Despite suffering a debilitating stroke earlier this year, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman won his race in Pennsylvania against GOP challenger Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Even as many of Fetterman’s critics worry that he is not physically or cognitively fit to serve his new role on Capitol Hill, at least one MSNBC personality thinks he might be a contender for an even higher office at some point in the future.
Host Katy Tur’s remarks came in response to former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who sang Fetterman’s praises and heralded him as a model for other Democratic candidates.
“He ran everywhere in the state, which is a lesson for Democrats,” Psaki said. “He left no stone unturned, and he ran as exactly who he is.”
Tur seized on the candidate’s strong showing in Tuesday’s election, presenting the possibility of seeing “Fetterman as a nominee, at some point, for president.”
The televised mental institution of MSNBC is floating John Fetterman as a presidential candidate.
The clown emoji doesn’t quite do this justice but it’s all I got….
🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤪🤡🤡🤡
— Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) November 10, 2022
She went on to acknowledge that “there are some variables, obviously,” but added: “What he did in the super red, deep red parts of Pennsylvania, the way he ran ahead of Biden, he ran ahead of Trump, it makes you wonder about his future.”
The “variables” at play in such a scenario would clearly include his inability to clearly communicate, as evidenced during a disastrous debate performance and other public appearances throughout the campaign season.
Despite arranging for concessions including a closed captioning device during the debate so that Fetterman could read the questions being asked, his communications director subsequently complained that organizers did not do enough to accommodate him.
Joe Calvello insisted that the screen showed “delayed captions filled with errors,” but Gary Weitman of Nexstar Media Group pushed back against the accusation.
“The closed captioning process functioned as expected during rehearsal and again during tonight’s debate,” he said. “We regret that Mr. Fetterman and his campaign feel otherwise.”
Although he ultimately pulled out a win on Tuesday, a number of prominent Democrats expressed anxiety about Fetterman’s chances following the debate.
“He should not have debated,” said Democratic Party strategist Chris Kofinis. “Anyone on his team who agreed to a debate should be fired, or never work again, because that debate may have tanked his campaign. This race was trending toward victory. Now, it’s anyone’s guess what happens.”
Despite his obvious handicap, Democratic insiders are now apparently convinced that he represents the gold standard for candidates in their party.
“I have no doubt that if John Fetterman were sitting here, if he were in a bar, if he were with his family at a restaurant, he would be exactly the same person,” Psaki said. “And voters completely see through that. This is a guy who you know who he is, you know what you’re getting — and ultimately that matters in politics.”
