Both were elected by partisan purists at the time, but world events have brought them closer together than foreseen. Granted, the D is a very odd duck from the beginning. John Fetterman's support of Israel, while a traditional Democratic position, has stood out because of Netanyahu's extremism.
On Saturday night, both Pa. senators, Fetterman and McCormick, praised Trump's military action against Iran. while most Democrats were complaining about lack of congressional approval. Those congressional approvals might take some of the S out of any surprise.
I'm wondering if Fetterman will become his party's whipping boy, he already wasn't their favorite. I'm hoping that with BiBi's existential threat reduced, he will take the stranglehold off Gaza. If the bombing ends up a one off, as Trump claims it was, or an entrapment as feared by many, remains to be seen.
A few points:
ReplyDeleteI like the way Fetterman talks at times, but I haven’t seen a change in the way he votes, particularly when his vote is needed by the democrats. I think his talk in this case may be sincere, but on many issues has more to do with political maneuvering before his re-election campaign.
I’m not sure that we hit what we wanted to the other night when we went after Iran’s nuclear facilities. They were buried far beyond the stated capabilities of our bunker-buster bombs. That said, it was the right move to make, and apparently well-executed.
As far as Netanyahu, the world should be commending him as well. Not only has he helped to degrade Iran’s nuclear capability, he’s also taken out many of their higher military and political leaders. More importantly, his actions in Gaza and elsewhere have helped to decimate Iran’s proxies who spread terror at Iran’s urging.
Israel and the US have tolerated the murder, maiming and kidnapping of their citizens by Iran and its proxies for almost 50 years. Far from wanting to remove the stranglehold in Gaza, I don’t think it’s wise to let the boot come off of Iran’s neck for a while. Instead, I hope we continue to ramp up the pressure on Iran until they can no longer strike out on their own or through proxies.
anon@7:21: I doubt if Fetterman is maneuvering this early for re-election.
DeleteAt this point, Netanyahu's hindering of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza is a blight on Israel.
“At this point, Netanyahu's hindering of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza is a blight on Israel.”
DeleteAs you know, “humanitarian aid” in the past has been taken from the people of Gaza by Hamas or one of the 8 other terror groups that operate there, and likely funded the elaborate tunnel system from which they used to attack Israel for years.
The Israelis have given the innocent people of Gaza multiple opportunities to leave. Those that remain are either there by choice or being used by the terror groups to provide cover for those fighting Israel.
Given that history, any further aid can’t be unconditional. It should be given to only those not affiliated with the terror groups and who are on their way out.
All Hamas need do to end the suffering in Gaza is surrender. They won't, so all blame therefore should be directed at them. America and it's allies did not stop bombing German and Japanese cities until these countries surrendered unconditionally. We did so because the leadership of both countries had vowed to fight to the death, exactly as hamas is doing now. Had we stopped short of unconditional surrender in those cases, as many are demanding Isreal do now,both Germany, and Japan would have used a cease fire to rearm which is exactly what hamas plans if they get one.
DeleteScott@2:56: Israel controlling the border with Egypt, now has complete tabs over what comes into Gaza. Hamas is a concept, which will be kept alive by kids starving now.
DeleteAgain, all they need do is surrender. Until they do they are the responsible party for all the suffering. The fact they won't is evidence their fanatical, tunnel vision devotion to the total destruction of Israel.
DeleteFrom afar, the Democrats have a huge problem, and it starts with a reluctance to understand their situation. It looks like they've gone over the edge of sanity in terms of being the 20% of the 80-20 split on most issues. Honestly, many normal people think that the party is crazy.
ReplyDeleteFetterman seems to be the only sane Democrat in Washington at the moment. He also appears to have made a complete recovery from his stroke. Good. That recovery included preserving his integrity. Even better. I’ll take common sense, thoughtful deliberation and representing his entire constituency over any party label every time. Rock on, Senator.
As an active Democrat, I agree. I was just watching Democrat responses over the weekend with healthy doses of Bernie Sanders, AOC and Tim Walz etc. Our party needs to move on from these types and look for someone like Fetterman who the American voters can relate to.
DeleteBeing based in Western PA, Fetterman's embracement of Trump is all about getting re-elected. He's a smart politician.
ReplyDeleteFetterman is showing common sense. Look, in today’s ONE-PARTY Congress, our entrenched and, sometimes grifter, political class, some of that failed group needs to step out of their rigid, lockstep voting with just one philosophy. The goal should be to do what’s best for most Americans, and not just those labeled a certain way.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate those courageous enough to make the best call, and not just what their political party bosses tell them. Probably why over the years I left both the Democrat and Republican Party. I’m now registered to vote, but my registration card reads “No Party.” I assume in Northampton County, that is the same as Independent.
Yes, I always thought our politicians worked for the betterment of their constituents... but the last 50 or so years, it's apparent our politicians consideration ends abruptly at the end of their noses! They do whatever it takes to keep the perks rolling in... the country, laws and us all be damned!!! It's just them that's important to them. I always thought when you did a job you did it to the best of your ability whether or not it was what you wanted to do... that's the main reason for a paycheck... to make the unpalatable, palatable. That's why it's called work... if it was fun, we'd do for nothing!
ReplyDeleteThe following comment was submitted by Scott Armstrong, and inadvertently deleted.
ReplyDeleteBeing a member of a political party does not require total allegiance nor the abandonment of independent thought. It does provide the advantage of being able to vote in the primaries to advance the best candidates to the general. This is no small thing as voters of both parties have used their primaries to take their parties in entirely different directions. Don't be on the sidelines for this process.
Fetterman is definitely cut to a different mold and I can appreciate him being an independent thinker. He obviously has better negotiating skills and tolerance for some that I could never bring myself to shake hands with.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Israel, it has been a quagmire from the get go. As much as I feel for the persecuted peoples to have a land of their own I wonder how the U.S. would react if native American descendants, backed by foreign countries, decided to carve out a swath of land and declare itself a sovereign entity? The fact is morals are usually decided by whoever has the strongest armies.