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You are here: Home / Politics / Assuming That You Think Beto and Fetterman Are Both a Breath of Fresh Air – Who Are the Betos and Fettermans that Aren’t Widely Known Yet?

Assuming That You Think Beto and Fetterman Are Both a Breath of Fresh Air – Who Are the Betos and Fettermans that Aren’t Widely Known Yet?

by WaterGirl|  August 17, 202212:00 pm| 257 Comments

This post is in: Democratic Politics, Politics

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Cole and I were talking about Beto and Fetterman yesterday, wondering who are the Betos and the Fettermans in the Democratic party that aren’t on our radar yet.

*Open thread.

Assuming That You Think Beto and Fetterman Are Both a Breath of Fresh Air – Who Are the Betos and Fettermans that Aren't Widely Known Yet?

*I think I will get a rash if I hear one more word about yesterday’s primary election, so if you want to talk about that, there are 3 other recent posts to do that.

Update: I will belatedly add a request that you guys include what it is about the person that makes you think of them in response to this question.

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Reader Interactions

257Comments

  1. 1.

    zhena gogolia

    August 17, 2022 at 12:11 pm

    Chris Murphy.

  2. 2.

    Another Scott

    August 17, 2022 at 12:14 pm

    State Senator Scott Surovell in Virginia.  Extremely hard working, smart, team player, finds ways to get things done.

    I didn't quite get John Fetterman's schtick when he got the nomination, but I'll just say that candidates who are true to who they are tend to succeed & I don't need to be a Pennsylvanian to see that he is OWNING Dr. Oz in this race – I still don't know what crudité is… https://t.co/PKssJRgHPL

    — 🇺🇦Senator Scott Surovell 🇺🇦 (@ssurovell) August 17, 2022

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  3. 3.

    Pete Mack

    August 17, 2022 at 12:16 pm

    Beshear for President!

  4. 4.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 12:18 pm

    @zhena gogolia: Can you say more?

  5. 5.

    oatler

    August 17, 2022 at 12:19 pm

    Jeff Merkley

  6. 6.

    Baud

    August 17, 2022 at 12:20 pm

    Not really fresh, but as I said in the morning thread, Brian Schatz has a good Twitter game

  7. 7.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 12:20 pm

    @Another Scott: I didn’t quite get John Fetterman’s schtick when he got the nomination -Scott Surovell

    I get it.  One word, affability.

    For whatever problems he has, which I agree are problems; Fetterman is affable.  Sort of a very slightly enlightened “I’d have a beer with him.”

  8. 8.

    Kent

    August 17, 2022 at 12:24 pm

    @Kropacetic: Fetterman is a smart redneck.   That is a winning combo in American politics.  Bill Clinton was the same (but definitely not Hillary).

  9. 9.

    Felanius Kootea

    August 17, 2022 at 12:26 pm

    That state rep or senator from Michigan who was accused of grooming and gave a fiery speech that should have shamed the Republicans (but didn’t). Don’t know her name but I’d watch her.

  10. 10.

    cain

    August 17, 2022 at 12:28 pm

    When do the Obama girls start running?

  11. 11.

    zhena gogolia

    August 17, 2022 at 12:29 pm

    @WaterGirl: He’s charismatic and energetic and has all the right policies. He’s been out front about gun control and Ukraine. He spends a lot of time out in the community. He attended a zoom event at our small college along with Ukrainian community workers and govt. servants. (Blumenthal did too, another time.)

  12. 12.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 12:29 pm

    @Kent: Fetterman is a smart redneck.   That is a winning combo in American politics.  Bill Clinton was the same (but definitely not Hillary).

    He reminds me a lot of the union guys who show up when I volunteer for local Dem campaigns here in MA.

    I found myself, just randomly out of the blue, having a real sad about HRC 2016 last night.

  13. 13.

    zhena gogolia

    August 17, 2022 at 12:30 pm

    @Felanius Kootea: Mallory McMorrow

  14. 14.

    JPL

    August 17, 2022 at 12:30 pm

    @WaterGirl: Each year he does a walk across CT in order to stay connected with constituents.     The link to his website will tell you more.   He’s definitely one to watch.    link

  15. 15.

    Baud

    August 17, 2022 at 12:30 pm

    @zhena gogolia:

    I like the politicians who put in the community work.

  16. 16.

    JR

    August 17, 2022 at 12:31 pm

    Borrowing a sports theme, I’ll go with Jason Kander as a “post-hype sleeper”.

    He may never choose to try for a national platform, though, which is entirely his right.

  17. 17.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    August 17, 2022 at 12:32 pm

    @Kropacetic:

    Yeah, I’d agree. From what I’ve seen of him so far, he’s pretty likeable/funny and his team are on fire. I’m sure they’re all glad Oz is the R candidate; he keeps embarrassing himself in ways that make him look out of touch and obvious he’s an out of stater

  18. 18.

    JPL

    August 17, 2022 at 12:32 pm

    Jon Ossoff is another one to watch, imo.     He’s been campaigning with Warnock and I hope that helps keep Herschel away from office.

  19. 19.

    Ken

    August 17, 2022 at 12:32 pm

    @Another Scott: I still don’t know what crudité is

    But should Fetterman really get credit for Oz’s own goals?  Then again, that’s how it works in futbol.

  20. 20.

    Betty Cracker

    August 17, 2022 at 12:33 pm

    Anna V. Eskamani, who reps the Orlando area in the Florida Statehouse, has that kind of potential, IMO. She’s in her early 30s, comes across as a real person and understands how to effectively communicate with different audiences on controversial issues. 

  21. 21.

    Mustang Bobby

    August 17, 2022 at 12:33 pm

    Val Demmings is running very close to Marco Rubio in Florida.  One poll actually has her ahead.  I don’t expect it to last, but if the contest is close, I wonder if the RSC is going to freak out.

  22. 22.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 12:34 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I’m sure they’re all glad Oz is the R candidate; he keeps embarrassing himself in ways that make him look out of touch and obvious he’s an out of stater

    To be fair to Dr. Oz, I think he’d look out of touch in New Jersey also.

  23. 23.

    Kent

    August 17, 2022 at 12:41 pm

    @Ken:But should Fetterman really get credit for Oz’s own goals?  Then again, that’s how it works in futbol.

    He gets credit for pointing them out.

  24. 24.

    Baud

    August 17, 2022 at 12:43 pm

    @Kropacetic:

    Agree. And that’s hard to do.

  25. 25.

    Kent

    August 17, 2022 at 12:43 pm

    @Mustang Bobby:Val Demmings is running very close to Marco Rubio in Florida.  One poll actually has her ahead.  I don’t expect it to last, but if the contest is close, I wonder if the RSC is going to freak out.

    How far ahead does she need to be to overcome the voter suppression in FL?

  26. 26.

    FastEdD

    August 17, 2022 at 12:43 pm

    Careful with a rash. I think there’s a cream for that!

  27. 27.

    Baud

    August 17, 2022 at 12:43 pm

    @JPL:

    GA is like in a golden age of US Senators.  I hope it continues.

  28. 28.

    rikyrah

    August 17, 2022 at 12:45 pm

    Ron DeSantis replaced elected attorney with one bringing back “Biking while Black” policy
    “This is a racist policy that was created to perpetuate systemic racism within our community.”
    By Alex Bollinger Wednesday, August 17, 2022

    Leaders in the African American community in Florida are speaking out after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) replaced a pro-trans state attorney with a lawyer who wants to bring back what has been called the “Biking while Black” policy.

    Earlier this month, DeSantis said that he fired Hillsborough County state attorney Andrew Warren (D), even though Warren is an elected official. DeSantis said that Warren has spoken out against bans on transgender youth getting gender affirming medical care – the state of Florida does not have such a ban – and that he said signed a letter opposing the criminal prosecution of people seeking an abortion. Warren also criticized the state’s Don’t Say Gay law.

    Now people are speaking out because DeSantis picked Susan Lopez to replace Warren last week. Lopez issued a memo immediately to employees of the state attorney’s office that said, “Effective immediately, any policy my predecessor put in place that called for presumptive non-enforcement of the laws of Florida is immediately rescinded. This includes the bike stop and pedestrian stop policy.”

    The bike stop law allowed police officers to stop and ticket cyclists for violating safety rules, including taking their hands off the handlebars. The was the subject of a 2016 Department of Justice investigation that found that 75% of bicyclists stopped under the law in Tampa were Black, while only about 23% of the city’s population is Black, according to the Census Bureau.

     

    https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/08/ron-desantis-replaced-elected-attorney-one-bringing-back-biking-black-policy/

  29. 29.

    Mustang Bobby

    August 17, 2022 at 12:46 pm

    @Kent: She could win by 20 points and DeSantis and TFG would claim it was rigged.

  30. 30.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 12:46 pm

    Belatedly that you guys include what it is about the person that makes you think of them in response to this question, if you haven’t already. :-)

  31. 31.

    Mo Salad

    August 17, 2022 at 12:46 pm

    @Ken: Think more like American Football. Oz is throwing interceptions and Team Fetterman is returning them for touchdowns.

  32. 32.

    Baud

    August 17, 2022 at 12:47 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    Is this going to be on the exam?

  33. 33.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    August 17, 2022 at 12:50 pm

    @Kropacetic:

    Well yeah, he didn’t know how to act in a supermarket like a normal person, so that tracks lol

  34. 34.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 12:53 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Oh, I always see TV celebrities in the supermarket making short videos complaining about the price of groceries; all while selecting the most expensive, least appetizing choices.

