As you know, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) stood in solidarity with Israel after the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7. This normally wouldn't be such a remarkable thing — Republicans, for example, have been steadfast in their support of Israel — but for the fact that, despite an initial wave of support for Israel, Democrats have quickly revealed their sympathy for Hamas and Palestinians. The mainstream media took the side of Hamas and the Palestinians — so much so that even leftist comedian Bill Maher dubbed them the "pro-Hamas" media. Even Joe Biden, who initially expressed unwavering solidarity with Israel, has seemingly turned on them, pushing for ceasefires and being extremely critical of the way Israel is conducting its war on Hamas. Criticism is one thing, but Biden has actually undermined Israel's efforts and tried to remotely dictate how they conduct the war. All this likely happened when polling showed a double-digit dive in Biden's approval ratings from within his own party over his public support for Israel.
Despite the growing anti-Israel sentiment within the Democratic Party, Fetterman maintained steadfast support for Israel. Although such a stance might be unremarkable for a Republican, in today's climate, Fetterman's unwavering support offers a refreshing contrast to a party grappling with anti-Semitism and, curiously, makes him sound more like a Republican — a moderate one, anyway.
And yet, this is not the only issue that separates Fetterman from the rest of his party, either. After Sen. Bob Menendez was indicted on federal bribery charges, Fetterman called for Menendez to resign, while others, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, insisted that Menendez was entitled to the presumption of innocence. Menendez does have the presumption of innocence, but curiously, Rep. George Sanos was not afforded the presumption of innocence when he was expelled from the House on Friday.
And would you believe it? Fetterman called out the blatant double standard during an interview on "The View."
When asked by Joy Behar for his reaction to Santos's expulsion from the House, Fetterman replied,
"Well, it's like, I'm not surprised. But, but to me, I think the more important picture is that we have a colleague in the Senate that actually did much more sinister... and serious kinds of things. Senator Menendez, he needs to go. And if you are going to expel Santos, how can you allow to somebody like Menendez to remain in the Senate?"
Fetterman continued, "And you know, Santos is kind of lies, were almost, you know, funny. Like, you know, he landed on the moon and that kind of stuff. Whereas, whereas, you know, I think you know, Menendez I think is really a Senator for Egypt. You know, not New Jersey. So I really think he needs to go. And especially, it's kind of strange that if Santos is not allowed to remain in the House — you know, someone like that...."
While it's clear that Fetterman still clearly struggling with communication issues from his stroke, there's no denying that he acknowledges the double standard and hypocrisy.
I don't have any love for Fetterman, but I can appreciate his stance on these two issues—especially considering the backlash he's gotten from them. No, I don't think his stroke turned him into a moderate Republican, but he has outed himself as a Democrat who can actually get something right once in a while.
