We’ve all been a bit surprised by Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) lately. In recent months, he's positioned himself apart from many of his Democrat colleagues. Despite being a leftist, he rejects the "woke" label and, since the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, has shown strong and unwavering support for Israel, standing firmer than many Jewish Democrats like Chuck Schumer.
It’s been more than that, though. Fetterman has also been a vocal critic of the border crisis, advocating for border security and urging his party to engage in discussions about it. He stated last year, “I hope Democrats can understand that it isn’t xenophobic to be concerned about the border. It’s a reasonable conversation, and Democrats should engage.”
Fetterman has also been adamant that embattled Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) should resign. Has any other Democrat been willing to say that?
Now, Fetterman says he no longer identifies as a progressive, considering them too radical.
"I'm not a progressive, I just identified myself as a regular Democrat,” Fetterman told CNN's Dana Bash. "Now, eight years ago, I was a progressive, but the situation's changed and I‘ve been very clear that I didn‘t leave that label. That label leaved [left] me and I think it’s much more important to be focusing on Donald Trump instead of those kinds of purity tests and those kinds of issues."
It’s a refreshing thing to hear because the so-called progressives have proven that there is no position too extreme for them. For Fetterman to reject that label is a big deal. Of course, I caution my fellow conservatives from embracing Fetterman just because he is relatively sane compared to the increasingly influential fringe of the Democratic Party on a few select issues. So-called progressives have dragged the Democrats so far to the left that who knows exactly what Fetterman believes makes him a “regular Democrat."
So let’s look into that. Where exactly does Fetterman fall on the political spectrum? Is he actually more of a centrist Democrat? No, not really.
According to Heritage Action for America, he has a lifetime conservative score of 7%, which is just one point higher than the average Senate Democrat score of 6%.
Color me unimpressed.
Fetterman’s rejection of the “progressive” label, therefore, doesn’t seem to mean anything at all. He’s voting with the progressives as often as the average bonkers Senate Democrat. Sadly, the Democratic Party's mainstream is now embracing insanely radical positions, that what used to be considered centrist within the Democratic Party has shifted dramatically, and Democrat centrism today would have been considered extremist twenty or thirty years ago.
If Fetterman were a true “regular Democrat” and not a progressive, we’d see him take more moderate positions. But supporting Israel and taking a tougher stance on immigration and the border were mainstream positions of the Democratic Party not so long ago
Just as identifying as a woman when you’re a biological man doesn’t make you a woman, John Fetterman not identifying as a progressive isn’t enough to prove to me he has become a “regular Democrat.”
Step it up, Fetterman; if you want to prove to us you’re a sane Democrat, you gotta do better than just expecting us to take your word for it.
