John Fetterman accidentally calls himself ‘a lifelong Republican’
Social and news media commenters seize on senator’s gaffe, with some characterizing it as a Freudian slip
With speculation about whether he may defect from the Democratic party swirling around him, US senator John Fetterman described himself seemingly unintentionally as a “lifelong Republican” during a fireside chat in Texas over the weekend.
Fetterman made the comment when someone listening to him speak with CBS News political correspondent Major Garrett at the Texas Tribune Festival on Saturday asked the Pennsylvania senator why he had not become an independent.
“Because I’m a lifelong Republican,” Fetterman replied. Garrett promptly corrected him by saying, “Democrat,” as Fetterman raised a hand and shook his head in disbelief.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/28/john-fetterman-gaffe-republicanOpen linkView original on lemmy.world
79 replies
If I stroke out just pull the plug, I can't risk becoming a Republican.
Dude, he didnt become a republican because of the stroke.
He's always been one. and a piece of shit asshole too
his locals have been saying that from the damn start.
He was always this way, the stroke just damaged his brain-to-mouth filter.
Why is the senator of Pennsylvania doing at a conference in and about Texas?
Just republican things. You wouldn't understand.
He doesn't wear a tie, but he wears his Freudian slip.
Now that part we need to normalize. Ties are useless, annoying, uncomfortable, and I'm done cases potentially dangerous. I think they're ugly af personally, but I think women think they look good? Or maybe they're more attached to the status that sometimes comes with them.
I could go on a whole rant, but I understand that in certain circumstances a uniform might be useful, it helpful. But I'm so other circumstances, wearing something formal should never ever be expected or demanded.
Leave it as an option for the sickos who convince themselves they really want to and it's not a phase, but I have a feeling that once getting rid of suits and ties becomes the default, no one will ever want to outside of actors playing characters dated sometime between their invention and riddance), and maybe for some weird sex stuff.
People look better when they're comfortable. Let them be comfortable, even at work.
I've already told my younger siblings that when I'm dead (not that I've decided exactly what should happen at all yet), that under absolutely no circumstances do I want a stuffy formal funeral, or even burial. Humans made a mistake creating the funeral industry.
One of my brothers is a little annoyed at that, as I do have a funeral director as a brother. But he's known me longer than he's worked there, so he'll get over it. Not like I would ever sit a funeral anyway. But that's not why I don't want one.
This is where the rant would really start, but I could go for a while on this subject (and the tangential ones that would come up, like getting to funerals from ties).
Ties are a descendent of the cravat. It's just another way to accessorize. We used to have plain shirts and coats, and it was something to add a little pizzazz somewhere.
You might do the same thing, but with graphic tees, face piercings, tattoos, hairstyles, or any other thing that differentiates your appearance from anyone else's. Basically, our monkey brains see other people with a cool new look, and we want it, too. That's what happened with the necktie, once upon a time.
I feel the same towards those. Like I said, it can still exist, but should not be the default for "serious business".
I realize (or assume) that was the royal "you" there, but personally I have a cartoon character's wardrobe basically. Shorts and solid colored tees. No piercings or tattoos, and I'm bald.
There is one tattoo I have picked out that I might get eventually, but my doctor has strongly advised against it. But I might just say "fuck it" one day and just be super duper careful about infection prevention (in my condition that is very likely to happen, while also being a waaay bigger problem potentially than it is most people).
But it would be more personally significant than a decoration to me.
Ties are really fun to be pulled with during some activities. But at work they’re dumb
Maybe for some people. But I can't think of a single wardrobe-based turnoff that's as severe.
He’s getting paid to deliver Republican wins. Fetterman loves the money. I doubt he cares which party he aligns with as long as the grift keeps paying.
Practically everyone in office is getting paid to deliver something.
For example, Biden was paid to stop minimum wage.
Trump was paid to invade Iraq.
You can tell what they were paid for by watching what they do. Viola! That's what was paid for.
Dollars are free speech and corporations are people.
Trump invaded Iraq? Did I miss that?
Pretty sure they meant Iran.
