Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of John Fetterman?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

184 votes, 6 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Favorable
	1 (1%)
	Unfavorable
	183 (99%)
	6 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[Jilly_in_VA]

1. I used to have a very favorable opinion of him

However, that's changed...BUT I think I have to qualify my vote because I think his stroke has a great deal to do with the change in his behavior. A stroke should be, but is not generally, considered to be the same as a traumatic brain injury. The results are often the same. It's just that the mechanisms are different---one is an injury that comes from an external force, and the other comes from an internal force, either a clot or a bleed. In either case, depending on the area(s) of the brain involved, a person can have quite a noticeable behavior change, and I think to a great degree that's what's happened to Fetterman. He's spoken openly about his depression since the stroke, but aides have spoken about other troubling behaviors, and apparently those were not at all in evidence prior to the stroke. I personally think he should resign, but I don't think his ego will allow him to, so unless his wife can convince him to, we're stuck.

I do have some personal experience with TBIs, as my son returned from his second tour in Iraq with one. It was undiagnosed, but with my nursing experience, I could spot it. The VA was no help at all, and he kept insisting that he was "fine" although I could see he wasn't. I couldn't convince him to see a doctor, let alone a neurologist! We finally were making some progress when he died by suicide on Dec. 29, 2015. Sometimes I wish I'd insisted on an autopsy....

[Nevilledog]

2. I'm so sorry.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

15. I'm sorry for your loss.

[Grim Chieftain]

17. I am so very sorry, Jilly

A terrible tragedy for you and your son.

[Jilly_in_VA]

20. This isn't about me or my son

but about TBI patients in general, and that INCLUDES stroke patients. I have told families of stroke patients for many years that there isn't much difference between that and being hit with a baseball bat upside the head. It helps them understand when their family member acts "different" than they did previously. And that was the point of my post. Fetterman had a stroke, therefore a brain injury. I think that explains why he is acting differently than he did before.

[Grim Chieftain]

22. I understand

I lost four close family members to strokes.

[DiverDave]

24. It breaks my heart

To hear this.
Im so,so sorry for your loss.

[SheltieLover]

26. Deepest condolences, Jilly

[CivicGrief]

3. He has morphed into

Fetter-manchin.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

4. He has morphed into Joe Lieberman.

[JI7]

5. More favorable than unfavorable

but maybe in between. I think he has issues he needs to deal with and it might be best for hin not to run again.

[BlueTsunami2018]

6. Unfavorable is being nice.

After having donated, promoted, campaigned, knocked on doors and supported this prick in every conceivable way, he turns around and becomes this…….thing that he is now.

He’s not on our side. He disgusts me.

[irisblue]

7. I do not live in Pennsylvania, I donated to his campaign. I regret that donation

[RobinA]

23. I Live In PA

and I voted for him because he was a Democrat. I was never 100% that he could be trusted. I believe that he is significantly affected by his issues and I think that any grown-ups in the room should maybe talk to him. Like they didn't with Biden.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

8. What the hell happened to him?

Or was he actually, secretly MAGA all along, just pretending to be a Democrat?

[Intractable]

10. Fetterman had a bad stroke. It might have changed him.

When I was in college, I had an Anthropology professor who was an obvious misogynist asshole -- after the car accident.

He just hated the women in the class.

Before the accident, he was reputed to be a lovely, highly liberal man who earned his tenure.

[Jilly_in_VA]

11. See my post above

I believe it will explain a lot.

[tblue37]

29. No, the stroke changed him.

[11 Bravo]

9. A "mixed" option would probably receive a significant number of votes.

[RandomNumbers]

37. Agreed, that would be my vote.

[QueerDuck]

12. I think he should resign for-health-reasons and to-spend-time-with-his-family...

and I'll just leave it at that. I will not smear a fellow Democrat... which seems to be the purpose of this poll... but I will admit that we could do better next time.

[Maru Kitteh]

13. I feel like he meant well before the stroke.

I think he should resign now and sell velvet paintings by the highway.

[Jilly_in_VA]

21. That's a bit cruel

but I do agree that he should resign and concentrate on his recovery.