  35. 35.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    August 17, 2022 at 12:53 pm

    @rikyrah:

    I don’t like that man. He’s actively malevolent

  36. 36.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 12:54 pm

    @Mustang Bobby: Hey, haven’t seen you in awhile!  I did a double-take when I saw your nym. :-)

  37. 37.

    Mustang Bobby

    August 17, 2022 at 12:54 pm

    @WaterGirl: The fact that Val Demmings was briefly considered for the VP slot by the Biden campaign in 2020, plus her dogged pursuit of funds (see my inbox) and the lack of a competitive race to replace DeSantis.  I like her and haven’t seen any national coverage of the race because the Very Serious Pundits think Rubio is a shoo-in.​
    ​
    ​

  38. 38.

    Mustang Bobby

    August 17, 2022 at 12:55 pm

    @WaterGirl: Thanks!  I’ve been lurking.  It’s been a wild spring and summer at work and in the playwriting world.

  39. 39.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 12:55 pm

    @Baud:

    GA is like in a golden age of US Senators.

    Yes!  They both elevate the senate, each in their own way.  Love love love Ossoff.  If I had to pick only one person in response to the question posed, he would be my pick.  He’s whip-smart, personable, action-oriented, great communicator, and he has that certain something.

  40. 40.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 17, 2022 at 12:56 pm

    @Kent: I am not a golfer, but I believe the saying is, “Play the ball as it lies.”

    On topic, Mandela Barnes in Wisconsin.

    ETA:  In response to WG’s absurd additional requirement:  Barnes is young, smart, charismatic, and he puts in the work.  I expect big things from him.

  41. 41.

    zhena gogolia

    August 17, 2022 at 12:57 pm

    @WaterGirl: Demings was great in the first impeachment.

  42. 42.

    Betty Cracker

    August 17, 2022 at 12:58 pm

    @rikyrah: Warren announced today that he’s suing DeSantis in federal court to get his job back. I have no idea what his chances are. IIRC, Tampa’s mayor, Jane Castro, who was the city’s police chief when the biking while black review came out, said she’d ask Tampa’s cops to continue to abide by the guidelines in place prior to Warren’s ouster.

    The whole thing is maddening because, as everyone capable of abstract thought knows, cops selectively enforce laws all the time, and prosecutors exercise discretion all the time. DeSantis is counting on his meathead supporters NOT knowing that, so it looks like he’s being tough on crime when in reality he’s making an authoritarian power grab to punish a critic.

  43. 43.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 1:01 pm

    @Betty Cracker: The whole thing is maddening because, as everyone capable of abstract thought knows, cops selectively enforce laws all the time, and prosecutors exercise discretion all the time. DeSantis is counting on his meathead supporters NOT knowing that

    Oh, they know.  Law enforcement and prosecutorial discretion are meant for wingers only, not those* people.

    *Applies to several types of “those”

  44. 44.

    ian

    August 17, 2022 at 1:03 pm

    Joe Neguse of Colorado.  Threads a good needle between progressive and moderate wings of the party, good public speaker, worked as an impeachment floor manager during the reign of error.  I think he has a future if/when either of Colorado’s Dem senators retire, or when Polis is out of the governors office.

  45. 45.

    misterpuff

    August 17, 2022 at 1:06 pm

    I know that we know her but I don’t think she’s widely known by the Normies.

    Katie Porter has SME – Soccer (Suburban) Mom Energy and she persists (Won’t back down).

  46. 46.

    FastEdD

    August 17, 2022 at 1:10 pm

    Gavin Newsom from my home state aggressively takes it to the repubs and really isn’t worried about being re-elected this fall as Gov. Gav. The failed recall only solidified his position. I really like the guy, but … he comes off as too slick at times. I don’t think he can take his act nationally, plus he and the MVP have always worked together to not compete with each other.

  47. 47.

    Geminid

    August 17, 2022 at 1:11 pm

    Sharice Davids (KS-3) is a very good, young politician. Republicans made her district about 50-50 Republican-Democrat, so she has a tough reelection fight this year. Like most of the House Class of 2018, Davids doesn’t make a splash in national news, but she is very active in her district.

  48. 48.

    Another Scott

    August 17, 2022 at 1:12 pm

    @Baud: Surovell helps clean up a local creek every year.  He’s been doing the grunt work to get improved transit farther out from the Beltway and reducing pedestrian deaths for people crossing US-1 for years.  He worked to raise the Virginia dollar threshold for larceny felonies from $200 (!!!!) to $1000.  And on and on.

    He’s a workhorse and I really hope that he continues to have a long career in public service.  He could do great things at the national level, also too.

    We have lots and lots of great public servants out there.  They need more visibility.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  49. 49.

    Grumpy Old Railroader

    August 17, 2022 at 1:13 pm

    The BEST hands down is the “Queen of the Whiteboard” California Congresswoman Katie Porter. Plain talking no BS and pushing all the correct agendas. Sort of a younger Elizabeth Warren. I’m hoping that when a dazed and confused Dianne Einstein finally gets wheeled out of the Senate, Porter will be appointed as Senator of California

  50. 50.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 1:13 pm

    @Baud: I didn’t mean to sound obnoxious or teacher-y!

    It’s just that “Bobby Sue is awesome” isn’t going to stick with us for very long.

  51. 51.

    LeftCoastYankee

    August 17, 2022 at 1:13 pm

    Breath of fresh air?  Joe Biden.  Which given how long he’s been around in Washington is pretty damn hard.

  52. 52.

    Grumpy Old Railroader

    August 17, 2022 at 1:15 pm

    @FastEdD: Gavin Newsom from my home state aggressively takes it to the repubs and really isn’t worried about being re-elected this fall as Gov. Gav. The failed recall only solidified his position. I really like the guy, but … he comes off as too slick at times.

    I agree he is somewhat smarmy. Good on policy but just a horrible public speaker

  53. 53.

    Jackie

    August 17, 2022 at 1:15 pm

    @Felanius Kootea: Mallory *something.* And, I agree! She has a bright future – if she’s interested. Her immediate goal is turning the state senate Blue.

  54. 54.

    JPL

    August 17, 2022 at 1:16 pm

    @WaterGirl: Ossoff caught my attention because he was key to saving a battery factory in Commerce, GA.   Commerce is a conservative area, but to Jon they were constituents This is from Politico.  This was 4/11/2021

    South Korean battery manufacturers LG and SK Innovation have reached a settlement that will allow SK to complete its $2.6 billion factory in Georgia that had been threatened by a federal intellectual property theft ruling.

  55. 55.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 1:17 pm

    @Kropacetic: Remember when Obama was accused of being a celebrity?   And mocked for it?

  56. 56.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 1:18 pm

    @LeftCoastYankee: Breath of fresh air?  Joe Biden.  Which given how long he’s been around in Washington is pretty damn hard

    Agree wholeheartedly.  Granted, I see improvement in the man over the decades.

    @WaterGirl: Remember when Obama was accused of being a celebrity?   And mocked for it?

    Projection, as always.  Republicans nominate existing celebrities.  We celebrate good public service.

  57. 57.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 1:20 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    ETA:  In response to WG’s absurd additional requirement:

    I laughed out loud.  Literally.

  58. 58.

    Van Buren

    August 17, 2022 at 1:21 pm

    I was impressed with Elaine Luria on the J6 committee, and she is in a very tough district. (VA-2) Hoping that between Dobbs and vets/active duty disgusted with a little light treason, she can pull through. (very heavy military presence in the district)

  59. 59.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 1:22 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    The whole thing is maddening because, as everyone capable of abstract thought knows, cops selectively enforce laws all the time, and prosecutors exercise discretion all the time.

    That’s just part of the job!  Are there really people in Florida who are too stupid to know that?

  60. 60.

    superdestroyer

    August 17, 2022 at 1:26 pm

    @zhena gogolia: Chris Murphy is too short to ever be president. I have heard him speak in person several times and thought he would make a great vice president.  He would have made a better choice than Kamala Harris.

  61. 61.

    eclare

    August 17, 2022 at 1:26 pm

    @Kent:   Excellent way to phrase it.  Gore had the smarts, too, but not one ounce of redneck.

  62. 62.

    Felanius Kootea

    August 17, 2022 at 1:27 pm

    @zhena gogolia: That’s it, thank you!

  63. 63.

    superdestroyer

    August 17, 2022 at 1:27 pm

    @cain: Neither one will run for office.  Both will end up living in Los Angeles and break the string of president children living in NYC.

  64. 64.

    LeftCoastYankee

    August 17, 2022 at 1:28 pm

    @Kropacetic:

    I see improvement in the man over the decades.

    Agreed.  He gained wisdom with his experience, which isn’t a given.

    In general, I’m very hesitant to get excited about “shiny new people” in politics.  I’m sure someone in Arizona thought Kristen Synema was a “shiny new politician” at some point.  And my own past includes an ill-fated enthusiasm for one John Edwards.

  65. 65.

    Bill Hicks

    August 17, 2022 at 1:31 pm

    Stephen Smith, a candidate in 2020 for the dem nomination for governor in WV. He reminds me a lot of Beto including his appearance. He is very into grass roots approaches to reestablishing dems in WV and intelligent economic development especially small businesses and less resource exploitation.

  66. 66.