This is a post about Fetterman. He drastically changed his politics after he discovered how easy it is to take bribes. No one is disputing politics is replete with people on the take on both sides. That’s a different post.
because he is
It was him or Dr. Oz and I an starting to think Oz would have been a better choice.
oh, did the new rotating villain drop early?
I think this one has been teased for a while.
I think trying to brush off the Epstein files gets you more status that an rotating villain but nobody on the internet can hold more than one idea at a time so sure, I guess that makes him part-time
Never trust a motherfucker from York county.
There it is.
Can't really fault him, ive been making the same mistake thinking he was a lifelong republican all along as well.
"Accidentally"
He definitely said it accidentally. That doesn't make it untrue.
"Accidentally"...
Either this guy's brain was so deprived of oxygen that it's now unable to lie, or - more likely - he's sending not-so-subtle messages to his soon-to-be new political family.
His brain was so deprived of oxygen. Just five more seconds and he'd be a brain dead vegetable. Instead he's got just enough brain function to be a Republican.
Also see: McConnelling.
Fetterman accidentally tells the truth
Tldr:
If he has to put an R by his name to block Dems, he'll do it.
But the grift money for being the most conservative Dem is a shit ton more than being a random Republican.
So he's not going to do it unless there's a reason, and that would likely come with a lump sum bribe.
He's advertising that he'd be for sale to all the billionaires who want trump to be unaccountable
If the switched side ne would paraded around as the Spostate and then quickly forgotten
Should be illegal to run as Democrat get elected then switch to other party. If you want to switch Should have to run as that party. If I lived in that state I be PISSED! ASSHOLE should be recalled. The fact that voters in Pennsylvania aren't protesting at the capital demanding just that.
I don't think political parties should be written into the law at all, but in general the ability to vote to recall a politician should be. Some states are able to do that, and there should be a new election if they are recalled.
I'd support a law that would automatically trigger a recall vote if a sitting representative changes party affiliation.
Of course since states have full control over the election of their representatives I suppose it may have to be 50 laws, but still
I don't get why the Democrats don't just boot him out of the party?
Because he takes all the blame while they all get to cash their bribe checks as well.
Because a dino still sits in a blue chair, and for them it can be all about the identity of the chairs in the room.
But yeah. If the numbers swing hard enough on the midterms he won't need to choose sides because it'll be safe enough that they can boot him now and primary him later.
Because a new Congress is every 2 years and majorities matter a lot...
Like, what do you think the gain is from kicking him out of the party?
And who do you think should be in control of vetting politicians for the party?
I understand your frustrations, but you haven't thought this thru
You guys need to burn Washington down and start over. Dumbest fucking political system ever.
What an ignorant thing to say...
Not even historically even, like, just present day has worse shit...
Its OK, I know there's dumber shit, burn it down and make it better.
...
Yes, we know. Dude is just a Republican plant.
I'm convinced that it's his stroke causing a personality change and possibly cognitive decline.
his locals that have known and dealt with him long before the election have all said he's been a fucking cunt his entire life.
the stroke had nothing to do with anything
I'm convinced the stroke was fake and his run as a democrat was a ruse to get elected on false promises
Well the big three in Fetterman's election were himself, Dr. Oz, and Dave McCormick. At the time, Fetterman seemed like the better pick. But now I know "it's the same picture." Fetterman won't make it out of his next primary unless he runs as a Republican... Then maybe, but probably not still.
If you listen to him, he clearly still has issues with speech after the stroke. A speech impediment isn’t inherently disqualifying from being a lawmaker, but such a dramatic change to someone’s brain should have automatically triggered a re-election that allowed the voters to evaluate if he could still perform his duties to the same degree as when he was elected by the people.
Except, the stroke happened before the election. The stroke happened before the primary.
The people of Pennsylvania elected him to office knowing that he'd had a serious stroke.
Yeah dog. Welcome to representative politics. The primary was never even close. Stroke was a few days beforehand. His campaign talked up his recovery. Feel free to look up quotes about just needing surgery for a pacemaker and how he’d be fine. All the messaging stayed progressive; campaigns are run by staffers, so him being absent meant nothing for outward appearances. And who would progressives have voted for after he won the primary—Doctor Oz? Or should everyone have banded together to call the Fetrerman campaign liars and form a write in push for one of the primary losers? And risk losing Pennsylvania to DOCTOR OZ?!
