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durablend

(9,373 posts)
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:13 PM Monday

Fetterman: Democratic base becoming 'increasingly anti-American'

https://www.abc27.com/pennsylvania-politics/fetterman-democratic-base-becoming-increasingly-anti-american/

(The Hill) — Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) on Wednesday accused the Democratic base of becoming “increasingly anti-American” amid calls against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, Iran and Cuba.

Reason Magazine’s Nick Gillespie asked Fetterman on the “Reason Interview” podcast about what the senator thinks of his politics now, having backed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a democratic socialist, in 2016.

“Well, I mean, you know, in 2016, it was much more about the minimum wage and some other very basic kinds of thing,” Fetterman said. “And now that’s, that’s just turned into much more standing with like Cuba, standing with Venezuela, standing with the Iranian regime and, and turn that into much more becoming more increasingly anti-American for me. So, my views really haven’t changed that much.”

Fetterman said he has not seen a change in his political views, citing his support for marriage equality as an example. (continues)


Oooh look, another day ending in -y
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Fetterman: Democratic base becoming 'increasingly anti-American' (Original Post) durablend Monday OP
Fetterman is increasingly becoming UpInArms Monday #1
I think Fetterman has already turned into a Trumphumper peggysue2 Monday #4
Fetterman will be... BH liberal Monday #5
Yes,.. magicarpet Monday #30
Fetterman is already gone. Cha Monday #50
He's a Joe Lieberman wannabe. LudwigPastorius Tuesday #65
The Democratic base is becoming increasingly anti-Fetterman. Ocelot II Monday #2
Making plans to move to the Keystone State thomski64 Monday #28
Fetterman is totally Anti-American imo...I need a superlative for "douche bag" here... wcmagumba Monday #3
You can tell his brain is mush with that quote. BannonsLiver Monday #6
Definitely... WarGamer Monday #44
Sure, I guess some have. BannonsLiver Monday #58
Man's had brain damage, strokes, and has seemingly lost his bearings . . . Journeyman Monday #7
Yes, he's definitely changed for the worse. patphil Monday #52
Maga projection. He's toast. NewHendoLib Monday #8
It's like Zell Miller all over again. RandySF Monday #9
I haven't heard that name in ages MustLoveBeagles Monday #31
We are against Republican America... ananda Monday #10
If "pro-America" JBTaurus83 Monday #11
THIS! lastlib Monday #18
Dems are not anti-American, most are anti-corruption. Open your eyes. ☮ walkingman Monday #12
Agreed! LakeVermilion Monday #45
If I voted for him, I'd be raising hell. He's gone full blown MAGA. No doubt about it. Vinca Monday #13
Yes JBTaurus83 Monday #17
I hope you are telling him daily. travelingthrulife Monday #49
I should step it up JBTaurus83 Monday #55
who is he to tell anyone what constitutes an American? bigtree Monday #14
Again, he should be stripped of all committee assignments immediately. FHRRK1 Monday #63
;-{)...... Goonch Monday #15
Did he run as a Joe Manchin or was it the stroke? nt doc03 Monday #16
He ran JBTaurus83 Monday #35
the stroke Celerity Monday #46
I'm becoming increasingly anti-Fetterman. sop Monday #19
Agreed Wifes husband Monday #54
Best thing one can say about Fetterman is he votes with Democrats most of the time, while a Republican in his sop Monday #56
Go away, Fetterman. greatauntoftriplets Monday #20
Seems that brain damage he incurred from his stroke has made him lose reason kimbutgar Monday #21
I tend to believe in the theory of "follow the money" rurallib Monday #22
Would Fetterman have supported Vietnam and Iraq? EnergizedLib Monday #23
And wars never make it better JBTaurus83 Monday #36
Fetterman is projecting bucolic_frolic Monday #24
Fetterman appears to be afraid of upsetting BootinUp Monday #25
Fetty spewiing his post-stroke RW bollocks again. Celerity Monday #26
i hope we have all prepared ourselves... Takket Monday #27
Yep! JBTaurus83 Monday #38
I fear this too Celerity Monday #39
Can we be spared this idiots kacekwl Monday #29
ACLU under Bush went with the slogan "Dissent is Patriotic" AZProgressive Monday #32
We are pro America, which is why we are anti-fascists, anti-Republican, and anti-Trump. surfered Monday #33
He sure is making a lot of appearances lately. Designed to mitigate GOP damages to the swing vote? Ilikepurple Monday #34
Democrats are welcome to disagree with other democrats, even the "base" unblock Monday #37
Fuck off, Lurch Aviation Pro Monday #40
There's no point mentioning the name Zell Miller to him Azathoth1 Monday #41
Fetterman might be one of them Dumbocrats Johonny Monday #42
"Im not singing off key, it's the choir". oasis Monday #43
What a SOB POS choie Monday #47
It's sad to see him come under MAGA sway. I've never seen such a total flip. I hope he recovers his health, ... marble falls Monday #48
Don't hold your breath purr-rat beauty Monday #53
2 more years of this shit D_Master81 Monday #51
Fetterman is sounding like a J6'er. Was he there, if not in person, in spirit? RedWhiteBlueIsRacist Monday #57
I think he is putting Israel first actually. David__77 Monday #59
I could understand that if he were representing Crown Heights (Brooklyn), no_hypocrisy Tuesday #67
He just parrots right wing talking points. BlueTsunami2018 Monday #60
The good news is his brain worm has hollowed out his head and will soon starve to death. nt ImNotGod Monday #61
You know that 5% of Democrats who support Trump in polls? That's Sen. Fetterman's natural constituency 0rganism Monday #62
Interesting he was interviewed by Reason TVguyCards Monday #64
He's turned into a weirdo. hamsterjill Tuesday #66
I always had a bad feeling about him. I knew he'd be trouble. QueerDuck Tuesday #68

