Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was once hailed as a rising star and the face of blue-collar authenticity within the Democrat Party. But now he suddenly finds himself under a barrage of friendly fire and media criticism.
In the last few weeks, Fetterman has endured a cascade of negative coverage from outlets such as New York Magazine, Politico, Axios, The Atlantic, and others. All have raised pointed questions about Fetterman’s health, mental state, and overall fitness for office. But the timing and tenor of these attacks indicate that this isn’t a concern for his well-being, or even his job performance. This is about politics and, more specifically, punishing those who stray from the party line.
The media attacks began with a lengthy New York Magazine feature that painted a picture of a senator in the throes of a serious health crisis, relying heavily on claims from Fetterman’s former chief of staff, Adam Jentleson.
The article described a series of personal and professional worries, from supposedly erratic behavior and missed medical appointments to “conspiratorial thinking” and “reckless” driving. Jentleson wrote to Fetterman’s doctor that he was “really worried” about the senator, warning Fetterman was “on a bad trajectory.”
The splashy report triggered a wave of similarly critical articles.
Politico, for instance, reported that Fetterman is now “increasingly alone” and abandoned by former allies, with talk among Democrats about primary challenges and even potential successors.
Axios detailed how missed Senate votes and stories of staff isolation have fueled “private concerns” on Capitol Hill about Fetterman’s ability to do the job.
The Atlantic is also now circulating the same health concerns it once dismissed as right-wing hysteria.
Fetterman, for his part, has pushed back in multiple interviews, calling the story “a one-source hit piece,” and stating “it involved maybe two or three anonymous, disgruntled staffers saying just absolute false things.”
In an interview with CNN, Fetterman decried the focus on his medical records as “invasive,” denying that he was ever treated for bipolar disorder, and called the entire episode “part of this weird grudge for this hit piece.”
The entire episode represents a stunning reversal of the media narrative from when Fetterman first emerged on the national political scene. After the 55-year-old secured his party’s nomination for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat in 2022, he suffered a debilitating stroke that nearly killed him and left him unable to speak coherently.
At the time, Republicans pointed out that Fetterman was unfit in his current state to serve as a U.S. Senator. But Democrat leaders and liberal media outlets closed ranks around him. They dismissed Republican concerns as “ableist attacks,” while high-profile journalists like Kara Swisher publicly mocked anyone questioning Fetterman’s fitness for office.
“Fetterman’s comprehension is not at all impaired,” New York Magazine’s Rebecca Traister insisted at the time, echoing the party line that any doubts about his health were “gross” and politically motivated.
Yet three years later, after a significant recovery – one that has seen Fetterman actively participating in Senate business, traveling, and giving interviews – the same voices are suddenly suggesting that he is unfit to serve.
Democrats and their media allies have a long history of ignoring health problems in their ranks – so long as the member in question toes the party line. When the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein was in obvious decline – a running joke in Washington – there was no comparable drumbeat for her resignation. Why? She never broke ranks with leadership, and her vote was reliable.
And of course, it was the same story with Joe Biden, until his failing health became impossible to ignore following his debate debacle last June.
The real reason the knives are out for Fetterman has nothing to do with his health and everything to do with the fact that he’s stopped being a reliable progressive. His pro-Israel stance after the October 7 attacks, open willingness to meet with President Donald Trump, and occasional votes with Republicans have made him persona non grata among the online left and progressive activists – even though he still votes with his party the vast majority of the time.
An internal poll reportedly found that nearly half of likely Democrat voters in Pittsburgh now have an unfavorable impression of Fetterman, with nearly three-quarters of progressive Democrats rating him unfavorably. Social media is replete with examples of the left’s rapid shift from defense to outrage.
Within today’s Democrat Party, loyalty trumps all. As long as Fetterman was a reliable leftist, his health was a non-issue. Now that he’s broken ranks with progressives on Israel and a handful of other issues, his top defenders have become his most vocal critics. Health concerns once shrugged off as “disgruntled” or “anonymous” are suddenly treated as gospel. Party elites who once sang his praises now whisper about his replacement.
This is cognitive dissonance at its purest – the same Democrats who demanded compassion and patience for Fetterman’s post-stroke recovery now demand his resignation when he thinks for himself.
The sudden turn against Fetterman is less a story about one man’s health than a case study in political hypocrisy. The left’s message is that so long as you are loyal, your failings and struggles will be quietly excused. The moment you wander off script, you become expendable.
Sarah Katherine Sisk is a proud Hillsdale College alumna and a master’s student in economics at George Mason University. You can follow her on X @SKSisk76.
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