Pennsylvanians were lied to and they have no true representation. But there’s no mechanism to fix that. You’re supposed to wait a couple years and just take what you get, because it’s more important that you follow the rules than it is to be heard. And that’s called democracy.
Between Oz, McCormick and Fetterman, at least Fetterman lives in Pennsylvania. That's how shitty the choices for that election ended up being.
Democrats winning 51 seats will not be enough to resist Trump. He will switch sides and vote maga the rest of his term.
Trump will just veto anything the Senate passes anyway. The real advantage to having a majority will be to be able to appoint the majority leader and also lead the various subcommittees. Plus it'll better position the Democrats to take a larger majority in 2028 (which is also when Fetterman can be primaried.)
Yeah, exactly. I didn't think anything would get passed.
There’s a decent chance that would lead to political violence against him.
One can only dream
Sorry, John, but this isn’t out of context.
Anyone who is loyal to a party is putting a party over their constituents. I'd say whichever party he was going to say is a problem. No representative should be voting for what the "rest of the group" is voting for but rather what the people they represent want. If 65% of his constituents say they want to end U.S. sanctions on Cuba it shouldn't matter what they want, or the party wants, his vote should be to end sanctions on Cuba or be immediately ousted for being corrupt.
You are correct about this. The key problem for him specifically is actions are not reflecting what the majority of his voters wanted. But this does also address another problem (not so much for senators but for representatives in the House), the number of people they represent.
We need an expansion of the House and redistricting so that each seat only represents a limit of people, so they can actually talk to those people and know what their interests are. Too large a chuck of population and that becomes muddled, and so party lines is far simpler to manage, assuming the votes still stand. But for local issues, which are often what bills are about, how can party line always be the best option, or even matter? Some things are politically bounded, they're what's best for the people in that region, and if the rep doesn't even really know who that is or what they want...
Granted, they have a staff to do a lot of this, but the population number per is still too high.
Oh, and Fetterman is damaged goods, they need a new senator. Of course, look at Kentucky, they didn't even have one of the senators for 90+ days (and I still have doubts).
What a doofus. With "allies" like Uncle Festerman, who the fuck needs political opposition?
Please dont disparage Uncle Fester. He is loyal to his family and always has been.
I think the accidentally was calling himself anything else.
Freudian slip noun
: a slip of the tongue that is motivated by and reveals some unconscious aspect of the mind
Two more years of this idiot. Then they can dump his ass to the curb.
Poor thing. He thinks he was born after the stroke.
don’t forget: the only real party is “capitalist”. the reps and dems are just sister parties under the capitalist party. they are the same effective party. even if you think they’re not, because one openly blows up girls schools and the other does it in a way you never had to notice …
Let’s stick to the facts. Under Biden and Obama it was only weddings and school busses. Which is fine for some reason.
my bad. facts is facts! (assume thats why i’ve gotten the downvotes, people upset i got the cohorts of who each side blew up wrong.)
bOtH siDes
When was the last time the democrats supported reducing military funding?
reminding folks there ain’t no war but class war is not a form of “both sides” it’s a form of “grow the fuck up and stop pretending one side is better.”
one side is unequivocally better and claims against that serve the right wing.
Also we both know zero people are saying this:
they are saying it through votes. a vote for biden was a vote to keep his ways going. same as a vote for trump. or a vote for harris. or a write in. it’s literally how intention is said by the public.
A vote for Biden was a vote against Nazis. Those people you would love to stay in power.
? your statement makes no sense. a) i didnt vote for biden, nor trump. b) why do you want nazis to stay in power? that’s a pos move.
The brain damage has been doing a lot of the speaking for him for a while now.
Quasimodo is a fucking clown. The only reason he got elected is because the choice was between him and TV personality "Dr" Oz. Quasi is a lazy sack of shit and doesn't want his job. PA should send this asshole packing as soon as possible.