to the left.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Fetterman said in a clip highlighted on X by journalist Aaron Rupar. “It would be troubling if my caucus elects someone like Van Hollen that has really made his name being very anti-hostile to Israel, you know. If you are going to be angry or hostile towards any countries in the region, why not make that, you know, Iran or Hezbollah or Hamas as well too?”

  • lennybird@lemmy.worldEnglish
    103·
    3 hours ago

    This is EXACTLY why Schumer must go.

    If Fetterman is backing him, that’s all we need to know of his true colors.

    Highly encourage everyone to tie Schumer to Fetterman at every turn.

    Van Hollen for Senate Majority Leader!

  • JasonDJ@lemmy.zipEnglish
    1·
    5 minutes ago

    That’s great, John. There’s something I’ve been meaning to show you…

    I was looking for meme-y pictures of doors, but then I noticed Jim’s “I’m gonna fucking kill you” eyes, and I had to go with that.

  • rafoix@lemmy.zip
    51·
    3 hours ago

    Nobody cares. Democrats have a sold majority.

    He was hoping for a 51/49 senate to stay relevant.

    • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      1 hour ago

      It’s a real shame since he could have been a refreshing change for the Democrats - at first he seemed genuine, authentic, rather working class kind of aesthetic, etc. Not someone in his 80s, either, not that I care all that much about that, but at least I thought he would be around a while.

      Then he has a stroke and turns more conservative. Lots of people saying (now) that he was always like that, but his own wife does not seem to agree…

      Oh well, if he doesn’t switch to R, I hope they primary him with someone way better. If he switches, I hope the Democratic choice destroys him next election.

      • Nonstop Nut November@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        57 minutes ago

        Strokes do end up heightening the worst of a person’s personality since their cognitive faculties are no longer at the point of enforcing a filter. I’m not sure if strokes cause a person’s core beliefs to do a complete 180.

        • ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          6 minutes ago

          They can, but probably not as a political exercise. I’m not a doctor but I am older and I’ve seen my share, even one guy I knew where it did actually change him from a total asshole into a gentle birdwatcher type. It was like the stroke turned him into a Stepford Wife, and I’m not exaggerating. But that’s the point: it changed his observable mood, not necessarily his thoughts or beliefs. So we saw it in his demeanor and outlook, not necessarily in complex views he’d acquired over time.

          I’m not familiar with the details of Fetterman’s stroke story, but speaking for myself I’d want to know what he was like prior, how he was to be around as a general rule, and whether more basic cognitive skills – speech, basic math, being able to perform a complex task like cooking food – also took a hit before I gave any credence to a stroke as exculpatory coincidence. I’m sure it could turn him authoritarian, but at the very least I think there would be a period of disconnect between old beliefs and new “law and order” demeanor.

          TL;DR: I could be wrong, but if a stroke is severe enough to turn you into a fascist overnight, and stranger things have happened, it’s also probably not going to leave the rest of your faculties alone, IMO.