Fetterman V Oz: A Symbol of The Times
As the PA Senate seat race tightens, I ask how we continuously find ourselves with unfit candidates.
Tuesday, October 25th, marked the first and only debate between former lieutenant governor John Fetterman and celebrity TV doctor Dr. Mehmet Oz. This race has been a rollercoaster from the very start; Trump-backed candidate Oz delivered a surprise upset over Republican establishment favorite CEO David McCormick in the Republican primary. The Republican establishment led by minority leader Mitch McConnell is no fan of Oz, who they see (correctly) as a weak candidate, not from or closely tied to the state he seeks to represent. Like Trump, Oz has no political experience, further illustrated by his largely naive and unpolished answers on topics like crime and abortion. Oz, born in Cleveland, Ohio, resides primarily in New Jersey.
Fetterman’s primary was also contested; like Oz, he was no establishment favorite. The Democratic primary in Pennsylvania saw him beat establishment favorite Connor Lamb, the more moderate candidate. Fetterman’s support for Bernie Sanders and progressive policies like universal healthcare secured his grassroots support. Unfortunately, just days before winning the primary, Fetterman suffered a near-fatal stroke, which hindered his work on the campaign trail for much of the race and severely impacted his auditory processing capacity. Fetterman’s stroke became a significant boon for Oz, shifting the conversation away from his obvious carpetbagging to questions about Fetterman’s health.
Fetterman’s stroke transformed his campaign into a “work from home” strategy. Fetterman’s Twitter account almost always posts memes and attacks Oz as a carpetbagger, only in it for power (an example below). This unique strategy achieved surprising results as Fetterman commanded a frankly incredible lead in polls for most of the race, sometimes beating Oz by as much as 15%. Although Fetterman’s attacks are not rooted in the progressive policies that won him the primary, the tactic maintained headlines to secure his ongoing leadership position.
Pennsylvanians will vote for a candidate with questionable medical history (Fetterman won’t release his medical records) and a celebrity TV host who spreads misinformation (seeing any similarities to 2020?). As tends to happen when elections get closer, the polling gap between the two candidates tightened, with most polls now falling within the margin of error. The senate race for Pennsylvania could determine the senate majority for the next two years and will impact the 2024 election. Suppose Republicans win Pennsylvania and take back the majority. In that case, Biden’s agenda for the next two years is essentially dead, and a lack of policy achievements will hurt his potential re-election chances.
The biggest loser in this situation is the voters of Pennsylvania, who are forced to choose between two candidates that demonstrate they are ill-equipped to manage the challenges of senatorial obligations. Fetterman’s health is a huge question mark, and his unwillingness to release his medical records points to more problems behind the scenes of which voters are unaware. Health problems have become an increasingly disruptive variable in elections as older generations refuse to give up their reigns on power; they would rather be less effective in their role than give up the power. Senator Dianne Feinstein from California is 89 years old; she has held her seat since 1992 despite many reports her cognitive health is decaying. We can see below the worrying reality that our government is nearly devoid of the generations that will live with the policies that older generations institute.
Just as I believed that questions around Joe Biden’s health were valid during the 2020 election, I think that questions around Fetterman’s health are valid; he should put out his medical records so voters truly know who might represent them for the next six years. This point is also overwhelmingly valid for the presidency, which seems to be an office that somehow grows older with every new election. The number of older people in office is guaranteed to bring many health problems. While Fetterman is a young person for whom I have sympathy, the amount of extremely vulnerable or already compromised government officials with health conditions is a massive danger to our country.
Mehemet Oz is likely a worse option than Fetterman, just on the basis that he lacks any government and policy experience. We saw the disastrous consequences of inexperience throughout the Trump administration. Trump’s attempted “Muslim Ban,” rolled out via executive order unannounced previously, caused chaos at airports all over the country and left people stranded in the United States and other countries. The consequences of this are long-lasting, even though Biden rescinded the former president’s ban, many families remained stuck in the backlog created. Government office is not built for everyone. While being famous is helpful in getting elected, it does not contribute to performance once in office. It can often have the opposite effect. The powerful, famous people that are so used to being surrounded by “yes men” and having comprehensive power over an operation must now contend with public opinion and a government body much larger than they are. The intricacies of creating and passing laws are not learned overnight, leaving these officials open to the whims of more informed leaders as they “go with the flow” of their party leadership instead of advocating for the voters that elected them.
Unfortunately, it looks like our TV star government officials are not going anywhere. As the trend appears, any famous person with a pulse thinks they can be an effective government official. The same can be said for clearly unhealthy and old candidates running and remaining in office, as they appear to be more than content running for office indefinitely. Whoever wins in Pennsylvania knows this; we can and should be doing better.
TLDR The Pennsylvania Senate race that can determine senate control feels like the same old song and dance between unprepared candidates. The problems plaguing these candidates are widespread in government and hurt our democracy.