    Felanius Kootea

    August 17, 2022 at 1:32 pm

    @FastEdD: I know that he’s probably grown and matured since but the fact that he was once married to Kimberly Guilfoyle still gives me pause. I voted for him though.

  67. 67.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 1:32 pm

    @LeftCoastYankee: And my own past includes an ill-fated enthusiasm for one John Edwards.

    Not much better here.  My 2008 first choice was one Bill Richardson.

  68. 68.

    Geminid

    August 17, 2022 at 1:33 pm

    @Van Buren: Like Sharice Davids, Luria is member of the talented House Class of 2018. There are plenty more good politicians in that group: Lauren Underwood, Chrissy Houlihan and Elise Slotkin are just three of the others.

    Luria does have a tough race. Her opponent is also a female Navy veteran. If Luria wins this time I think she’ll hold that seat for twenty more years.

  69. 69.

    jonas

    August 17, 2022 at 1:35 pm

    @Kent: How far ahead does she need to be to overcome the voter suppression in FL?

    I forget where I saw this or who said it — might have been Rick Wilson — but the magic number is apparently 7%. If the Dem candidate is up by 7, that means it’s actually neck-and-neck. They need more like 10 to actually win with a convincing margin.  It’ll be rough.

  70. 70.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 1:36 pm

    @Geminid: Who’s the woman on the Jan 6 committee who is not running for reelection?  I thought that was Luria but obviously not.

  71. 71.

    Cameron

    August 17, 2022 at 1:37 pm

    IIRC, Fetterman comes from a wealthy family. He doesn’t seem any the worse for it.

  72. 72.

    persistentillusion

    August 17, 2022 at 1:38 pm

    @ian: I agree with you about Joe Neguse.  Also son of immigrants and a very effective legislator.  Another son of Colorado, Jason Crow who was great as an impeachment leader.  (Can’t recall which impeachment, which is in its own right troubling.)

  73. 73.

    Geminid

    August 17, 2022 at 1:39 pm

    @WaterGirl: That would be Stephanie Murphy of Florida. Republicans were going to make her district too tough to win so Murphy retired. She’s relatively young so I think she’ll get back into politics.

  74. 74.

    Betty Cracker

    August 17, 2022 at 1:40 pm

    Populism has fallen into disrepute because of gross frauds like Trump — often rich, expensively educated buffoons who define everyone outside their narrow-minded circle as snooty elitists. But when I read the original question in the OP, I took it as a query about under-the-radar populist Dems, because that’s what Fetterman and Beto have in common, IMO. A populist style is the “it” factor, the broad appeal that they have and others don’t, regardless of individual merit. But maybe that’s just my idiosyncratic interpretation of the question.

  75. 75.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 17, 2022 at 1:41 pm

    Speaking of Barnes.  The latest polls:

    Link
     

  76. 76.

    Montanareddog

    August 17, 2022 at 1:43 pm

    @WaterGirl: Liz Cheney?

  77. 77.

    LeftCoastYankee

    August 17, 2022 at 1:43 pm

    @Kropacetic:

    My 2008 first choice was one Bill Richardson.

    Ouch.

  78. 78.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 17, 2022 at 1:43 pm

    @Betty Cracker: I think that you are conflating what used to be called the “common touch” with populism.

  79. 79.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 1:46 pm

    @LeftCoastYankee: Secretary of Energy, focused on climate change, elected Governor of a then purplish trending blue state; seemed like a good idea at the time

    ETA: That primary season was what moved me from lurker to commenter status here.

  80. 80.

    livewyre

    August 17, 2022 at 1:46 pm

    @superdestroyer: Could you speak up a bit? It’s hard to hear what you’re insinuating through that pointy hood.

  81. 81.

    Roger Moore

    August 17, 2022 at 1:47 pm

    @JPL:

    Jon Ossoff is another one to watch, imo. He’s been campaigning with Warnock and I hope that helps keep Herschel away from office.

    I’ve been really impressed with the way Ossoff and Warnock have functioned as a team rather than just a couple of guys who happen to be from the same state and the same party.  They seem to genuinely like and respect each other.

  82. 82.

    eachother

    August 17, 2022 at 1:47 pm

    I like smart to begin with. Answers to questions. No blank stares.
    Transportation Secretary Pete, Representative AOC and Beto come to mind paying their dues and coming up improved and prime time prepared.
    Community involvement on district, state and national levels essential.
    There are many others walking this path to electability.

  83. 83.

    ian

    August 17, 2022 at 1:47 pm

    @Felanius Kootea:

     the fact that he was once married to Kimberly Guilfoyle

    Cocaine is a hell of a drug

  84. 84.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 1:48 pm

    @Betty Cracker: You read my mind.  People who seem to be authentic.  Who are themselves.

    I was thinking of “Let Bartlett be Bartlett.”

    I think both Beto and Fetterman are authentic, very different, but each one is their own person.

  85. 85.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 1:49 pm

    @Roger Moore: I’ve been really impressed with the way Ossoff and Warnock have functioned as a team rather than just a couple of guys who happen to be from the same state and the same party.  They seem to genuinely like and respect each other.

    Having their first elections run concurrently couldn’t have hurt in this regard.

  86. 86.

    dm

    August 17, 2022 at 1:51 pm

    Probably no one has mentioned her because they just assumed she was included with Beto & Fetterman, but Stacey Abrams, of course.

    There’s a lot of black woman energy coming out of Georgia, since there are of folks organizing to get out the vote, whoto just get overshadowed by Abrams.

    The pod bros have been doing live shows around the country the past few weeks. They’ve been having guests (candidates for lieutenant governor and the like) who I think will be hearing from in coming years.  Not that I remember any of their names now….

  87. 87.

    Nicole

    August 17, 2022 at 1:52 pm

    @Cameron: A family well-off enough to support him into his 40s, but… well, check out what the monthly salary for Mayor of Braddock was while that was his job- I’d probably have been reaching out to my family for help, too.

    https://www.hastingstribune.com/ap/politics/john-fetterman-s-parents-gave-him-money-into-his-40s-republicans-say-that-undercuts-his/article_289ae13b-27c0-575d-95bc-181c2319d711.html

  88. 88.

    catclub

    August 17, 2022 at 1:52 pm

    @Kent: ​
     My guess is Clinton was ahead in polls by about 4 and lost by 3, so more than 8%.

  89. 89.

    Immanentize

    August 17, 2022 at 1:53 pm

    @Betty Cracker: As you may recall, I was not a huge fan of Ryan in Ohio, but he has come to the table with some good populist hits for Ohio and against Vance. Can you imagine a Brown/Ryan Senate pair? Another golden age of the Senate Duo. (And I’ll say Markey and Warren ain’t bad either).

    Ok, who broke the margins?!

  90. 90.

    piratedan

    August 17, 2022 at 1:54 pm

    Ruben Gallego in AZ, he’s a vet, speaks to the issues at the level of the voters, would like to see him sitting in Sinema’s chair in a couple of years.

  91. 91.

    Roger Moore

    August 17, 2022 at 1:54 pm

    @Kent:

    He gets credit for pointing them out.

    It’s not just for pointing them out.  It’s for pointing them out in a way that enhances rather than detracts from his reputation.  Fetterman has managed to poke fun of Oz’s slip-ups in a creative, fun way that makes him seem relatable and Oz seem like an out-of-touch asshole.  That’s nowhere near as easy as it looks.

  92. 92.

    Immanentize

    August 17, 2022 at 1:55 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    YOU BROKE THE MARGINS!!

    (Me: Shrieking like a body snatcher while pointing)

  93. 93.

    Calouste

    August 17, 2022 at 1:56 pm

    @Kropacetic:

    Republicans nominate existing celebrities.

    The last Republican President elected who wasn’t a celebrity (including VPs and a President’s son) was Harding in 1920.

  94. 94.

    Immanentize

    August 17, 2022 at 1:57 pm

    @livewyre: Funny! I had a very similar reaction but I walked away because: nah, not worth it today.

  95. 95.

    Redshift

    August 17, 2022 at 1:57 pm

    @Another Scott:

    State Senator Scott Surovell in Virginia

    Hear, hear. Not afraid to call bullshit when he sees it. And I can say I knew him back when.

  96. 96.

    David Fud

    August 17, 2022 at 1:57 pm

    I like Georgia State Senator Jen Jordan, who is running for Georgia Secretary of State. Here is a sample of her trying to get the knuckledraggers in the GOP to listen: https://youtu.be/2ku3xD8grvc?t=37

    She probably isn’t a fiery speaker like Beto or “lowbrow” like Fetterman, but she speaks truth to power and she speaks from the heart.

  97. 97.

    ceece

    August 17, 2022 at 1:58 pm

    I like Rep. Ruben Gallego in AZ. I hope he primaries Sinema in 2024. He is feisty and smart.

    Went into the Marines after graduating from Harvard, then the AZ house, then Congress.

  98. 98.

    Roger Moore

    August 17, 2022 at 1:59 pm

    @FastEdD:

    I don’t think he can take his act nationally, plus he and the MVP have always worked together to not compete with each other.

    I could definitely see Newsom in a cabinet post after he’s done as governor.  That would be a good way of taking himself national without competing with Harris.

  99. 99.

    Betty Cracker

    August 17, 2022 at 2:00 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Feel free to substitute that phrase for the word if you find it less icky, or put it another way, as someone here did in another context, and say they appeal to people who vote on “affect.” The point is, Beto and Fetterman have that quality in common.

