MSNBC Hosts Say PA Senator-Elect John Fetterman is Presidential Material
The wonderful, magical affair between Pennsylvania’s United States Senator-elect John Fetterman and members of the mainstream media has reached its logical conclusion with at least one MSNBC host — no doubt speaking for the minions of other media types too modest to even broadcast their names — advancing the idea Fetterman has demonstrated such a high degree of political prowess and inspiring eloquence that he could run to be America’s commander-in-chief — similar in many respects to the way mainstream pundits latched on to attorney Michael Avenatti a few years ago and proclaimed he had the fortitude to stand against then-President Donald Trump as the standard-bearer and presidential hopeful for the Democrat Party.
Fetterman’s victory against Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz handed Democrats a flipped Senate seat on Tuesday, for which he earned ongoing praise from MSNBC panelists for introducing new leadership into the Democrat Party.
MSNBC host Katy Tur speculated on the viability of “Fetterman, as a nominee at some point for president,” before later noting his share of the votes surpassed the tallies of both President Biden and former President Trump in the state.
MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell said she had extensive experience in Pennsylvania and lauded Fetterman for clearly creating so many inroads with voters.
“I spent a lot of time covering this race, and with Pennsylvania politics, going back some decades, and I started my career there, but the fact that John Fetterman did, first of all, so much better with White non-college-educated voters,” said Mitchell. “Better than Biden, better than Trump, so he ran ahead of both of them, but he also, you know, did fairly well in the cities and in the rural counties,” she said.
Mitchell offered several reasons for Fetterman’s victory, including that he ended up more palatable to many voters than his Republican opposition, TV physician Dr. Oz..
“I attribute that partly due to the extremism at the top of the ticket in Pennsylvania,” Michell said. “Dr. Oz’s comments on abortion…that really was as big of a deal coming out of that debate as Fetterman’s performance.”
Fetterman was criticized in the final days of the campaign for his lack of transparency about his recovery from a stroke, inconsistent answers on issues like fracking an a disappointing, often incoherent debate performance last month.
Nonetheless, former White House press secretary Jen Psaki praised Fetterman for appealing to voters with what she said was his authenticity.
“I also think he ran everywhere in the state, which is a lesson for Democrats. He left no stone unturned. And he ran as exactly who he is. I mean I have no doubt that if John Fetterman were sitting here, if he were in a bar or if he was with his family in a restaurant, he would be exactly the same person,” Psaki said. “And voters completely see through that. So that is also a lesson for Democrats, too. This is a guy you know who he is, you know what you’re getting, and that ultimately matters in politics.”
Although Tur did assert Fetterman could aim for the presidency, she later qualified her comments.
“I know there’s some variables, obviously, but I just, you know, what he did in the super-red, deep-red parts of Pennsylvania and the way that he ran ahead of Biden, ran ahead of Trump, and it makes you wonder about his future,” she said.