[Maru Kitteh]

31. I think he used the Democratic Party and

is now repaying us too often in cruelty. I find his actions more troubling than my wish for him to undergo a change of occupation. To be honest though, I don’t care very much what he does when he leaves. He doesn’t have to sell velvet paintings, but I sincerely hope he will choose something with less potential for harm to others.

[Jilly_in_VA]

34. I folllowed him before his stroke and before his election

(I live in NW VA, so pretty close to PA) and I don't think so at all. The stroke fundamentally changed him, and if you didn't follow him before that, you probably wouldn't be able to see that.

[haele]

14. I am sad.

Like a lot of politicians, there was a lot of internal asshole he could previously keep in check, but after the stroke, it was obvious his "internal governor" had blown.

[Skittles]

16. at one time I admired him

those days are long gone

[AStern]

18. He's a Republican trojan horse

I hope he quits pretending otherwise

[Paladin]

19. Fetterman needs to be replaced, just as soon as possible.

He is a constant, non-stop trump-enabler. Democrats can't afford him, anymore.

[WarGamer]

25. Favorable compared to what?

Like Fetterman vs a GOP Senator? I'll take Fetterman. Fetterman vs someone more liberal? I'll take more liberal.

[Mike Nelson]

27. Used to be...

... favorable. My opinion has moved to less favorable. I guess I'm okay with him, if he's the best they can do in PA. I would probably favor another candidate in the primary. Overall, I would wish him a very happy and healthy retirement.

[tblue37]

28. Favorable before the stroke, unfavorable now. A stroke can really change a person because it damages the brain.

[sheshe2]

30. I will never understand why this wasn't a huge negative for voters.

What really happened when an armed John Fetterman detained an unarmed Black jogger in 2013?
Pennsylvania official chased unarmed Black jogger with his truck
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/john-fetterman-dr-oz-jogger-b2195561.html

[RandomNumbers]

38. 1) Dr. Oz. 2) Conor Lamb

In the link you posted, the guy he chased said - (bold added)

Nonetheless, Miyares, who never pressed any charges or filed a complaint against Mr Fetterman, said in the letter it “is inhumane to believe one mistake should define a man’s life” and that the lieutenant governor has his support.

“Mr Fetterman and his family have done far more good than that one bad act or action and, as such, should not be defined by it,” Miyares concluded.

I'm guessing that carried a lot of weight with a lot of people.

There has never been any dispute that the man was wearing dark clothes and a face mask. Back when I was a jogger, no way I would run at night dressed like that. Different strokes for different folks - apparently the guy wasn't what he looked like - but a person wouldn't have to be a "stand your ground" maniac to be concerned especially if they genuinely thought they heard gunshots.

I know we have some Lamb fans here. I live in PA and during the primary I was leaning Lamb, until I did some research. I don't remember what it was exactly, just that a few things gave me pause. I felt that Fetterman was a better Democrat (sigh) and more likely to win statewide than Lamb. Elsewhere on DU some others have detailed out evidence of Lamb's centrism/ right-leaning history. If he runs again I will certainly research some more and re-evaluate.

Also don't forget the PA was a barely-blue state, and now cannot even be called that. If we ran someone like Mamdani we would lose big.

[C_U_L8R]

32. What has he done for us?

‘cause that’s, y’know, his job.

[poli-junkie]

33. He's not right in the head; has

disorganized thinking. The stroke altered who he is. And/or someone’s paying him off to become another SineManchin.

[FakeNoose]

35. As a PA voter I supported Fetterman and voted for him

I've also donated to his campaigns over the years.

I'm upset and disappointed in the changes in him since his strokes, and I believe he has multiple medical issues. John Fetterman should resign before the next election, hopefully by the first of the year at the latest. Whoever will be appointed and whoever decides to run in his place should be given sufficient time. The 2026 election is only 13 months away.

[mvd]

36. Regretfully, had to put unfavorable

I was a fan and really liked how he campaigned against Oz. He was funny and relatable. I know he had that stroke, but later he said it was “freeing” to let him break from the party. So maybe he never was as progressive as I thought. I’ll be voting for his primary challenger if there is one.