peggysue2

(12,597 posts)
4. I think Fetterman has already turned into a Trumphumper
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:16 PM
Monday

He's just looking for excuses now to cover his ass.

magicarpet

(19,422 posts)
30. Yes,..
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:47 PM
Monday

.... go live in trDUMP's fuzzy wuzzy arm pit,... warm and cozy there.

(Manchin re-dux)

Ocelot II

(131,242 posts)
2. The Democratic base is becoming increasingly anti-Fetterman.
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:14 PM
Monday

Enjoy your cushy job for now, John. You won't get to keep it much longer.

WarGamer

(18,863 posts)
44. Definitely...
Mon May 18, 2026, 06:52 PM
Monday

I certainly haven't seen anyone on the Left pumping Iranian, Russian or Hamas propaganda as a weapon against the current administration.

BannonsLiver

(20,859 posts)
58. Sure, I guess some have.
Mon May 18, 2026, 09:35 PM
Monday

But he wasn't just talking about "some", he was talking about the party as a whole. I don't think that's accurate at all. And his ability to communicate is spotty at best. He can barely string together coherent sentences in interviews.

What I don't expect to see are alleged Democrats vomiting out neocon talking points sourced from a neocon think tank about how the Iranian people are going to "rise up" after they have been repeatedly bombed in their homes, and other utterly silly and moronic points/ideas that have failed to materialize over the last three months.



ananda

(35,518 posts)
10. We are against Republican America...
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:23 PM
Monday

which includes only rich white males.

Our America includes and cherishes everyone.

JBTaurus83

(1,678 posts)
11. If "pro-America"
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:23 PM
Monday

Means killing people all over the planet while our own citizens go without, call me anti-American. This guy is such a piece of shit.

lastlib

(28,624 posts)
18. THIS!
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:36 PM
Monday

I am RABIDLY Anti- the "America" we are in the days of tRump The Felon/Traitor. I OPPOSE stupid intervention in Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, Mexico, Greenland, and everywhere else The Felon/Traitor. wants to stick his little mushroom.

LakeVermilion

(1,648 posts)
45. Agreed!
Mon May 18, 2026, 07:04 PM
Monday

Democrats aren’t pro Venezuela, pro Cuba or pro Iran. Instead, our country has procedures. The Executive Branch ignores those procedures and the Republicans refuse to enforce the procedures. Fetterman ignores the system.

bigtree

(94,672 posts)
14. who is he to tell anyone what constitutes an American?
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:25 PM
Monday

...what he's spouting here is simply fascism.

