[Karah Rucker]
WELCOME TO BIAS BREAKDOWN.
I’M YOUR HOST KARAH RUCKER.
le=”font-weight: 400;”>THE MENTAL FITNESS OF SENATOR JOHN FETTERMAN AND THE MEDIA NARRATIVE FLIP FLOP.
A FORMER TOP AIDE OF FETTERMAN’S IS EXPRESSING CONCERN OVER THE SENATOR’S WELL-BEING – PILING ON ARE ANONYMOUS FORMER AND CURRENT AIDES TO FETTERMAN SUGGESTING SOME OF HIS SUDDEN POLITICAL IDEOLOGY SHIFTS AS THEY DESCRIBE IT – COULD BE BECAUSE OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.
WHAT’S INTERESTING IS THESE QUESTIONS AREN’T COMING FROM RIGHT-WING OUTLETS ANYMORE— THEY’RE COMING FROM THE LEFT.
AND THAT’S A 180 COMPARED TO FETTERMAN’S EARLY DAYS IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT, WHEN RIGHT-LEANING MEDIA QUESTIONED FETTERMAN’S COGNITIVE FITNESS AFTER A STROKE AND A STINT AT WALTER REED.
THEN – IT WAS LEFT-LEANING OUTLETS AT HIS DEFENSE.
WHAT DOES THIS MEDIA FLIP-FLOP TELL US? AND HOW DOES FETTERMAN’S PERSONAL AND POLITICAL JOURNEY FIT INTO IT?
THAT’S THE FOCUS OF TODAY’S BIAS BREAKDOWN.
FIRST – A GLIMPSE INTO TODAY’S DIVIDE AFTER FETTERMAN’S FORMER TOP AIDE IS SPEAKING OUT.
WITH SOME OUTLETS ON THE LEFT – QUESTIONING FETTERMAN’S FITNESS TO SERVE.
BUT OUTLETS ON THE RIGHT – ARE CRITICIZING THE LEFT’S PORTRAYAL OF THE SENATOR – AND DEFENDING HIM.
“ senator fetterman got more articulate, more coherent, independent…But weirdly as he got better the news around him got worse. Now we’re hearing – not when he was running for senate and suffering from a stroke, but now we’re hearing he’s not well.”
RHETORIC FROM LEFT AND RIGHT OUTLETS HAS CHANGED OVER TIME SINCE FETTERMAN WAS FIRST ELECTED TO THE U.S. SENATE THREE YEARS AGO.
FETTERMAN SUFFERED A STROKE WHILE ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL FOR PENNSYLVANIA’S OPEN SENATE SEAT IN 2022.
HIS ONGOING RECOVERY CHALLENGES WERE A FOCAL POINT IN THE RACE AGAINST REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE DR. MEHMET OZ.
IN A DEBATE AGAINST OZ – FETTERMAN USED A REAL-TIME CLOSE-CAPTIONING MACHINE TO HELP WITH “AUDITORY PROCESSING.”
THE DEBATE WAS LARGELY SEEN AS A STRUGGLE FOR FETTERMAN –
BUT HE OVERCAME – WINNING THE ELECTION.
A FEW MONTHS LATER – HE ADMITTED HIMSELF INTO WALTER REED MEDICAL CENTER FOR “CLINICAL DEPRESSION.”
AFTER SIX WEEKS OF TREATMENT – HE WAS DISCHARGED AND RETURNED TO THE SENATE FLOOR.
IT WAS DURING THIS PERIOD THAT CONCERNS OVER FETTERMAN WERE RAISED BY THE RIGHT – AND LEFT MEDIA WERE AT HIS DEFENSE.
“Personally i feel bad for fetterman. He can’t function at a level required to serve in the us senate. And according to physicians i have talked to, six months after a stroke, this is probably the best john fetterman is ever going to get.
“Its unseemly for democratic leaders to be pushing an unfit man who needs to be hooked up to machines into the most important legislative body in the this country.
democrats the media mob, the fetterman campaign, theyre all lying to all of us. John fetterman is not mentally, physically, cognitively fit to serve.”
“It was really strange to me that he chose to bully a stroke victim. Right like he obviously was bullying him.
