Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat who previously cast himself as a leading progressive, has earned praise from conservative commentators for his recent comments criticizing Harvard and supporting Israel.
Change in personality
After years of claiming to be building and leading a progressive movement in his home state of Pennsylvania, Fetterman officially changed tack in December. “I’m not a progressive,” he told NBC News.
Marked change
Fetterman claimed to MSNBC that he was “not a progressive.” “I’m just a Democrat that has always run on what I believe and know to be true,” he said. “Six years ago, that was considered progressive. But now, there isn’t a single Democrat in this race, or any race that I’m aware of, that’s running on anything different.”
Fact check
Fetterman’s claim was fact-checked, with X’s Community Notes linking to several times the senator claimed to be progressive. In one post from 2016, for example, Fetterman claimed to “have started a progressive movement here in Pennsylvania.”
Plot twist
“It’s not going away,” Fetterman continued. “We’re not going away. This isn’t over. This is not how our story ends.” At the time, few could have predicted that the story would actually end with him publicly distancing himself from the progressive movement.
Justification
“With Israel,” Fetterman explained to NBC, “I’m going to be on the right side of that. And immigration is something near and dear to me, and I think we do have to effectively address it as well.”
Support for war
Fetterman has remained a firm and outspoken supporter of Israel despite the increasing pressure on lawmakers to oppose the nation’s actions, which experts and countries like South Africa have condemned as genocide. “I unequivocally support any necessary military, intelligence, and humanitarian aid to Israel,” he said in one public statement.
Growing discomfort
Fetterman’s continued unconditional support marks him out from other figures on the Left, who are growing increasingly uncomfortable with Israel’s actions. As of Jan 3, at least 64 members of Congress have called for a “ceasefire or cessation of hostilities in Israel and occupied Palestine,” according to the Working Families Party’s ceasefire tracker. All 64 are Democrats.
Firm ally
Fetterman has been “one of Israel’s most zealous defenders,” according to the Inquirer, “refusing to discuss Palestinian civilian casualties and brushing off hundreds of calls to his office and noisy protests begging him to call for a ceasefire. In fact, he has seemed to mock protesters, waving an Israeli flag at one gathering.”
Progressive betrayal
“He’s here for the vibes,” Melissa Byrne, an organizer, told the New York Times. “You should at least be honest and say, ‘Hey, I called myself a progressive because we wanted to raise more money. We needed to win.’” She accused Fetterman of claiming to be progressive when it benefitted him and dropping the label when he didn’t need it.
Further statements
Fetterman weighed in on the Harvard controversy, which resulted in the university’s first Black female president being ousted. “I graduated [from Harvard] 25 years ago,” Fetterman said on Friday, “and of course it was always a little pinko. But now, I don’t recognize it.”
Anti-left
“Pinko” is a pejorative term for an individual with left-wing beliefs. A large part of the controversy surrounding Harvard and its now-former president was her refusal to punish students for protesting for Palestine.
Right-wing approval
“Fetterman calling Harvard a school filled with communists is just beautiful,” political commentator Robby Starbucks wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “You can’t write this stuff. He even used the word pinko. Seriously, what changed because this is not the same guy from the campaign?”
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