  100. 100.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 2:01 pm

    @Immanentize: I was not a huge fan of Ryan in Ohio, but he has come to the table with some good populist hits for Ohio and against Vance.

    Agree here.  I have seen him go to the mat for Dem priorities and explain them well.  My only slight quibble is I wish he’d bring this energy to his advertising.

    Less “not one of those Democrats” and more “this is not what the Democrats want, least of all me.”

  101. 101.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 17, 2022 at 2:02 pm

    @Immanentize: Who me?  ::whistles innocently::*

    *Ha, no one knows that I can’t whistle.  Boy, I sure fooled them.

  102. 102.

    Turgidson

    August 17, 2022 at 2:02 pm

    @Grumpy Old Railroader: amazingly, he’s a *much* better public speaker now than he was as SF Mayor.  He made John Kerry seem bombastic by comparison.  Wooden hand gestures, no affect in his voice.  He’s gotten a lot looser and relaxed since then, but agree that he’s still just OK.

  103. 103.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 17, 2022 at 2:02 pm

    @zhena gogolia:

    Yes!! She completely blew me away when she called out that Republican pig-man a few months ago! I’d love to see her run for higher office if she so chooses.

  104. 104.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 2:03 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: You neither, huh?

  105. 105.

    Geminid

    August 17, 2022 at 2:04 pm

    @Immanentize: By many accounts, Tim Ryan is running a good campaign. He has to. With trump winning Ohio twice by 8 points, Ryan has an uphill fight. Base mobilization won’t be enough; Ryan has to win over some of the more moderate Republicans and Independents.

    Ryan has an unlikeable opponent, though and that may make the difference.

  106. 106.

    Doc Sardonic

    August 17, 2022 at 2:05 pm

    @WaterGirl: Yes…..

  107. 107.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 17, 2022 at 2:06 pm

    @Betty Cracker: I do have an issue with populism because I have seen too many populist movements turn to nativism and elevation of the lowest common denominator.  It makes me nervous.

  108. 108.

    Immanentize

    August 17, 2022 at 2:07 pm

    @Geminid:
    Did you see the nice viddy by Ryan’s campaign manager about Vance being deep in debt and not paying his staff? Dude sent Vance’s campaign manager a pizza. Strong Fetterman energy.

  109. 109.

    Geminid

    August 17, 2022 at 2:12 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Charismatic may be a good word for this quality. In his speaking, O’Rourke reminds me of Bobby Kennedy when he got rolling in 1968, right before he was murdered.

    In his looks, O’Rourke reminds me of James Coburn in the Magnificent Seven.

  110. 110.

    Turgidson

    August 17, 2022 at 2:13 pm

    @Geminid:

    Ryan made some piss poor choices in the past when he tried and miserably failed to overthrow Pelosi, but since then he’s been far better. He’s about as good a candidate as we can hope for in Ohio and has tried to pick up on of Sherrod Brown’s “man of the people” credibility.  Still, Ohio is trending  red so fast that even JD Vance probably can’t blow the built-in advantage he has as the GOP candidate.  I’ll believe Ryan might win if he has a durable 5pt polling lead (at least).  Brown only ended up winning by like 6-7 points despite leading by far more in most polls and not being a top GOP target, so a Ryan win in this environment would be somewhat miraculous.

  111. 111.

    Roger Moore

    August 17, 2022 at 2:14 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    +1. About 90% of the time, “populist” is used to describe a politician when the more accurate term is “bigoted”.  It’s a huge reason I don’t like people like Bernie.  His bigotry shows up as paternalism rather than outright hatred, but it’s definitely there.

  112. 112.

    eclare

    August 17, 2022 at 2:14 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:   I agree.  Populist has a lot of negative aspects to it as a movement/philosophy.

  113. 113.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 17, 2022 at 2:17 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Molly Ivins used to get the fantods (if not the white hot kind) when the press used “populist” to describe the likes of Gingrich.

  114. 114.

    NotMax

    August 17, 2022 at 2:18 pm

    @WaterGirl

    Site note:

    Just noticed that “Submit Photos to On the Road” is double listed on the sidebar.

  115. 115.

    Betty Cracker

    August 17, 2022 at 2:19 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: That’s absolutely a danger and it’s fresh in our minds because of a certain orange Republican with a populist style who ginned up the nativists. But I think the style is nonpartisan and can be used for good or evil.

  116. 116.

    FelonyGovt

    August 17, 2022 at 2:20 pm

    Cory Booker is an impassioned speaker, is relatable and seems to be a really good guy. Really good-looking too (don’t think THAT doesn’t matter!)

    I love my Rep, Ted Lieu, but he doesn’t QUITE have that Fetterman-Beto charisma.

  117. 117.

    Immanentize

    August 17, 2022 at 2:20 pm

    @Geminid:

    Don’t you ever stop long enough to start?
    To get your car outta that gear
    Karlo Marx and Fredrich Engels
    Came to the checkout at the 7-11
    Marx was skint – but he had sense
    Engels lent him the necessary pence.

    What have we got? Yeh-o, magnificence!!

    Magnificent Seven — The Clash

  118. 118.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    August 17, 2022 at 2:20 pm

    @Kent: Fetterman is funny. That goes a long way to making me want to see more of him.

  119. 119.

    Frank Wilhoit

    August 17, 2022 at 2:21 pm

    The people you are looking for are not going to emerge in any numbers until the campaign-professional class stop fighting the last war and (what is not the same thing) start fighting the next one.

    All speed Fetterman, but he is unique.  So — at first — will be each of the ones you are looking for.  But their first campaign — and it will drain them for their lives, which is why so few can do it — will be to escape from the campaign professionals.  If you think the Democratic Party has an exiguous pipeline,  this is why.  As soon as anyone starts to think about getting involved, they are swarmed by people trying to force-feed them the “lessons” of 1980 and 1992.  (Never anything more recent.)

    Gatekeepers are net harm.  The absence of gatekeeping is pure harm.  When gatekeepers are threatened with disintermediation, they fight back, very hard and very dirty — unless it hits them so fast that they do not see it coming; but things that happen that fast are also net harm, because no one, even their beneficiaries, has time to understand them.

    The only other person on today’s stage who has a little bit of all this is Pete Buttigieg.

  120. 120.

    Geminid

    August 17, 2022 at 2:23 pm

    @Immanentize: I read today that Vance’s fundraising is hampered by his requirement that repaying the $700,000 loan he made to his campaign be the top priority. I guess he’s counting on Peter Thiel dropping more money into a PAC to make up for his campaign’s poir funding. But Thiel put $10 million into Vance’s primarty campaign, and that plus trump’s endorsement only got him to 32% of the primary vote.

  121. 121.

    Frank Wilhoit

    August 17, 2022 at 2:24 pm

    My comment just got swallowed.  It was too long to retype.  Any sign of it in the bit bucket?

  122. 122.

    Scout211

    August 17, 2022 at 2:26 pm

    A bit OT, but did you all see this from CREW ?

     

    The Secret Service knew of a threat to Nancy Pelosi on January 6th days before the insurrection, but did not pass it along until hours after the Capitol had been breached, according to Secret Service emails obtained by CREW.

    On January 4, Secret Service agents discovered a Parler account, which we’ve chosen not to name, posting a series of violent threats towards lawmakers. Other profiles with the same name appeared on Twitter, MeWe, Bitchute, Youtube and Facebook.

    On December 31, the account posted, “January 6 starts #1776 all over again…Fight for EVERYTHING” and listed “Enemies,” including Pelosi. At 5:55 pm on January 6, after hours of defending the United States Capitol from a violent mob, the United States Capitol Police received the post along with a message from the Secret Service:

  123. 123.

    Cameron

    August 17, 2022 at 2:29 pm

    @Nicole: I come from yinzers, so I know a bit about Braddock – it most certainly isn’t a place where politics will make you rich.

  124. 124.

    Geminid

    August 17, 2022 at 2:35 pm

    @Turgidson: Ohio has trended red, but political trends don’t neccesarily move in straight lines. We could see some snap back this year. I don’t count Ryan out; like I said, he’s running a good campaign and he has a lousy opponent. If Sherrod Brown could win by 270,000 votes in 2018, Ryan can win by 27,000 votes this year.

    I didn’t like the challenge Ryan, Moulton and a few others made to Nancy Pelosi either. But it happened, she easily overcame it, and it’s been over for four and a half years. Speaker Pelosi got over it and so have I.

  125. 125.

    Suzanne

    August 17, 2022 at 2:35 pm

    Ayanna Pressley. My soon-to-be Rep, Summer Lee.

    What breaks my heart is that, a few years ago, I would have absolutely answered this question with “Gabrielle Giffords”.

  126. 126.

    Betty Cracker

    August 17, 2022 at 2:37 pm

    @Geminid: Never made the Coburn-O’Rourke connection, but you’re absolutely right!

    FWIW, I don’t think “charisma” describes the quality, exactly, though maybe it’s part of the package? There are charismatic folks who don’t come across as regular people. It’s hard to define.

  127. 127.

    cain

    August 17, 2022 at 2:37 pm

    OMG – Wegner’s twitter feed is fucking epic!
    This one:
    https://twitter.com/JohnFetterman/status/1559615464694861824

    https://twitter.com/grocerieswegner

    Can’t stop laughing.. JFC make it stop.

  128. 128.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 2:38 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: I think that what you refer to as the common touch, and what I refer to as authentic, could be referred to as populist in the previous general sense of the word.

    I think populism has been bastardized into something I no longer recognize as something positive.