“i think it takes real courage to show that youve been knocked down and real bravery for people to see your weakness. And we know fetterman’s cognitive abilities have not bee compromised.”
in terms of being able to serve in the us senate, can he understand the tough national security issue before he casts a vote, can he understand the complexities of amajor health bill or tax bill if he has to conduct a vote? Is that kind of the issue here? I think so. And he doesn’t appear to have an issue with understanding. comprehension.”
FAST FORWARD TO 2025 – LEFT AND RIGHT MEDIA HAVE BOTH TAKEN A SHARP TURN.
AN EXCLUSIVE FROM LEFT LEANING NEW YORK MAGAZINE WITH FETTERMAN’S FORMER TOP AIDE SUGGESTS FETTERMAN IS NOT FIT TO FINISH OUT HIS TERM.
THE MAGAZINE PUBLISHED THE ARTICLE EARLIER THIS MONTH – INTERVIEWING FETTERMAN’S FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF – “ADAM JENTLESON”.
HE RESIGNED FROM HIS POSITION IN MARCH 2024 – HE SAYS – BECAUSE OF FETTERMAN’S “BEHAVIOR.”
TWO MONTHS LATER – HE WROTE A LETTER TO FETTERMAN’S DOCTOR WHO OVERSAW THE SENATOR WHEN HE WAS SEEKING TREATMENT FOR CLINICAL DEPRESSION AFTER WINNING THE PENNSYLVANIA SENATE SEAT.
DETAILS OF THAT LETTER WERE PUBLISHED IN THE ARTICLE READING “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”).
JENTLESON LISTED OFF SOME OF HIS OBSERVATIONS – SUCH AS “CONSPIRATORIAL THINKING” “rambling, repetitive and self centered monologues” “lying” “avoiding regular checkups” “DRIVING his car “recklessly” AND NOTING TO THE DOCTOR “He had also bought a gun.”
NEW YORK MAGAZINE WROTE JENTLESON WASN’T THE ONLY ONE WITH CONCERNS – WRITING “Many of the staffers I spoke with are angry. They are troubled. And they are sad. These were some of Fetterman’s truest believers, and they now question his fitness to be a senator. They worry he may present a risk to the Democratic Party and maybe even to himself.”
FETTERMAN WAS ASKED SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THIS STORY –
AND HERE WAS HIS RESPONSE.
“It was a hit piece. A one source hit piece and some anonymous sources so there’s nothing new. <:34- it was a dumb it piece and we’ve all moved on.”
“Its just a disgruntled group of people…and there’s only one there, there’s no new news involved in this.”
DURING THAT CNN SIT DOWN – THE REPORTER ASKED IF FETTERMAN WAS STILL TAKING HIS MEDICATION – TO WHICH FETTERMAN PUSHED BACK.
“Have you been keeping up with that, taking your medication?”
“My doctors are like john is great and i am on all of the plan that its always been and its increasingly invasive. Why are people talking about anyone’s personal medical things?”
THE NEW YORK MAGAZINE STORY WAS THE FIRST OF MANY THIS MONTH.
THE ARTICLES ABOUT “FETTERMAN’S FITNESS” KEPT COMING.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WROTE – “Sen. John Fetterman raises alarms with outburst at meeting with union officials, AP sources say.”
REPORTING FETTERMAN BEGAN – “shouting and questioning why “everybody is mad at” HIM – AND “SLAMMED his hands on a desk”.
WHEN A STAFF MEMBER ENDED THE MEETING “she broke down crying.” TEACHERS WERE “rattled by Fetterman’s behavior.”
IN AXIOS’ STORY – THE OUTLET WROTE FETTERMAN “UNNERVED” AIDES” WITH STAFF SAYING HE “SEEMS UNINTERESTED IN THE DAY TO DAY DUTIES OF A SENATOR.”
AND ONE MORE QUICK EXAMPLE FOR YOU HERE BY ANOTHER LEFT-LEANING OUTLET –</span>
=”font-weight: 400;”>POLITICO REPORTING “INTERNAL POLLING SHOWS FETTERMAN’S SUPPORT TANKING.”
49 PERCENT POLLED HAD AN “UNFAVORABLE IMPRESSION OF HIM” COMPARED TO 46 PERCENT WHO HAVE A FAVORABLE IMPRESSION.
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>POLITICO NOTES “ITS A SINGLE POLL AND RUNS COUNTER TO OTHER RECENT PUBLIC SURVEYS” LIKE “RECENT MORNING CONSULT SURVEYS” THAT FOUND FETTERMAN’S POPULARITY **RISING DUE TO NEW APPROVAL BY SOME REPUBLICAN VOTERS.