It's not a stroke, it's anti-American prattle.

Why in hell should Americans under active assault by their own government give a shit about directing energy and advocacy, not to mention the fucking money, to these military assaults against other countries?

Anti-Americanism wrapped in imperialistic militarism.

Who foisted this fool on our party?

FHRRK1

(135 posts)
63. Again, he should be stripped of all committee assignments immediately.
Mon May 18, 2026, 10:44 PM
Monday

Make him flip.

And again, I don’t want to hear he votes with Dems 90% of the time.

Heard all of those arguments too many times and every time it comes back to bite Dems in the ass.

Will require one more Seat to flip, but it will also show Dems and Independents that the Party is damn serious about turning things around. Tie his sloppy ass to MAGA and make him deal with the stench.

The worthless piece of shit can’t be allowed to hold Dems hostage after the midterms.

sop

(19,330 posts)
19. I'm becoming increasingly anti-Fetterman.
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:36 PM
Monday

I'm tired of reading about his latest stupidity. Just seeing his stupid face, wearing his stupid shorts and his stupid sweatshirt, pisses me off. I've had enough of Fetterman. .

sop

(19,330 posts)
56. Best thing one can say about Fetterman is he votes with Democrats most of the time, while a Republican in his
Mon May 18, 2026, 09:18 PM
Monday

seat would vote with their party 100% of the time. There are a handful of Democrats in the Senate who cross over and don't always vote with their own party, but at least they have the good sense to keep their mouths shut, and they aren't constantly sucking up to Trump so publicly.

greatauntoftriplets

(179,353 posts)
20. Go away, Fetterman.
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:37 PM
Monday

Or take a look at what's happening in this country. We're against drumpf's version of America. It's cruel and based on grift, hatred, and wars. They're not trying to make our lives better, they're just filling their own pockets while taking from ours.

kimbutgar

(27,558 posts)
21. Seems that brain damage he incurred from his stroke has made him lose reason
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:38 PM
Monday

He got elected by Democrats and now shits on them.

rurallib

(64,834 posts)
22. I tend to believe in the theory of "follow the money"
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:39 PM
Monday

While I know he had the stroke and it look like his change can be traced back to that, I can't help but wonder if the Trumpers saw a guy who could be corrupted and decided to see if they could buy him?

EnergizedLib

(3,154 posts)
23. Would Fetterman have supported Vietnam and Iraq?
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:39 PM
Monday

You can be against dictatorial regimes and against wars at the same time.

JBTaurus83

(1,678 posts)
36. And wars never make it better
Mon May 18, 2026, 06:04 PM
Monday

Would anyone call Iraq a shining success story? Afghanistan? Vietnam was able to get rid of us and develop on their own.

Celerity

(54,888 posts)
26. Fetty spewiing his post-stroke RW bollocks again.
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:44 PM
Monday





https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/john-fetterman-struggle-mental-health-clinical-depression.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20250503072039/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/john-fetterman-struggle-mental-health-clinical-depression.html

https://archive.ph/0bKU7



When John Fetterman was released from Walter Reed hospital in March 2023, Adam Jentleson, then his chief of staff, was proud of his boss for seeking help for what the senator’s office and his doctor had said was a case of clinical depression. His six weeks of inpatient care had been the latest medical setback for the Pennsylvania Democrat, who had had a stroke mere months before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022, nearly derailing his campaign against Republican Mehmet Oz. But a year after his release from the hospital, Fetterman’s behavior had so alarmed Jentleson that he resigned his position. In May 2024, he wrote an urgent letter to David Williamson, the medical director of the traumatic-brain-injury and neuropsychiatry unit at Walter Reed, who had overseen Fetterman’s care at the hospital. “I think John is on a bad trajectory and I’m really worried about him,” the email began. If things didn’t change, Jentleson continued, he was concerned Fetterman “won’t be with us for much longer.”

