The “Ableist” Delusion And The Downfall Of John Fetterman

Submitted by QTR’s Fringe Finance

The worst part about what happened to Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman two nights ago publicly at his debate versus Dr. Oz is that it could have, and should have, been completely avoided.

And the purpose of this post is in no way to rag on Fetterman, but rather to bring up the question of how anybody could have let what transpired Tuesday night happen in the first place.

For the very few who don’t know yet, Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman took on Republican Senate candidate Dr. Oz in a public debate on Tuesday night.

Fetterman, who has been recovering from a stroke that he had about six months ago, had extraordinary difficulties speaking cohesively as a result of lingering trauma from his medical episode.

Having a stroke is nobody’s fault. Everybody reading this has had a medical episode of their own, or has had a family member go through an involuntary medical episode. It is not a choice, it is burdensome on family and friends and traumatic for everyone involved.

For those reasons, I offer deep sympathy and support for Fetterman and his family.

But the debate that took place on Tuesday has become an unfortunate talking point for Fetterman – one he likely isn’t going to be able to shake in the two weeks leading up to election day. Anyone who watched his performance, regardless of what political aisle they identify with, had to ask themselves serious questions about whether or not Fetterman is truly fit to be a United States Senator.

The main retort to Fetterman’s performance from the left has been the idea that people who are criticizing him for his auditory and speech disabilities are wrongfully juxtaposing these with cognitive disabilities and, are therefore, “ableist”.

Here’s a smattering of what that spin on the subject has looked like when handed down by the mainstream media:

In other words, the left is making the case that anyone who criticizes or asks critical questions about Fetterman’s state of mind are prejudicial towards him in a way that he doesn’t deserve.

They argue he can still function cognitively, but he just can’t communicate well.

To which I reply: how the hell are we supposed to know that?

Because while Fetterman supposedly got a letter from a doctor giving him the “all clear for full duty” to work in office, on Tuesday he avoided the request of releasing his full medical records surrounding his stroke.

And so, without “the science” there to confirm his state of mind, the entire situation has now become a classic case of: “Who are you going to believe: the Democratic identity politics talking point, or your own lying eyes and ears?”

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Without releasing his full medical records, everyone is simply left to wonder whether or not Fetterman is just communicatively “disabled” or whether he is truly cognitively impaired.

If he is impaired cognitively, then it is no way a question of being “ableist” – it’s simply a case of wanting somebody in office who can process the complexities necessary to be a U.S. Senator. Without confirmation that all of Fetterman’s mental faculties are in tact, it’s a completely justified question to ask, regardless of how much the left crows about how bigoted it is.

Which brings me to my next point: the true travesty of the situation isn’t just that Mr. Fetterman is being told by those around him to forge forward – something that I commend him on personally for having the courage to do – but that those supporting him could have a clear conscience after having the nerve to turn the issue into one of discrimination when everyday people ask honest questions about Fetterman’s condition.

To some degree, it’s par for the course for the left, who has seemingly made everything about identity politics over the last decade. I almost can’t even blame the base for that; it’s ingrained in them. But what I can take exception with is the fact that no one had the same nerve to step in and level with Fetterman or his family that he obviously may not be the best candidate for the job.

After Tuesday’s debates, Fetterman’s odds in the polls sharply decreased – the free market consequence of poor political strategy focused only on trying to retain power at all costs.

And I must say, for a group of virtue signaling enthusiasts who claim to care deeply about human rights and mental health, I can’t think of a move any more at odds with that supposed platform then subjecting John Fetterman to a public debate the way the party did on Tuesday.

On top of that, numerous members of the media have been running interference for Fetterman for the better part of the last five months. Several mainstream media reporters, like Kara Swisher, have chimed in, claiming that Fetterman is recovering well and hasn’t had any issues communicating. Worse, Swisher stepped in to do damage control when other members of the media, like Dasha Burns, had the true courage to point out what were likely very inconvenient facts for her employer’s political affiliation:

Dasha Burns of NBC News spoke to Mr Fetterman and said that “because of his stroke” the Democrat’s “campaign required closed captioning technology for this interview to essentially read our questions as we asked them. And … in small talk before the interview without captioning, it wasn’t clear he was understanding our conversation”.

Swisher responded to this truth by blaming the reporter.

“Sorry to say but I talked to [Fetterman] for over an hour without stop or any aides and this is just nonsense. Maybe this reporter is just bad at small talk,” Swisher wrote on Twitter.

Everybody on both sides of the political aisle on Tuesday saw with their own eyes and ears who, between Burns and Swisher, was really delivering “fake news”.

The Democrats are now stuck in a mess of their own making and the senseless part of the entire episode is that it was completely avoidable.

While praising Fetterman for his bravery to debate in the midst of his recovery, something I applaud him for, it’s starkly clear that no one else in the party showed such heroism – because the truly fearless course of action would have been telling Fetterman months ago, as almost anybody here would with their own family members, that his focus should be on his recovery and he’s likely not a great candidate to be running for United States Senate.

I don’t agree with John Fetterman’s policy stance on much, but I’m sure he’s a decent enough human being simply trying to do his best. I wish him well personally, and give him credit for his aggressive campaigning and traveling. To that degree, the fight in the candidate has surprised me. But the actions of his power-hungry party that allowed Tuesday night to happen, unfortunately, didn’t surprise me at all.

And so not only did the Democrats sully their own party’s name, they likely brought down the future of one hard-working “everyman” they claim to represent in the process.

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