  129. 129.

    Jackie

    August 17, 2022 at 2:41 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: It was a Republican state senator woman. Accused Democrats of being groomers. Mallory said that senator refused to look at her.

  130. 130.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 2:41 pm

    @Immanentize: Margins fixed!

  131. 131.

    The Lodger

    August 17, 2022 at 2:41 pm

    @Geminid: Let’s consider full names for a minute. Robert Francis Kennedy. Robert Francis O’Rourke.

  132. 132.

    Gravenstone

    August 17, 2022 at 2:42 pm

    This looks like an appropriate thread to drop this. Mandela Barnes up 7 over RonJohn (Marquette poll)

    It’s early, but this is promising.

  133. 133.

    guachi

    August 17, 2022 at 2:43 pm

    My choices have already been mentioned but mine would be Elaine Luria and Katie Porter.

  134. 134.

    bbleh

    August 17, 2022 at 2:46 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: @Immanentize: I’ve found that it’s best to eliminate everything in a Twitter URL after (and including) the first “?”.  That shortens the link, and it sometimes avoids Twitter covering the lower part of the tweet with a stupid pop-up when you try to scroll.

  135. 135.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 2:47 pm

    @NotMax: Thanks, fixed.

  136. 136.

    Nicole

    August 17, 2022 at 2:48 pm

    @Cameron: Yeah, my right-wing brother and s-i-l (well, she’s recently switched from GOP to Independent, so that’s something) live in western PA and both mentioned that Braddock is a tough area.  They did not intend it as insult; it was honest acknowledgement that Fetterman put in his time on the local level.

  137. 137.

    bbleh

    August 17, 2022 at 2:49 pm

    Re the OP, Keisha Lance Bottoms, former mayor of Atlanta, is a talent.  (Georgia really seems to be a hot spot these days …)

  138. 138.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 2:49 pm

    @Frank Wilhoit: Found it!

  139. 139.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 2:50 pm

    @Scout211: Holy fucking shit.  The Secret Service is corrupt as hell.

  140. 140.

    Paul in KY

    August 17, 2022 at 2:51 pm

    Charles Booker in KY is a cool dude.

  141. 141.

    Will

    August 17, 2022 at 2:51 pm

    I’m not sure the majority of commenters here have a good finger on the pulse for this type of thing. I remember quite a few commenters telling other locals like myself we were wrong on Fetterman. The pulling a shotgun on someone after gunshots the block over was a favorite.

  142. 142.

    Mel

    August 17, 2022 at 2:52 pm

    @Geminid: Absolutely agree about Davids. She gets out to talk to her constituents and get the pulse of the communities, and has hired a good,  responsive staff.

    Smart as hell, approachable,  cool-headed, and determined to do the job well.

  143. 143.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 2:53 pm

    Hopefully no one will bite on the opportunity to beat the dead horse at comment #141.

  144. 144.

    Jackie

    August 17, 2022 at 2:53 pm

    @WaterGirl: Apparently, the SS also knew Pence was a target prior to J6, AND didn’t inform Capitol Police.

    https://www.rawstory.com/mike-pence-secret-service-2657876030/

  145. 145.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 2:56 pm

    @WaterGirl: Dead horses don’t hit back.

  146. 146.

    AnnaC

    August 17, 2022 at 2:57 pm

    Someone who I think is great but maybe not someone everyone thinks of is my senator, Tammy Duckworth.  A disabled vet who single-handedly got the Senate to change it’s rules on breast-feeding, she is simply a badass!

     

    Very long time lurker and first time commenter here

  147. 147.

    Mike in NC

    August 17, 2022 at 2:58 pm

    We need retired Vice Admiral Mike Franken to unseat the odious Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), an 89 year old dinosaur and coup plotter.

  148. 148.

    Roger Moore

    August 17, 2022 at 3:04 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    Holy fucking shit. The Secret Service is corrupt as hell.

    DHS as a whole needs to be broken up into constituent parts and sent back to the other cabinet departments.  The individual employees need to be heavily scrutinized, too.

  149. 149.

    Gravenstone

    August 17, 2022 at 3:05 pm

    @livewyre: asshole much? Seriously, speculating that they will eschew political careers somehow becomes racist?

  150. 150.

    mrmoshpotato

    August 17, 2022 at 3:06 pm

    @AnnaC:

    Someone who I think is great but maybe not someone everyone thinks of is my senator, Tammy Duckworth. A disabled vet who single-handedly got the Senate to change it’s rules on breast-feeding, she is simply a badass! 

    I second your thoughts about our junior Senator.  Looking forward to voting for her again in November.

  151. 151.

    delphinium

    August 17, 2022 at 3:08 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: That’s great news for Barnes-hope he can pull of the win against Johnson.

  152. 152.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 17, 2022 at 3:09 pm

    @Jackie:

    You’re right, I misremembered that bit. Still an epic speech.

  153. 153.

    Will

    August 17, 2022 at 3:12 pm

    My favorite thing is how all of you are celebrating Fetterman for running an incredibly racist campaign. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been on the Fetterman train from the start, but this is why I said Oz was the weakest candidate and that this would be the campaign against him. Fetterman is using the “other” tactic against him. That Mehmet Oz name sure is funny. He’s from what Western PA would consider the coastal liberal elite area of New Jersey. Look at how he doesn’t know anything about our culture!

    It’s going to win us a senate seat.

  154. 154.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 17, 2022 at 3:13 pm

    @Gravenstone: superdestroyer  has form here.  They are not a good faith commenter.

  155. 155.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 3:13 pm

    @Will:My favorite thing is how all of you are celebrating Fetterman for running an incredibly racist campaign. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been on the Fetterman train from the start

    …

  156. 156.

    MomSense

    August 17, 2022 at 3:15 pm

    I’ve got to plug Maine’s Governor Janet Mills.  First woman District Attorney, Attorney General and Governor in Maine.
    Expanded health care to 93,000 Mainers. Our population is only 1.1 million. Expanded access and affordability for abortion services. Expanded state park/land  preserves. Almost 900 million in budget surplus. Addressed the UN as a leader in climate change. We’ve already met our 2030 goals with tax credits for solar and energy efficiency and other programs. Invested in car charging stations, renewable energy, broadband, restored funding to public schools that had been cut by Republicans and LePage, property tax relief for seniors, largest investments in affordable housing.  So much more to say.   She’s a badass, a poet and a music freak.

  157. 157.

    Martin

    August 17, 2022 at 3:16 pm

    West coaster who had a dentist appt this morning, I missed the Cheney thread earlier, but there’s an important point to add there:

    In 2024, if Trump is to be disqualified from the ballot under the 14th amendment, someone needs to bring that case. The only person who can bring that case is someone with standing, in other words, someone else running for President. That’s Cheney’s job – to run in 2024 and sue that Trump is ineligible for public office under 14th amendment or other disqualifying factor. Biden could do it, but likely only after the primary is resolved, and it’s inconceivable that the courts would allow a presidential election to go forward lacking a Republican candidate. The proper time is during the primaries, basically as soon as Trump announces.

  158. 158.

    Gravenstone

    August 17, 2022 at 3:16 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Fair enough. Serial wipes of the pie filter due to rebuilds tends to let me lose track of who the assholes are. Eventually, they revert to form and remind me.

  159. 159.

    cintibud

    August 17, 2022 at 3:17 pm

    RE: “Populism”

    In the past Populism to me was uniting “the people” vs the banks, the railroads, the robber barons. i.e. Punching up. The reason that name has such a negative connotation now is that it seems it has degenerated into finding people to blame, people unable to fight back. Punching down.

  160. 160.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 17, 2022 at 3:18 pm

    @Will: FFS!  Saying that Oz is from Jersey not PA is not a racist attack.  An attack on carpetbagging is a legit political tactic.  So is mocking a rival state. Nice try.

  161. 161.

    Martin

    August 17, 2022 at 3:20 pm

    @Will: What are you talking about? Fetterman has never attacked Oz for being other. He’s attacked Oz for being on the fence whether he carries an American or Turkish passport. He’s attacked Oz for being on the fence whether he resides in PA or NJ. I’ve never seen an attack that others him.

    It’s not about whether Oz is unfamiliar with the culture, it’s about how can Oz represent a state that he knows nothing about because he doesn’t live here.

    (Disclaimer: I lived in PA for a number of years, so I can claim some local understanding of things)

  162. 162.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 3:20 pm

    @AnnaC: Welcome!

  163. 163.

    Old School

    August 17, 2022 at 3:21 pm

    @Will:

    My favorite thing is how all of you are celebrating Fetterman for running an incredibly racist campaign.

    As someone not in Pennsylvania, could you expand on that?  What examples do you have of it being a racist campaign other than using his opponent’s name?

  164. 164.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 3:21 pm

    @Roger Moore: Totally agree on all points.

  165. 165.

    MomSense

    August 17, 2022 at 3:21 pm

    @MomSense:

    Oh and how could I forget my favorite – first state to make school lunch free for every child!  She campaigned on that and got it done!

  166. 166.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 3:22 pm

    @Jackie: Appalling.

  167. 167.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 3:22 pm

    @Martin: What are you talking about? Fetterman has never attacked Oz for being other.

    Well, sort of.  Oz is other for being a rich celebrity lying for power, not for being Turkish.

  168. 168.

    Layer8Problem

    August 17, 2022 at 3:23 pm

    I think this blog’s hitting nerves somewhere. Two trolls in a thread’s a little thick.

