https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/john-fetterman-tells-maher-that-near-death-experience-freed-him-to-speak-out-says-progressivism-left-me/ar-BB1nS49V

From the article:

The liberal comedian then asked Fetterman whether his shift in various policies had anything to do with his recovery from his 2022 stroke, asking if his near-death experience had given him a “freedom.”

“Absolutely,” Fetterman responded. “There’s a line from the first ‘Batman,’ Joker’s like ‘I’ve been dead once already. It’s very liberating.'”

“It’s freeing in a way. And I just think after beating all of that, I just really [want to] be able to say the things that I have to really believe in and not be afraid of if there’s any kind of blowback.”

So basically yes, the stroke made him a Republican. Pathetic and disappointing, but all too predictable.

  • Jiggle_Physics@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I have personally worked with Fetterman a number of times while I was working for Allegheny county. He had some moderate stances on things like Israeli support, but not like this. Also, he spent his entire time as mayor of Braddock pushing a lot of very progressive things. He actively turned down opportunities to not be living in his office, and get highly paid, in order to fight a large amount of resistance he faced, even among the people he directly worked with in Braddock. He had a provable, positive, long term, impact on Braddock. He demonstrated that a lot of progressive ideas works, because Braddock implemented them, and it worked. This had a impact on how Pittsburgh, and Allegheny county in general, looked at the future, and how to best design it.

    He has demonstrated he is staunchly pro-labor and, in the past, has demonstrated so via sacrificing political payola to do that, among many other progressive things. So I am very conflicted at this serious increase in, what was previously a relatively moderate, stance on Israel. I have to wonder if it was the stroke, or did he strike a deal with AIPAC.

    • bonus_crab@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      I think most people that were adults when 9/11 happened dont expect peace to ever be possible between the arabs and the west, and see hamas and all the other extremists as suicidially determined genocidal crusaders.

      Especially so since Hamas knew they had no chance of winning any conflict they started with the Oct 7th attack but did it anyway, and maintain popular support in gaza even now.

      It’s not that older Americans necessarily want to see Palestinians slaughtered but don’t see any peaceful alternative to ending the conflict, and see it more as a ‘fuck around and find out’ situation, so long as Israel doesnt start putting people in ovens (for some even if they do).

      As an aside, geopolitically, thats kinda the point of (funding and arming and training and informing) Hamas. To make peace impossible, because peace benefits the west.

      For the sake of spreading their ideology and increasing their support, their backers want a forever war.

  • FreudianCafe@lemmy.ml
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    2 months ago

    If you think someone is lefty because they dress like an unemployed teenager then you are the true disappointment

    • kbotc@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      He’s got some strange agriculture sponsored bills, banning oil sales from the strategic reserve, but most of his sponsored bills are aimed at helping low income people stay in housing, some pro union stuff, and a bit of fuckcars. He literally sponsored a bill to cancel school meal debt at the federal level. Not sure why he’s getting blasted here as a Republican other than idiocy that he’s not a AOC clone by the “Palestine became my only issue in the last 5 months” folks.

      A bill to amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to ensure that striking workers and their households do not become ineligible for benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program, and for other purposes.

      Yea… Real Republican stance. /s

      https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/browse?sponsor=456877

      • evranch@lemmy.ca
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        2 months ago

        Insert “leftists are not liberals” meme

        Fetterman is truly for the left, he stands for the working class against the wealthy.

        Everything else is a distraction, and he realizes this fact. We need more lawmakers like him, not noisemakers like AOC going off about the unimportant issue of the week.

        Seize back control our society from the rich and everything else will follow.

      • ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.com
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        2 months ago

        That’s it? I’m reading this comment section for 5 minutes trying to find what right-wing things he’s done that are making everyone so upset, and it’s all just piling on with everyone nodding to each other about how bad he is. Comments like “the stroke should have killed him.” Weird.

        • Fluffy_Ruffs@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          This is how it goes. The second a politician shows even a fraction less than 100% commitment to the party line, people turn on them. Politics is all black and white and it’s insane. There’s no middle ground.

  • x0x7@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Or what he’s really saying is that he never believed what he said before but felt pressured into agreeing with an ideology. And now that he knows the worst that can ever happen to him is death, and that’s alright, he is a lot more candid. That doesn’t agree with progressivisms mentality of agree with the correct thing or be shut up.