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>WE DON’T KNOW **WHO OR **WHAT AGENCY CONDUCTED THE POLL. THE POLL ITSELF WASN’T ATTACHED SO WE ALSO DON’T KNOW THE FRAMING OF THE QUESTIONS.
HOWEVER WE KNOW IT CONSISTED OF 500 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTERS IN PITTSBURGH ACCORDING TO POLITICO.
le=”font-weight: 400;”>POL
ITICO CHOSE TO SPOTLIGHT IN ITS HEADLINE THE POLL THAT IT SAYS SUGGESTS FETTERMAN’S NUMBERS ARE “TANKING” OVER THE ONES THAT SHOW HIS POPULARITY “RISING.”
>WE’VE TALKED ABOUT POLLS A FEW TIMES HERE ON BIAS BREAKDOWN.
BECAUSE POLLING IS VERY EASY TO SKEW TO FIT A NARRATIVE.
WORD CHOICE IN
DESCRIBING THESE POLLS CAN ALSO SHOW A FORM OF BIAS.
ACCORDING TO ALLSIDES –
“Journalists can reveal bias when they include subjective, qualifying adjectives in front of specific words or phrases. When a journalist uses qualifying adjectives, they are suggesting a way for you to think about or interpret the issue, instead of just giving you the facts and letting you make judgements for yourself. This can manipulate your view.”
SO BY CLASSIFYING THE POLL AS “TANKING” – VIEWERS COULD GO INTO THE ARTICLE WITH A PRECONCEIVED NOTION THAT HIS NUMBERS HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY DECLINED.
WHEN REALLY – THERE’S NO WAY FOR US TO KNOW IF HIS NUMBERS DID INDEED “TANK” BECAUSE THERE WAS NO COMPARISON GIVEN IN THIS POL
ITICO ARTICLE – NO OTHER RESULTS WERE GIVEN THAT WOULD SUGGEST HIS APPROVAL STARTED WAY UP HERE – AND OVER A PERIOD OF TIME ITS NOW “TANKED” TO 46 PERCENT APPROVAL – WHICH SOME MAY SEE HAS LOW AND OTHERS MAY SEE AS HIGH.
LET’S GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON –
YOU’VE SEEN THE RECENT ACCUSATIONS BEING MADE AGAINST FETTERMAN AND HOW LEFT OUTLETS ARE REPORTING ON THEM.
NOW LET’S LOOK AT HOW SOME OUTLETS ON THE RIGHT ARE COVERING THE NEW YORK MAGAZINE STORY – LARGELY CRITICAL OF THE TIMING OF THE LEFT’S CRITICISM.
THE DAILY WIRE WROTE “AS FETTERMAN DEFENDS ISRAEL, DEMS SUDDENLY QUESTION HIS MENTAL HEALTH.”
“Democrats who once championed him and dismissed the effects of a stroke he sustained are questioning his mental health.”
THE NATIONAL REVIEW WROTE – “In the wake of Fetterman’s stroke, his election to the Senate, and his struggles in the job c
ulminating in his admission to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, </span>e=”font-weight: 400;”>Americans were told that n>>the senator was tyle=”font-weight: 400;”>just fine”font-weight: 400;”>. Today, with Fetterman’s speech patterns seemingly having fully recovered…we’re told that he’s truly unwell.”
AND THE NEW YORK POST WROTE “Liberal media turn on John Fetterman.”
>“Many conservative critics have taken aim at New York Magazine’s
“hit piece” and believe Fetterman’s backing of Israel…is the reason why liberals are suddenly abandoning him after rallying behind him on the heels of his stroke during the 2022 midterms.”
e=”font-weight: 400;”>>LET’S TALK ABOUT THE FACTS HERE OF WHAT WE KNOW.
FETTERMAN STAFFERS ARE SUGGESTING THE SENATOR IS SUFFERING FROM MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.
SOMETHING FETTERMAN OUTRIGHT DENIES.
ASIDE FROM THIS RECENT “FIT TO SERVE CONTROVERSY” –
THE SENATOR HAS STIRRED CONTROVERSY WITHIN HIS OWN PARTY BY SOME OF THE POSITIONS HE’S TAKING THAT ARE SEEN AS MORE MODERATE – OR ACTIONS SEEN AS “REACHING ACROSS
THE AISLE.”