  169. 169.

    Will

    August 17, 2022 at 3:24 pm

    You guys can see it how you want to excuse it. My wife is Indian, she picked up on it and asked me if Fetterman was anti immigrant. I explained it was just a tactic to win western PA voters.

    I said we were going to win PA with Fetterman months ago. They had two flawed candidates at the time, McCormick that he would run as the guy that sent all the jobs to China and Oz as the foreigner that doesn’t fit us.

    It’s happening, be happy, but don’t gush or fawn over it.

  170. 170.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 3:25 pm

    @Layer8Problem: There needs to be overlap in the schedule in case someone is late.

  171. 171.

    delphinium

    August 17, 2022 at 3:25 pm

    @Paul in KY: I saw he has been hitting hard against Rand which is great. But am assuming Booker is a long shot to win the senate seat?

  172. 172.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 3:26 pm

    @Will: Let’s try it this way.

    Please show me a specific instance of a commenter celebrating a specific act by Fetterman that was racist.  One.  Doesn’t have to be on this thread.

  173. 173.

    zhena gogolia

    August 17, 2022 at 3:28 pm

    @cain: It’s the new Dark Brandon.

  174. 174.

    Will

    August 17, 2022 at 3:29 pm

    @Kropacetic: I didn’t say you were celebrating being racist. I said you are celebrating a campaign that is winning with a racist campaign. It is sending whistles whether you can hear them or not.

  175. 175.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 3:30 pm

    @MomSense:  I surely hope that people from Maine don’t want to go back to what you had previously in Maine.

    How is it looking for her reelection?  She is up this year, yes?

  176. 176.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 3:31 pm

    @Will: Fine, give me an example of a racist communication from the Fetterman campaign.  Preferably one specifically pertaining to Oz himself.

  177. 177.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 3:31 pm

    Seems like this might be a good time to bring out the Thin Black Duke classic:

    Remember folks, you don’t have to go to every argument you’re invited to, especially when the other guy has already made up his mind.

  178. 178.

    Will

    August 17, 2022 at 3:32 pm

    @Kropacetic: The whole Crudite thing is a whistle. My wife hears it loud. Let’s make fun of the not pasty white man with a foreign name in a viral video not knowing the local language.

  179. 179.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 3:37 pm

    @Will: The whole Crudite thing is a whistle. My wife hears it loud. Let’s make fun of the not pasty white man with a foreign name in a viral video not knowing the local language.

    I think the more salient issue there is that he’s using pretentious words as a Republican candidate.  Clearly the man speaks fluent English, rare for a Republican politician.

    I think the biggest offense Oz makes in that video is not understanding the human taste palate.

    @WaterGirl: Sorry, I’m a big fan of trying to hash things out.  Give them an opportunity to convince, to have their own revelation, or to reveal themselves as intolerably outside community standards.

  180. 180.

    catclub

    August 17, 2022 at 3:43 pm

    @Kropacetic: yeah, I agree with you. Oz could be white as school paste and they are showing he is ‘out of touch’ and ‘not from here’.

  181. 181.

    Turgidson

    August 17, 2022 at 3:44 pm

    @Will: Mocking someone for being a carpetbagging dipshit isn’t racist.

  182. 182.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 17, 2022 at 3:44 pm

    @Will: Bull.  Shit.

  183. 183.

    dm

    August 17, 2022 at 3:47 pm

    @Will: I think the “crudité” thing is more classist than racist.  Like Dukakis suggesting Belgian endive to farmers, George HW Bush confounded by a grocery-store scanner, or Paul Tsongas getting stumped on the price of a gallon of milk, they’re easy-to-caricaturize class markers.

    Yes, it’s “othering”, but in the sense that: “Oz is not in touch with our concerns, and doesn’t have any idea how to help our communities.”

    But I’m not from Pennsylvania, and only know a little about the Fetterman campaign.

  184. 184.

    Will

    August 17, 2022 at 3:47 pm

    @Kropacetic: I get it, most of us see it and laugh at it cause we see this as Oz being pretentious. He’s a horrible candidate regardless with many things to pick on in a campaign.

    I however live in the area and often have to work with the people that were huge Trump voters. I’ve known for quite awhile they like Fetterman. It’s amazing how much they LOVE him now that Oz is the nominee. Can’t believe Trump missed this.

    My wife unfortunately immigrated to this country right as Trump was coming to power. She’s had things like “We’re going to have to build the wall talller for you!” yelled at her. Her radar went off immediately with the tone towards Oz.

    Maybe my original post was bad in tone, I’m not trying to shame anyone. I’m just saying maybe we shouldn’t be celebrating how it’s won. We should just be celebrating that we can win it.

  185. 185.

    zhena gogolia

    August 17, 2022 at 3:49 pm

    @Will: Oh, what unmitigated bullshit.

  186. 186.

    Betsy

    August 17, 2022 at 3:52 pm

    Jeff Jackson who is in the NC state senate now, and is running for congress.  He’s dynamic and progressive, sends a tightly written and informative newsletter to his constituents. Great communication style. Super smart!

    https://www.jeffjacksonnc.com

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Jackson_(politician)

  187. 187.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 3:52 pm

    @Will: I however live in the area and often have to work with the people that were huge Trump voters. I’ve known for quite awhile they like Fetterman. It’s amazing how much they LOVE him now that Oz is the nominee. Can’t believe Trump missed this.

    A principle similar to “death of the author” applies here.  Once a message is sent, a candidate can’t control how others receive it; your wife or the Trump voters.

    Perhaps the campaign will be receptive to a diplomatic suggestion of a slight tonal shift.  For you to suggest he’s deliberately campaigning in racist ways, however, and to convince many people here; you’ll likely need something a little more concrete.

  188. 188.

    geg6

    August 17, 2022 at 3:55 pm

    @Cameron:

    I wouldn’t call them “wealthy.”  Upper middle class is more like it, I think.  Perhaps in York they are “wealthy,” but that’s not the same as “wealthy” in, say, NYC or even the Mainline.  But he has no airs and speaks Yinzer perfectly after 20 years or so here.  Even Gisele speaks fluent Yinzer,

  189. 189.

    dm

    August 17, 2022 at 3:56 pm

    @cain: I like the retweet of Four Seasons Total Landscaping getting into the act:

    Four Seasons Total Landscaping

    @TotalSeasons 

    We have a press conference coming up so just popping down to Wegners for some crudités. Anybody want want anything?

  190. 190.

    geg6

    August 17, 2022 at 3:57 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    That’s awesome!  I really like him!

  191. 191.

    Will

    August 17, 2022 at 4:01 pm

    @Kropacetic: Fetterman isn’t an idiot. He has lived in this area forever. He friggin showed up to a 4/20 party several local dealers had. He knows the messages and how they are received. He just doesn’t think these people should be written off and he doesn’t care if they have these feelings, probably because one of his messages over the years has been that if we get people good paying, stable jobs, they are more open minded rather than fearful and hateful prone to division. So if you see it as him making fun of Oz being pretentious and Donnie Iris out in sticks sees it as a warning of foreigner, he’ll let it work.

  192. 192.

    Ken

    August 17, 2022 at 4:02 pm

    @dm: Four Seasons Total Landscaping

    Some are born great, some achieve greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them, and some become great when they are lucky enough to have an idiot hold a press conference in their parking lot.

  193. 193.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 4:03 pm

    @Will: I’m sorry, this community is pretty finely attuned to dogwhistles, but you’re reaching.  Unless you have a better example, this is my last on this.

  194. 194.

    Big Mango

    August 17, 2022 at 4:03 pm

    I have been impressed with rep Colin Allred of Texas….

  195. 195.

    fancycwabs

    August 17, 2022 at 4:06 pm

    ::Emits a rather obvious cough, the type that might make you wonder if I’m choking on something::

  196. 196.

    Will

    August 17, 2022 at 4:08 pm

    @Kropacetic: Saying you and others in this community are expertly attuned when you can’t see it here is hardly a rousing endorsement. Again, my wife hears it. Sorry you can’t. I’ll let it be.

  197. 197.

    VFX Lurker

    August 17, 2022 at 4:09 pm

    I admire Representative Lauren Underwood for winning a tough purple district and getting good things done in the House. Wishing her continued success.

  198. 198.

    VFX Lurker

    August 17, 2022 at 4:10 pm

    @WaterGirl: True words of wisdom. ✨

  199. 199.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 17, 2022 at 4:13 pm

    @Will: If you come here with that kind of weak shit, don’t expect us to make a sandwich.

  200. 200.

    geg6

    August 17, 2022 at 4:13 pm

    @Geminid: ​
     
    Lucky for me, I live close to the OH border and see a lot of Ryan ads, etc. I’ve also donated to him a few times over this cycle. I agree that he’s run a very good campaign. In some ways, reminiscent of Fetterman in that he jumps onto any and all Vance stupidity quickly and trolls him unmercifully.

  201. 201.

    tam1MI

    August 17, 2022 at 4:17 pm

    Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, is one to keep an eye on. She’s doing an excellent job for her state and takes no guff from the Rethugs.

  202. 202.

    geg6

    August 17, 2022 at 4:20 pm

    @Will: ​
     
    Bullshit. Fetterman has not mentioned Oz’s dual citizenship or
    “funny” name. No one is praising Fetterman for running a racist campaign because he isn’t.

