🇺🇸 Key Debate in the Keystone State

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Right: Alaska Republicans vote to censure McConnell over support for Murkowski in Senate race (Washington Examiner)

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POLITICS

Key Debate in the Keystone State

Last night the first and only debate was held in the race to replace retiring US Senator from Pennsylvania Pat Toomey. Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz, a retired surgeon and former television host, squared off with Democratic candidate John Fetterman, Pennsylvania's Lieutenant Governor. The topics discussed included crime, inflation, energy policy, the upcoming 2024 race, and health care.

Reporting from the Left: Fetterman Pushes Through Debate With Oz After Stroke (Daily Beast)

Reporting from the Right: Fetterman stumbles during debate when questioned about flip-flop on support for fracking (Fox News)

From The Flag: At the onset of the debate, Fetterman acknowledged that he had suffered a stroke in May, but vowed to "keep coming back up". Oz described himself as a political outsider who wants to use his medical background to help bridge the partisan divide. Previous issues covered the debate itself as well as the Oz and Fetterman campaigns. Here's more from both sides.

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Crime, Abortion, and Recovery From a Stroke on the Debate Docket

• Both candidates are on either side of the abortion and crime divide, and both issues are important to Pennsylvania voters.

• A stroke survivor with ties to Pittsburgh says Fetterman is doing the stroke survivor community a disservice.

• Democratic officials are privately disclosing that Fetterman’s health issues aren’t the reason he’s sliding in the polls.

“​​Abortion vs. Crime in Pennsylvania’s Senate Election Nail-Biter” Mene Ukueberuwa, Wall Street Journal Opinion: “What’s a little thing like a stroke when the abortion rights of millions are on the line? That’s the argument Pennsylvania Democrats are making… It’s not a bad line given the circumstances. Abortion and crime have risen to the top of many voters’ minds. The partisan gap is wide enough on these issues that voters look past their candidates’ personal shortcomings. … The end of Roe v. Wade in June boosted Democrats in blue and purple states… But Mr. Oz is also vague on abortion. He’s declined to say clearly whether he supports a 15-week ban in Pennsylvania or at the federal level. … The other key to Mr. Oz’s turnaround is his emphasis on crime. … He says he’d vote to increase federal funds for police departments, and last month Pennsylvania’s Fraternal Order of Police endorsed him.”

“John Fetterman is doing a disservice to stroke survivors” Adam Small, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Op-ed: “As a stroke survivor… I think John Fetterman is doing wrong for the stroke survivor community. … First, he is showing employers everywhere that you can push employees to come back to work before they are ready. He is showing that the Americans with Disabilities Act shouldn’t, maybe can’t, be used by stroke survivors during the end of their recovery period. Second, he is telling stroke survivors, and people with any injuries, to suck it up, walk it off, keep trucking. He is saying: put your career before your wellbeing. … Third, he is not being a strong and courageous model for other stroke survivors. A strong and courageous person tells his backers, friends and family that now is not the right time for me to run for office. He says that his brain needs more time to rest and heal and someone else should run in his place.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: ‘There’s No There There’: Fetterman’s Problems Go Beyond His Health Salena Zito, American Greatness

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Debates Don’t Get Much Bigger, and Neither Do the Stakes for Democrats

• This debate is of massive importance because Pennsylvania’s voters have had limited exposure to each candidate.

• The reaction to Fetterman’s use of closed captioning amid his recovery from a stroke is ableism on display.

• Fetterman’s dressed-down look conveys that he is a man of the people and not a typical, suited politician.

“The John Fetterman-Mehmet Oz Debate: The Midterms in Miniature” Michelle Cottle, New York Times Opinion: “Let’s imagine that someone wanted to design a debate scenario that captured the high-stakes, uncertain, migraine-inducing essence of this freaky election cycle. (Don’t ask me why. Politics makes people do weird stuff some times.) The final result could easily wind up looking an awful lot like the Senate showdown in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night between John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz. Here we are, two weeks out from Election Day, with Pennsylvania among a smattering of states set to determine which party controls the Senate. For various reasons, Pennsylvanians have had limited opportunities to take an extended measure of the candidates. With the race now tighter than a bad face lift, this debate may be the candidates’ last big chance for a breakout performance — or a catastrophic belly flop. Rarely have so many expectations been heaped onto one measly debate.”

“Oz-Fetterman debate discourse shows our ‘discomfort’ with disability” by Mihir Kakara, Philadelphia Inquirer Opinion: “Some viewers may notice an element that hasn’t appeared in previous debates: closed captioning. Fetterman is recovering from a stroke and ensuing language disabilities, and relies on closed captioning as a result. Recently, the disability community and allies have voiced their utter disappointment at the way the public is talking about that. … The discourse can be summed up in one word: ableist. It’s a reflection of a larger issue: our country’s persisting discomfort around disabled bodies and minds. … Just look at how we are talking about John Fetterman. The obsession over Fetterman’s need for basic accessibility software… is one more reminder of who dominates the narratives in our current society — nondisabled people — and the gross underrepresentation of disabled people and disabled experiences in nearly every sphere of society.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: The Unorthodox Political Rise of John Fetterman Abby Vesoulis, Mother Jones

FLAG THIS

Fetterman in the Lead, Economy the Top Issue

A new poll released this week showed Fetterman (51%) leading Oz (45%) among likely voters. Breaking it out by party, 97% of Democrats back Fetterman, while 86% of Republicans support Oz. A majority of Independents (54%) say they will vote for Oz (CNN).

Last month a survey conducted by Muhlenberg College and The Morning Call ranked the issues Pennsylvania voters care most about heading in the midterms. The economy was number one (22%), followed by abortion (20%), and inflation (12%).

FLAG FINDS

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