THINGS LIKE BEING A STAUNCH SUPPORTER OF ISRAEL AND **NOT CALLING FOR A CEASEFIRE UNTIL ALL HAMAS TERRORISTS ARE ELIMINATED –
THE POSITION LARGELY BUCKS THE PARTY’S ON THE WAR IN GAZA AND MORE CLOSELY ALIGNS WITH THAT OF REPUBLICANS.
FETTERMAN ALSO VISITED TRUMP AT MAR-A-LAGO IN JANUARY – A MEETING WHICH RECEIVED SOME DEMOCRATIC BACKLASH – TO WHICH FETTERMAN RESPONDED TO AT THE TIME.
Overall it was just a straight up conversation, i have a rule i’m going to engage and have a conversation that’s anyone playing it straight, and that’s me doing my job.”
“i didn’t love the optics of you going to mar-a-lago.”
“Maybe some people would be critical of that but for me engaging the president, i think, when you’re in this business, that’s part of the job.”
{CONT VO}
FETTERMAN HAS ALSO TAKEN A STRONG STANCE ON BORDER SECURITY – CALLING FOR MORE ACTION NEEDED – AND EVEN CALLING OUT HIS OWN PARTY IN THE PROCESS.
“One area where we lost ourselves on is the border.
“it can’t be controversial for our party to be pro immigration and want a secure border.”
{CONT VO}
FETTERMAN WAS THE CO-SPONSOR OF THE LAKEN RILEY ACT – A REPUBLICAN LED BILL REQUIRING DHS TO DETAIN IMMIGRANTS HERE ILLEGALLY IF THEY ARE CONVICTED OF A CRIME.
HE WAS ONE OF A DOZEN SENATE DEMOCRATS WHO VOTED WITH REPUBLICANS TO PASS THAT BILL.
HE ALSO VOTED WITH REPUBLICANS TO CONFIRM 10 OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S CABINET PICKS – TIED FOR THE MOST HELP FROM A DEMOCRAT IN THE CONFIRMATION PROCESS.
THAT INCLUDED SOME MORE CONTROVERSIAL CROSS-THE-AISLE VOTES FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI AND SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT SCOTT TURNER.
{ANCHOR TAG}
IN SUMMARY –
SENATOR FETTERMAN HAS HAD A UNIQUE JOURNEY –
BOTH **TO THE U.S. SENATE – AND SINCE BEING A U.S. SENATOR.
IN AN NBC INTERVIEW, FETTERMAN CLARIFIED HE WAS NO PROGRESSIVE IN THE PARTY – BUT HE ALSO CLARIFIED – HE VERY MUCH REMAINS IN THE DEMOCRATS’ CAMP – AND ALSO DOESN’T HAVE ANY PLANS TO RESIGN FROM HIS POST.
RIGHT-LEANING MEDIA QUESTIONED FETTERMAN’S PLACEMENT AND CAPABILITIES EARLY ON – BUT HAVE SINCE COME TO DEFEND FETTERMAN – SUGGESTING HE’S BEING TARGETED BY THE LEFT BECAUSE OF HIS IDEOLOGY.
WHILE LEFT-LEANING MEDIA ORIGINALLY DEFENDED FETTERMAN’S COGNITIVE ABILITIES TO SERVE – NOW REPORTS FROM THE LEFT ARE LARGELY LIFTING UP HIS STAFFERS NEWLY-SURFACED MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS AND ASKING THE SENATOR WHETHER HE SHOULD FINISH OUT HIS TERM..
LEFT AND RIGHT LEANING MEDIA HAVE THEIR OWN CONTRASTING NARRATIVES OVER HOW MUCH WEIGHT THE STAFFERS’ CONCERNS SHOULD CARRY – WHICH HAS SHAPED THEIR COVERAGE OVER THE STORY –
INSTEAD OF ALLOWING YOU TO DECIDE IT FOR YOURSELF –
BY LAYING OUT THEIR CONCERNS – WHILE ALSO GIVING FULL CONTEXT TO FETTERMAN’S EVOLUTION IN THE PARTY.
AND THAT’S YOUR BIAS BREAKDOWN.