  203. 203.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 4:22 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: This. I’d even point out we have some highly motivated regular commenters here who would love nothing more than to point out instances of racism by Fetterman. Nothing from them.

  204. 204.

    geg6

    August 17, 2022 at 4:24 pm

    @Will: ​
     
    Jesus fucking Christ. Way to prove you’ve never stepped foot in Western PA. As Fetterman said, we call it a veggie tray.

  205. 205.

    stinger

    August 17, 2022 at 4:24 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: I just read Fiona Hill’s “There Is Nothing for You Here”, and she does a great job of explaining and giving examples of populism.

  206. 206.

    geg6

    August 17, 2022 at 4:28 pm

    @Will: ​
     
    I’m sure Gisele Fetterman will be shocked to know her husband is othering her when he discusses her background.

    You just aren’t very bright, are you?

  207. 207.

    David Fud

    August 17, 2022 at 4:29 pm

    It is interesting how Democrats that are effective at tearing their opponents down, even if they are pathetically bad opponents, get labelled. Making a candidate the butt of a joke when they mangle crudité doesn’t seem racist to me.

    Fuck these authoritarian candidates with a rusty pitchfork. Getting hoisted by their own petard? Too damn bad. At this point, I will take anyone in the Democratic coalition that prevents the overthrow of our government by fascists. I do not like Liz Cheney, but I would vote against fascists alongside her. I do not like punching NAZIs, but I would get my boxing gloves out and knock some out if it meant keeping fascists out of power. Is Fetterman the perfect candidate for the entire United States? No, but it seems he is perfectly fine for Pennsylvania. And, if Pennsylvania likes to elect candidates with white privilege that support Senate leaders that try to remove the benefits of white privilege? Are we working for purity or to accomplish a goal here, people?

    Maybe Fetterman has learned from his shotgun incident. Maybe not. But at a minimum, he supports the coalition that doesn’t want to strip privacy rights from half of our population, send all immigrants into cages, and destroy the New Deal.I find it hard to get upset about non-perfect US Senate candidates. Because I have the end in mind, not as much the process of getting there.​​​​

  208. 208.

    Will

    August 17, 2022 at 4:30 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: I’m not here to troll. I just deal with a different world than many of you and sometimes I point it out.

    I don’t know why you are have an issue with me pointing out what he is doing. You didn’t like Fetterman in the previous thread on him that I commented in, Schrodinger’s Cat said he would happily throw minorities under the bus and called him Penn Shrek.

  209. 209.

    Will

    August 17, 2022 at 4:34 pm

    @geg6: I’ve met him a couple of times. I’ve met Gisele. They aren’t idiots. They are very caring people, they have a genuinely progressive view of the future for this country. They also want to win so they can do it.

  210. 210.

    rosalind

    August 17, 2022 at 4:36 pm

    Emeryville, CA Mayor John J Bauters. Huge proponent of expanding bike infrastructure. Travels US/World meeting w/other mayors on ways to support bike riding/commuting. has an adorable dog who rides with him. Currently on his annual solo backpacking trip, this year in Michigan’s UP.

    his twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnBauters

  211. 211.

    David Fud

    August 17, 2022 at 4:37 pm

    @Will: ​
    Because whether you are doing it intentionally or not, you are mis-identifying what he is doing. It is classist, not racist. There is no dog-whistle in talking about a vege tray. He is appealing to lower classes who do not like being talked down to by their “overeducated betters”. He is correctly identifying Oz as an upper class member who doesn’t understand the average voter’s life.

    And that is the last comment I am going to type explaining that. If you don’t get it, you aren’t going to get it.

  212. 212.

    geg6

    August 17, 2022 at 4:43 pm

    @Will: ​
     
    I have also met him and Gisele. I have lived here my entire 63 years and know Braddock and other former steel towns well, having been here when they were booming and being here to pick up the pieces when it all fell apart. I worked on a project in Braddock in which he was involved, back when he was still a GED teacher and I was working regionally in Adult Basic Education on a special PDE program. So I’ve known him and of him for many years. He’s not a racist and he’s not sounding any racist whistles. And for you to insinuate otherwise pisses me off royally. I’ve gone to town on others here who make that charge and I’m not going to listen to it from you.

  213. 213.

    dm

    August 17, 2022 at 4:43 pm

    @David Fud: another term that’s worth considering is “provincial”, which certainly has a strong element of “othering” to it, and can come close to racism in the wrong hands.

  214. 214.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 4:44 pm

    @Will: I just deal with a different world than many of you and sometimes I point it out.

    Sorry, had to pick this one up.

    You mean we all have different backgrounds?!?!?!? Shocked face

    @geg6: So I’ve known him and of him for many years. He’s not a racist and he’s not sounding any racist whistles. And for you to insinuate otherwise pisses me off royally

    Don’t forget the subtle shift to the goal posts.

  215. 215.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 17, 2022 at 4:46 pm

    @Will: He’s not doing what you are saying he is doing.  My personal liking or lack thereof of his style is immaterial.  I am one person who does not live in PA.  Besides, once the primary was over, he was the guy and I back the D in the general.  Finally, s_c’s opinions are her own.

  216. 216.

    Will

    August 17, 2022 at 4:46 pm

    @David Fud: I don’t need you to explain it to me. I understand how most of you see it. I just can see it how others see it. I have a feeling if we were having this conversation at dinner and my wife was there talking about her experiences you would shut the hell up. Coworkers teased her about the way she pronounced countless things, amongst them, how she said Giant Eagle, the local grocer.

  217. 217.

    ckseon

    August 17, 2022 at 4:52 pm

    @ceece: I agree on Ruben Gallego.  Also, I just saw a really good ad for Brian Bengs in South Dakota.  He might be another one.  Here’s the ad: Brian Bengs – “Badlands” – YouTube

  218. 218.

    Will

    August 17, 2022 at 4:52 pm

    @geg6: I am not accusing him of being a racist. I said the campaign is racist because it is painting Oz as “other”

    You continually miss that I support him and in the thread where people kept bringing up the stupid shotgun to allude he was racist I was there saying it was stupid too.

    Someone can be a good person and still run a campaign that isn’t a reflection of them, the person.

  219. 219.

    Zelma

    August 17, 2022 at 4:53 pm

    Re Fetterman and Oz, I think the Fetterman campaign would have run pretty much the same campaign against the guy Oz lost to (I forget his name).  He was a carpetbagger too, although he had slightly more connection to PA than Oz.  He also had a mansion or two, one in Connecticut.  The attacks probably would have worked too.  However, the fact that Oz is from New Jersey makes F’s ads more effective.  The love/hate relationship between the two states is powerful.

  220. 220.

    WeimarGerman

    August 17, 2022 at 4:55 pm

    I really like Katie Porter, because she’s my rep and that she’s not afraid to have a wonky, numbers based approach to providing evidence of program’s effectiveness or abuses.

    I wish we had more Reps who really dig into the policy that they’re overseeing vs the glad-handing, smiley pols.

  221. 221.

    geg6

    August 17, 2022 at 4:56 pm

    @Will: ​ What does the casual racism of the average Yinzer have to do with Fetterman or his campaign?​
     
    YOU KNOW, THE CAMPAIGN THAT IS NOT SOUNDING RACIST DOG WHISTLES NO MATTER WHAT THIS ASSHAT SAYS?

  222. 222.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 17, 2022 at 4:58 pm

    @Will: Being from a mansion in New Jersey is not a racial category.  Nothing you can say will make it one.

  223. 223.

    Will

    August 17, 2022 at 4:59 pm

    @Zelma: McCormick would lose to Fetterman but it wouldn’t be by as much. McCormick grew up outside Pittsburgh and spent a lot of time here before the part that would sink him, which is where he moved to Connecticut, became huge with Bridgewater, and shipped all the jobs of the people that grew up around him in Western PA to China or another country in Asia.

  224. 224.

    Will

    August 17, 2022 at 5:06 pm

    @geg6: I don’t know why you are taking this like such a huge thing. Fetterman isn’t telling those yinzers that see it that way not to vote for him. He pretty much tells everyone that will listen he hasn’t given up on those people. And he shouldn’t.

  225. 225.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 17, 2022 at 5:09 pm

    @Will: Sea lion.

  226. 226.

    Michael Cain

    August 17, 2022 at 5:13 pm

    @ian:

    Cocaine is a hell of a drug

    Don’t know if it was cocaine or simply deciding she was going to be a celebrity instead of a working lawyer, but she turned into a different person in a very short period of time.

  227. 227.

    Kropacetic

    August 17, 2022 at 5:13 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Oz campaign employee trying some weird guerilla strategy.  They must’ve thought they had a sure-fire hit with that crude-itay video and are seeing now what they can salvage from it.

  228. 228.

    Will

    August 17, 2022 at 5:17 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: It’s 2022. If you choose to run the “other” campaign against an opponent and they are anything other than a pasty white man with an Average Joe name, it’s going to touch themes that hurt people that have had to deal with shit, if not all, then most of their lives. That’s all I’m going to say to you.

  229. 229.

    superdestroyer

    August 17, 2022 at 5:18 pm

    @Gravenstone:  There is a book titled
    All the Presidents’ Children: Triumph and Tragedy in the Lives of America’s First Families by Doug Wead
    that explains that anyone who runs for president is doing no favors for their children.

  230. 230.

