I remember when pundits agreed: "Fetterman's debate performance was horrible!"

[Gordolfon]

As Fetterman extends his lead to 4% as I type this, here’s Time Magazine’s senior correspondent:

Link to tweet

?s=46&t=8icCxovXeOnSpVEjbsyPmw

[yankee87]

1. Reich wing MSM

Let’s face it, the MDM is owned and controlled by the Reich wing plutocrats who will never say anything good about Democrats. That’s why we must work extra hard.

[Historic NY]

2. Wonder how she likes her crow?

[CurtEastPoint]

3. How does a 32 year old become a 'senior' correspondent? TONS of experience?

Not denigrating the young at all but seriously...

[Gordolfon]

5. She's the daughter of Jonathan Alter

Connections.

[JohnSJ]

4. His debate performance wasn't great, however, it wasn't as bad as the hyperbole that the illustrious

talking heads tried to portray either

[JI7]

6. The same media that was impressed by Herschel Walker

and other right wing failures .

Fetterman's "weakness" was due entirely to the stroke he had .

The media sucks so bad.

[Maeve]

7. My mom said something last night about him "not being mentally up to it"

(she's been listening to my RW brother) and I jumped on it with "No, he's just recovering from a stroke and isn't as articulate as he will be again. I've listened to him; he's fine mentally. He just has some trouble making himself clear at times"

But then, she was also a fan of Oz back in the day---her grasp of science is sketchy at best

[phylny]

12. I'm a retired speech-language pathologist.

Conventional thinking was that there’s not much recovery the first few months after a stroke. That’s changed with current research as you’ve alluded to. Recovery continues long after the stroke. I’m so glad he won!

[Maeve]

13. My degrees were in speech-language, too!

Although I quite the profession after only a few years to raise my family...however, my son is also in the field (he got his masters almost 30 years to the day after I did, both from OSU)

[comradebillyboy]

8. Fetterman's debate performance was, in fact, awful. But debate performance

is very much overrated. They are rarely decisive factors.

[Gordolfon]

17. Is it awful if voters go in to elect you by 4% and solve Philly votes still remaining?

Maybe voters liked it.

[Demsrule86]

20. In fact...the folks when polled said Fetterman won...and that Oz blew it with the abortion

comment. He was clear about where he stood on the issues...Oz was puppy killing liar and it showed.

[LeftInTX]

9. I'm glad voters saw through this!

[Claustrum]

10. After 2016, I don't believe in debates anymore.

It's basically just both sides trying to get their talking points in. It used to be about exchange of ideas and debates of substance. But since TFG, it's nothing but a s*** show. Republicans aren't even trying to have an exchange of ideas.

I admit, I didn't watch any of the 2020 debates. They are useless to me. If you like watching some reality TV type show, then that might be for you. If you are seriously trying to get ideas and knowledge from them, sadly, that's the wrong place.

[gab13by13]

11. For one thing

we all knew in Pa. that debating wasn't Fetterman's strong suit. He showed courage when he did the debate.

I do know this, there was a ton of right wing domestic oligarch money poured into Oz's campaign, I think that is what made the race as close it is was.

[karynnj]

14. His debate performance was not very good, EXCEPT he showed the good person he is

in some responses. Not to mention, Oz showed he was slick and could speak very fast, but he made the biggest gaffe on the abortion question. Not to mention, he showed who he was.

Part of the problem with analysis is this is not a real debate where points are scored and tabulated. Even a terrible performance is pretty much forgiven if the candidate has the policies wanted and past races we can think of show how low the Republicans are ready to go.

I think it interesting that more was written on Fetterman"s debate flaws than Walker's far worse problems. Not to mention, Walker has multiple other problems. Could it be that the media EXPECTS us to care, but not do much them.

[peggysue2]

15. It was a huge miscalculation

On Fetterman and Dems overall.

The October debate was absolutely reviewed as a Fetterman loss. Yet the line most quoted was the infamous claim by Oz that 'abortion should be between a woman, her doctor and local politician.'

That was a gaffe of mega-proportions bc it summed up the Republican take on reproductive rights, aka women don't have any.

And then to multiply the mistake, the Oz campaign went on to mock Fetterman's halting speech and medical condition/recovery. I mean, come on. Who hasn't had a medical event in their lives or within their own family? Who wouldn't be appalled if a physician ridiculed a patient recovering from a serious health issue?

John Fetterman ran a great campaign, perfectly suited to Pennsylvania because he's spent his entire life in the state. And Oz made some major missteps along with being profoundly unlikeable.

I always believed John Fetterman would win this thing. He did thereby making me and millions of Pennsylvanians happy campers.

The right man for the moment. Works every time!

[Gordolfon]

16. "reviewed" by pundits?

Or te voters?

[peggysue2]

19. Pundits, prognosticators, very serious people, etc.

That was the noise following the debate.

As for the electorate's opinion that was clearly expressed in the outcome. As Fetterman said himself: In January his remaining speech/hearing deficits will be improved and continue to improve. In January Dr. Oz will still be a fraud and a pretend Pennsylvanian.

Voters heard that message and said: We Agree!

[kwolf68]

18. This

John is good people. I gave my biggest donation EVER to a candidate when I gave his campaign money this cycle. I just felt I needed to do it. I took money off the table for Deluzio and Shapiro (much as I like them) because I felt John needed an extra kick and the attacks on him were disgusting. Obviously my money alone didn't really do much in the grand scheme of things, but I figure a shitton of others had the same feeling I had and it all adds up.

[peggysue2]

24. Did the same thing

I gave Fetterman a small monthly stipend and then sent intermittent donations during the campaign cycle. I also sent two modest donations to Cortez Masto bc she appeared particularly vulnerable.

We all did what we could and in the end (don't know the Nevada result yet but predicted numbers are looking hopeful) I'm happy with my decisions.

Now, before the Georgia run-off, I intend to send Warnock a donation or two bc he's a fantastic Senator/candidate.

I felt confident in Fetterman from the start and after his medical event bc he's so representative of the state itself--rough around the edges but a true fighter with a big, thumping heart.

The warrior won, deservedly so.

[jmowreader]

21. Fetterman's all-trolling campaign, however, was exceptional

People in PA know Fetterman. He needed no introduction, so he was free to beat up on Oz.

And what a glorious thing it was.

[Cosmocat]

22. It was a "disaster"

Really can't blame people for questioning him.

But, he does not back down, never has and never will. So, he went out and let everyone see what kind of state he was in, and let the chips fall where they fell.

But, what won the day is that he has been campaigning for this for over half a decade, with multiple statewide campaign trips where he stopped in every county, the most active and robust social media campaign over the same time, and the fact that he is a truly decent man who fights for the under dog.

He won because he worked so hard, so long, and earned the trust of loyalty of many, including republican's in the state.

He won because he was CLEARLY the best man, even in a somewhat depleted state at that moment.

[peggysue2]

25. What Oz and his fellow Republicans never took into account . . .

Is that John Fetterman (by his own admission) started his campaign two years ago. Long before his stroke, he had criss-crossed the state multiple times, was already organizing, putting campaign infrastructure in place and strategizing with his every county, every vote approach. The intention was never to 'win' all those rural areas but cut and trim down the numbers in Republican areas.

He and his campaign were successful in doing just that, and then getting the traditional Democratic strongholds. During his victory speech, he said as much: We jammed 'em!

LOL! How much more Pennsylvania can you get?

[Cosmocat]

26. Best campaigner I have seen in PA

nm

[jcgoldie]

23. Also...

Warnock was doomed when Walker did not shit himself on stage during the debate…