COLIN REED: Fetterman’s fall from the progressive darling heralds a shift in the Democratic Party
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In 2016, when Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mixed cocktails at a bar in Union Square, John Fetterman, then mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, was one of the first Bernie Bros.
During his first unsuccessful run for the US Senate, Fetterman was a lone voice supporting Bernie Sanders’ first challenge against Hillary Clinton. In his confirmation video, Fetterman said he and Sanders “stand together as the most progressive people in our respective races.”
Ten years later, Fetterman may not have changed, but his political party can’t say the same.
Today, Fetterman is a Democratic US senator from Pennsylvania. Once again, he is on a political island for a very different reason. Despite voting 91% of the time with his party, the bold, outspoken former darling of progressives enjoys higher marks among Republican voters (73%) than Democratic voters (22%) in his home state.
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It has become a commonplace. Members of the Pennsylvania team are thinking about the main challenge in 2028. Speculation is rife about Fetterman’s replacement parties, an idea he has poured cold water on.
John Fetterman said “his values have not changed.” But his group’s principles are four.
Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez is the talk of the town for a different reason. He endorses candidates for elections across the country. He and Sanders hit the country on their so-called “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, which, according to media reports, relies on private jets and chauffeured limousines to get around. His name is quickly rising on the list of potential presidential candidates in 2028.
How did the script change so quickly in 10 years?
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For clues, look at Fetterman’s so-called “sins”.
He stressed the need for a secure southern border. He took his party’s anti-Trump position to task, saying, “The president can go out for ice cream and lazy Sundays, and my party will suddenly hate them.”
Fetterman has not only been outspoken in his support for Israel – especially since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. 2023 – but he went a step further and called “the rot of my party standing with the people who support Hamas.”
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The Democratic Party has a different view. Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, someone who has been working hard to raise his national profile, urged the party to reconsider its “flexible and unconditional support for the Israeli government.”
Sanders not only stood his ground in support of Graham Platner, the embattled Maine Senate candidate, but also rushed to his defense.
Fetterman took a different tack, calling it “crazy” that “the guy who’s going to win the primary in Maine … has a Nazi tattoo on his chest, and that’s not a problem for a lot of voters.”
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Platner, for his part, has returned the favor, describing Fetterman as “the man” of his existence.
Therein lies Fetterman’s challenge. He said “his values have not changed.” But his group’s principles are four.
Take a quick look at some of their policy ideas.
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A decade ago the “Fight for $15” in the minimum wage culminated in New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s demand for “$30 by 2030.”
Barack Obama’s “strong” commitment to the Israeli people in 2012 gave way to Sanders accusing Israel of “genocide in Gaza.”
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Obama’s praise for the fractured revolution and natural gas gave Ocasio-Cortez a “Green New Deal” and a push to phase out fossil fuels.
And John Fetterman, one of Sanders’ early supporters when almost everyone in his party sided with Clinton, has become a platformer.
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These days, Democratic primary voters are more aligned with Ocasio-Cortez’s “Tax the Rich” philosophy than Fetterman’s hoodies and shorts. As the party center has shifted to the left, common sense and practicality are nowhere to be found.
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