His 1,600-word email came with the subject line “concerns,” and it contained a list of them, from the seemingly mundane (“He eats fast food multiple times a day”) to the scary (“We do not know if he is taking his meds and his behavior frequently suggests he is not”). “We often see the kind of warning signs we discussed,” Jentleson wrote. “Conspiratorial thinking; megalomania (for example, he claims to be the most knowledgeable source on Israel and Gaza around but his sources are just what he reads in the news — he declines most briefings and never reads memos); high highs and low lows; long, rambling, repetitive and self centered monologues; lying in ways that are painfully, awkwardly obvious to everyone in the room.”

Fetterman was, according to Jentleson, avoiding the regular checkups advised by his doctors. He was preoccupied with the social-media platform X, which he’d previously admitted had been a major “accelerant” of his depression. He drove his car so “recklessly,” Jentleson said, that staff refused to ride with him. He had also bought a gun. “He says he has a biometric safe and takes all the necessary precautions, and living where he does I understand the desire for personal protection,” Jentleson wrote, referring to Fetterman’s rough-and-tumble town of Braddock, Pennsylvania. “But this is one of the things you said to flag, so I am flagging.” Another red flag, Jentleson added: “Every person who was supposed to help him stay on his recovery plan has been pushed out.” Fetterman was isolated, had “damaged personal relationships,” and was shedding staff. The turmoil in his office continued over the following year. Since winning election in 2022, he has lost his closest advisers, including three of his top spokespeople, his legislative director, and Jentleson. His circle of trust has shrunk, and people I spoke with made it clear that they expect more staffers to depart.

When Fetterman first caught the attention of the national press, journalists wrote about him like he was a benevolent ogre crossed with a folk hero. More specifically, that’s how I wrote about him. “This is the tale of Big John Fetterman, the giant who lives in an abandoned car dealership beside a steel mill,” my 2018 profile in the Washington Post began. “He’s six-eight, arms covered in ink, head as bald as a wrecking ball.” At the time, Fetterman was mayor of Braddock, which looked a lot like the left-behind corners of the country that had flocked to Donald Trump. He was running for lieutenant governor of the state, and it was easy to see his appeal: He was a bit introverted and curmudgeonly, but funny, smart, and passionate about the fate of communities like Braddock, tattooing the date of each murder that occurred in the town during his tenure on his arm. Endorsed by Bernie Sanders, but also sympathetic to fracking and other positions that cut against the progressive grain, he cruised to victory that year.

snip

Takket

(23,803 posts)
27. i hope we have all prepared ourselves...
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:44 PM
Monday

for the fact that after the election we're going to hold the senate 51-49, and he's going to flip to give the senate back to the rethugs........

it is going to happen

AZProgressive

(29,982 posts)
32. ACLU under Bush went with the slogan "Dissent is Patriotic"
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:50 PM
Monday

I deployed to serve in Iraq but I have disagreements with the foreign policy establishment going back to maybe Reagan. Doesn't mean that those that disagree are anti-American and if troops fight for "freedom" than Americans have the freedom to dissent from the President or any foreign policy choice.

surfered

(14,301 posts)
33. We are pro America, which is why we are anti-fascists, anti-Republican, and anti-Trump.
Mon May 18, 2026, 05:51 PM
Monday

and increasingly anti-Fetterman.

Ilikepurple

(794 posts)
34. He sure is making a lot of appearances lately. Designed to mitigate GOP damages to the swing vote?
Mon May 18, 2026, 06:00 PM
Monday

It seems like he’s running point on the propaganda designed to dissuade possible GOP and Independent defectors. It’s another branch that dehumanizes Democratic Party members from the inside. Now some can say “even Democratic senators will admit the Party has lost its mind and can no longer be trusted” to rationalize either not voting or voting for the “grownup” and “American” GOP candidate. It also helps normalize all the illegal or norm-breaking actions of this administration. Every percentage point matters, especially with the wiggly swing voters.

unblock

(56,262 posts)
37. Democrats are welcome to disagree with other democrats, even the "base"
Mon May 18, 2026, 06:04 PM
Monday

But branding the democratic base as "anti-American" is straight up Republican propaganda, full stop.

