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.

top 73 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 138 points 1 month ago

Can't really fault him, ive been making the same mistake thinking he was a lifelong republican all along as well.

  • source
  • [–] 112 points 1 month ago (1 child)
  • [–] 65 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    "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.

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 61 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    If I stroke out just pull the plug, I can't risk becoming a Republican.

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 56 points 1 month ago

    Fetterman accidentally tells the truth

  • source
  • [–] 54 points 1 month ago (12 children)

    Tldr:

    “Let’s revisit after the midterms, and let’s see what happens – you know – if I happen to be 51,” said Fetterman, who was elected to the US Senate in 2022. “I don’t know.”

    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

  • source
  • hideshow 12 child comments
  • [–] 12 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    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.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 8 points 1 month ago*

    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.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago

    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

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 8 points 1 month ago (7 children)

    I don't get why the Democrats don't just boot him out of the party?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 7 child comments
  • [–] 6 points 1 month ago

    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.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] -1 points 1 month ago (4 children)

    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

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    You guys need to burn Washington down and start over. Dumbest fucking political system ever.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] -1 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    Dumbest fucking political system ever.

    What an ignorant thing to say...

    Not even historically even, like, just present day has worse shit...

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 49 points 1 month ago (4 children)

    Yes, we know. Dude is just a Republican plant.

  • source
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 11 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    I'm convinced that it's his stroke causing a personality change and possibly cognitive decline.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    I'm convinced the stroke was fake and his run as a democrat was a ruse to get elected on false promises

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago

    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.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 31 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    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.

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 16 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    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.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 17 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    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.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 24 points 1 month ago (4 children)

    Democrats winning 51 seats will not be enough to resist Trump. He will switch sides and vote maga the rest of his term.

  • source
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (1 child)

    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.)

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 23 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    Why is the senator of Pennsylvania doing at a conference in and about Texas?

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 16 points 1 month ago (4 children)

    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.

  • source
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago* (3 children)

    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.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    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.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 14 points 1 month ago

    Sorry, John, but this isn’t out of context.

  • source
  • [–] 12 points 1 month ago

    because he is

  • source
  • [–] 11 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    What a doofus. With "allies" like Uncle Festerman, who the fuck needs political opposition?

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 18 points 1 month ago

    He was always this way, the stroke just damaged his brain-to-mouth filter.

  • source
  • [–] 8 points 1 month ago

    Never trust a motherfucker from York county.

  • source
  • [–] 12 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    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.

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 12 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

    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).

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 6 points 1 month ago

    It was him or Dr. Oz and I an starting to think Oz would have been a better choice.

  • source
  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago

    I think the accidentally was calling himself anything else.

  • source
  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago

    There it is.

  • source
  • [–] 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    oh, did the new rotating villain drop early?

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago

    Two more years of this idiot. Then they can dump his ass to the curb.

  • source
  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago

    Freudian slip noun
    : a slip of the tongue that is motivated by and reveals some unconscious aspect of the mind

  • source
  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago (10 children)

    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 …

  • source
  • hideshow 10 child comments
  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago (9 children)

    Let’s stick to the facts. Under Biden and Obama it was only weddings and school busses. Which is fine for some reason.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 9 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (7 children)
  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (5 children)

    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.”

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 5 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago (4 children)

    one side is unequivocally better and claims against that serve the right wing.

    Also we both know zero people are saying this:

    Which is fine for some reason.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

    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.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (2 children)

    A vote for Biden was a vote against Nazis. Those people you would love to stay in power.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    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.

  • source
  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    Poor thing. He thinks he was born after the stroke.

  • source
  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    The brain damage has been doing a lot of the speaking for him for a while now.

  • source