CNN
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John Fetterman’s Senate campaign recently said his abilities were complicated by the Pennsylvania Democrat’s recovery from a stroke earlier this year. join the discussion With Republican candidate Mehmet Oz.
“We are working to understand what a fair discussion looks like given the lingering effects of auditory processing,” said Fetterman Campaign Strategist. Rebecca Katz told The Washington Post“I want to be clear that the problems he is having with his occasional auditory processing have nothing to do with his ability to do his job as a senator. John is healthy, showing up.” I am quite capable of doing the job.”
Especially for a candidate like Fetterman, who is the frontrunner to win the seat vacated by the retirement of Republican Senator Pat Toomey.
Especially given that Fetterman was completely out of the campaign for several months after suffering a stroke on May 13th. campaign aggressively again August 12)
And while his campaign initially attempted to downplay the seriousness of his condition, the spin was reversed when the candidate himself admitted that he was “almost dead.” in a June statement.
and Tuesday press conference With Oz, Toomey tried to turn his attention to Fetterman’s health.
“It’s clear he’s dishonest,” Toomey said of Fetterman. It’s either.
Toomey added: I can’t do the job of a US Senator sitting at home and making sarcastic tweets. ”
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which has a decidedly conservative editorial board, It was published Tuesday’s editorial About Fetterman’s condition – and why the campaign needs to release more information about it.
“If Mr. Fetterman isn’t good enough to debate his opponents, it raises serious concerns about his ability as a U.S. Senator,” read the op-ed.
Later added:
“If Fetterman’s communication skills have not yet recovered sufficiently to effectively debate opponents, many voters will be concerned about his ability to effectively represent them in Washington. Although he’s been actively involved in more campaign events and media interviews in recent weeks, Fetterman still stutters and relies on closed captions to fully understand his conversation partner. “
Questions about the health of politicians are a very sensitive topic. During the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, Donald Trump questioned the mental acuity and physical health of his Democratic opponents, suggesting they were out of work.During the 2008 presidential election , John McCain had to answer health questions on a regular basis, given his age and complicated medical history.
point: It’s not yet clear how much Pennsylvania voters care about Fetterman’s health as a voting issue.
Source: www.cnn.com