There's no good reason for a democratic politician to say that, ever.

Azathoth1

(5 posts)
41. There's no point mentioning the name Zell Miller to him
Mon May 18, 2026, 06:12 PM
Monday

because Fetterman isn't capable of grasping the implications.

Most guys who pull this, like Joe Machin, are trying to play a cynical long game, but it seems that Fetterman genuinely isn't capable of that kind of intrigue and instead has no meaningful social interactions beyond scrolling social media and maybe watching some segments on Fox.

He's either a textbook example of personality change resulting from being disabled by a near death event, or else an example of the effects of relying on the Internet for social connection after being disabled by a near death event.

Johonny

(26,618 posts)
42. Fetterman might be one of them Dumbocrats
Mon May 18, 2026, 06:15 PM
Monday

Trump talks about. What has Trump done to make any poor person's life better. Bomb a girl's school? Does he know how many poor people in the world died due to Trump? Does he give a fuck?

What has Trump done to improve people's lives in Cuba, Venezuela or Iran? He doesn't name it, because Trump hasn't done shit.

choie

(7,003 posts)
47. What a SOB POS
Mon May 18, 2026, 07:45 PM
Monday

Yeah, in other words we're against the United States invading countries and starting a war without the Congress' having their say. That must be why we're "anti-American".

marble falls

(72,543 posts)
48. It's sad to see him come under MAGA sway. I've never seen such a total flip. I hope he recovers his health, ...
Mon May 18, 2026, 08:18 PM
Monday

... I hope he recovers his senses.

D_Master81

(2,685 posts)
51. 2 more years of this shit
Mon May 18, 2026, 08:25 PM
Monday

Literally every week I have to read something about Fetterman crapping on us as slobbers up to the felon and the right for reasons known only to himself.

RedWhiteBlueIsRacist

(2,262 posts)
57. Fetterman is sounding like a J6'er. Was he there, if not in person, in spirit?
Mon May 18, 2026, 09:31 PM
Monday

I thought the guy was legit at first, but he seems a real dipshit lately.

no_hypocrisy

(55,384 posts)
67. I could understand that if he were representing Crown Heights (Brooklyn),
Tue May 19, 2026, 06:34 AM
Tuesday

or Monsey, NY, or Orange County, NY. But he represents the state of Pennsylvania. The state nicknamed "Pennsyltucky" due to its majority ruby-red demographic. Pittsburgh and Philly are blue. The rest is red. My father grew up in one of the small towns in the middle. And the locals are not fond of Jews, and thereby, Israel.

0rganism

(25,715 posts)
62. You know that 5% of Democrats who support Trump in polls? That's Sen. Fetterman's natural constituency
Mon May 18, 2026, 10:08 PM
Monday

He'll change parties in an instant to keep Democrats from taking the senate, if it makes the difference. Count on it.

TVguyCards

(14 posts)
64. Interesting he was interviewed by Reason
Mon May 18, 2026, 10:51 PM
Monday

That's a big Libertarian magazine & I mean actual Libertarian, not Rand Paul Fauxbertarian.
I wonder if they went off on Fetterman for being a war monger? Libertarians are very anti-war but something tells me that didn't happen.

Fetterman really changed a lot after the stroke, didn't he? It's sad to see how much he's changed and his empathy, conscious, and compassion are really in the dumpster. I don't wish a stroke on anyone as I lost my dad to a stroke rather recently. It was awful and I am still grieving over it.

hamsterjill

(17,760 posts)
66. He's turned into a weirdo.
Tue May 19, 2026, 12:44 AM
Tuesday

I don't know if it's health related or whether he's hoping to ride Trump's coat tails to wealth and re-election, but this dude has lost it.

As part of that "Democratic base" that he's snipping about, I take complete offense. I am not anti-American. I am anti-Trump.

QueerDuck

(1,942 posts)
68. I always had a bad feeling about him. I knew he'd be trouble.
Tue May 19, 2026, 06:57 AM
Tuesday

I get that feeling about certain politicians every so often, and my instincts are almost always correct.

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