    Fair Economist

    August 17, 2022 at 5:24 pm

    Late to the thread, but Kenneth Mejia is doing an ASTONISHINGLY good job running for LA City Controller. His campaign is basically running ads talking about how awful the city budget is and promising to give it a real audit, since he’s an actual CPA. He finished *20* points ahead of the machine candidate, Paul Koretz, in the jungle primary and is an overwhelming favorite to win the general. The bizarre responses by Koretz (calling Mejia an “anarchist” during a city council meeting, probably an election violation since Koretz is currently on the council) makes me think Koretz has an embezzlement graft he’s afraid Mejia will expose

    Oh, and he has some cute dogs!

  231. 231.

    David Fud

    August 17, 2022 at 5:36 pm

    @Will: I see what you are saying about othering.  Class othering is still othering.  It isn’t racial othering, but it is othering.

    If that makes you feel better.

    The reason everyone is getting upset is that racial othering is out of bounds for almost all Democrats and most polite Republicans.  Class othering is not.  “Eat the rich” is still an attitude alive and well throughout America and across the rural/urban divide, simultaneously held with the rich-worship found on television, such as The Apprentice or the many “Real Housewives” or the various real estate shows that “have to” have expensive high end finishes.

    It can be confusing, but class othering is not considered out of bounds for most Americans in my experience.  I am sorry if  your wife is feeling some sort of tangential othering in that process, but it has nothing to do with any idiot yelling about walls at people in the streets, aside from the psychological game being played of in-group/out-group.  Immigrant bashing is disgusting, and I wish she weren’t being targeted with those attitudes.  Nativists are not too concerned about the rich, but would love to put your wife in a cage.  I can coalition with the classists.  I will never coalition with nativists.

  232. 232.

    Will

    August 17, 2022 at 5:58 pm

    @David Fud: I get the feeling people think I am trying to say Fetterman is racist and the people supporting the campaign are racist or that people should not vote for him. That is NOT what I am doing. I am pointing out that the “Other” campaign sends a lot of whistles to people that they might not be picking up. I’ve been a Fetterman supporter since his first campaign in Braddock, so I’m not trying to say the guy is evil. All I was trying to say is we shouldn’t be cheering “Other” campaigns. I feel like some would take the context a lot different and not just say “Oh it’s Jersey” if Fetterman was Republican and Oz was Democrat. Everyone here is trained to hear that whistle explicitly when it’s coming from that side cause we know for sure.

    Back when most of the forum were on the Lamb or Kenyatta train, I said this was going to be a factor in the campaign after Fetterman won. Whether he knows it or not (which I think is stupid, he knows), he is capitalizing on that with the “Other” campaign.

    Me in response to Geminid about my confidence about Fetterman on April 3rd.

    Fetterman is going to eat McCormick’s lunch about how he was the mayor of a town and saw the devastation that corporatists like McCormick rained on towns like Braddock by offshoring American jobs. He’ll be able to point to the names tattooed on his arm, residents that have died in what once used to be a good hard working neighborhood. Dr. Oz just isn’t a real candidate and the whole dual citizenship isn’t going to play well with certain voters in the state.

  233. 233.

    a thousand flouncing lurkers (was fidelio)

    August 17, 2022 at 6:00 pm

    Gloria Johnson, who represents the Knoxville area in the Tennessee House (VoteGloriaJ on Twitter). She is a former special education teacher; a bright person and a good explainer.
    Steve Cohen, who represents the Memphis area in Congress—a very dedicated, hard-working guy. He’s pretty low-key but he’s greatly respected in his district.
    John Ray Clemmons, who represents Nashville in the Tennessee House. (JRClemmons on Twitter). He’s been on fire, calling out our HVAC Governor, who is busy trying to turn the Tennessee public schools over to the arch-bigots at Hillsdale College.

    The Democratic candidate for Governor here is Jason Martin—he’s a critical care physician.

  234. 234.

    RevRick

    August 17, 2022 at 6:02 pm

    I don’t know if this has already been mentioned, but something interesting seems to be happening in Alaska for the open Congressional seat. The Democrat, Mary Peltola, enjoys a healthy lead, and with ranked choice voting, she may gain enough votes from Nick Begich to actually win.

  235. 235.

    MomSense

    August 17, 2022 at 6:06 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    I haven’t seen any recent pollling.  In May it was a tie.

  236. 236.

    geg6

    August 17, 2022 at 6:17 pm

    @Will:

    It’s because you cannot seem to express yourself in a way that makes clear that the Fetterman campaign is in no way racist.  Yes, Fetterman is making it clear that Oz is rich and not from here, meaning he does not understand regular people, their real concerns and worries and cannot relate to them in any way.  And if he can get some of the hillbillies and farmers of Armstrong or Blair counties or the Yinzers of Beaver or Lawrence counties to vote for him, I’m all for it.  They, back in the day, may have been Democrats and it is a good thing to woo them back with a genuine “common man.”  But none of that is othering anyone other than Oz (as an out-of-touch rich guy from New Jersey until 8 months ago).  Calling his campaign strategy othering is wrong and misleading and anyone supporting Fetterman should be pissed by such a characterization.

  237. 237.

    Boomzilla

    August 17, 2022 at 6:17 pm

     

    @cain:

    Ha! I’d love to see an Obama Girl run.  I think one is too smart and the other is too sweet.

     

    Boom

  238. 238.

    livewyre

    August 17, 2022 at 6:21 pm

    @Will: I mean, rehashing the shotgun thing is certainly one kind of approach to examining societal biases. If the aim was to address the systemic effects of racism and othering then maybe this wasn’t the best foot to lead off with, or the clearest or most receptive form of delivery. Sensitivity is reciprocal.

    Alternatively, it could be an opportunity to drive up his negatives among a crowd analyzed to be receptive to messages of racial prejudice, in which case please see fit to buzz off.

  239. 239.

    Boomzilla

    August 17, 2022 at 6:31 pm

    @Baud:

    To your comment about GA politics…

    I was thinking that I hear very little about the Ossoff campaign.  Plenty about Walker and Warnock.  Even that is said to be a 3 point race.   Within the margin.  Stunning.

    I hope they don’t forsake Ossoff.  We need every seat.  Then again, if we lose the House the Senate will just be a place where the Murder Turtle hangs out reliving past figurative cross burnings.  Unless we can’t even hold the Senate.

     

    Boom

     

     

    Boom

  240. 240.

    Geminid

    August 17, 2022 at 6:39 pm

    @Boomzilla: Jon Ossoff won a six year term, and he won’t run until again until 2026. Warnock faces reelection because in January, 2021 he won a special election runoff to fill the last two years of the late Johnny Isackson’s term.

    Mark Kelly is in a similar situation in Arizona.

  241. 241.

    Geminid

    August 17, 2022 at 6:55 pm

    @RevRick: I read that the Palins, Sarah Palin’s former mother- and father-in-law, hosted Nick Begich’s election night party. I don’t think Sarah will be getting many 2nd or 3rd ranked votes. Some people may not even rank her at all and leave #4 blank. I would.

    So Ms. Peltola may be the first Native Representative from Alaska. I think she’d be the first Democrat too.

  242. 242.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 17, 2022 at 7:12 pm

    @Geminid: Nick Begich, grandfather of the current candidate (Nick B III) was a Democrat. He won twice before being killed in a plane crash in his second term. Young won the special to replace him. Nick III’s two uncles are also Dem politicians, Mark was a one-term senator from 09-17. Nick III sounds like an asshole.

    Do you believe Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election? If you believe there was fraud, where and how do you think it took place?

    Unfortunately, Joe Biden is the president. It’s clear that we have a crisis of confidence in our election systems and restoring that confidence requires improved public transparency.

    Big lie lite. I may just have to donate to Mary Peltola

  243. 243.

    J R in WV

    August 17, 2022 at 7:19 pm

    @Mustang Bobby:

    Val Demmings is one of the candidates trying to flip a seat that we contribute to on a monthly basis.

    Congrats on being busy in the theater business! Don’t be such a stranger!!

  244. 244.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 7:46 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

  245. 245.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 7:47 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    In case you’re not in the mood for a cupcake.

  246. 246.

    was2blue

    August 17, 2022 at 7:49 pm

    This guy (running against Anna Eshoo in my district):
    Rishi Kumar for U.S. House of Representative, district 16
    N.B., no  Republicans running in the (top-two) general election

  247. 247.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 7:52 pm

    @MomSense: I guess these people would nail their own foot to the floor if it meant keeping someone else down.

  248. 248.

    J R in WV

    August 17, 2022 at 9:11 pm

    @Will: ​
     

    welcome to the pie safe, troll, ass!

  249. 249.

    Felanius Kootea

    August 17, 2022 at 9:19 pm

    A tell is that while most people are pointing out the Dem rising stars or candidates with promise in this thread, one person is trying to drive up the negatives of the PA senate candidate. I saw this exact same tactic yesterday on Twitter, and people told that person to sod off, pointed out that Gisele is Brazilian, noted that the carpetbagging claim is related to Jersey-PA rivalry, all to no effect because the person wasn’t commenting in good faith. The more Oz shoots himself in the foot, the more this tactic will emerge. It’s up to you whether you choose to engage. I’m an immigrant too.

  250. 250.

    WaterGirl

    August 17, 2022 at 10:12 pm

    @Felanius Kootea: Yep.  That’s why I mentioned the great quote from the Thin Black Duke.

    Remember folks, you don’t have to go to every argument you’re invited to, especially when the other guy has already made up his mind.

  251. 251.

    Jamey

    August 18, 2022 at 3:35 am

    Don’t snooze on Andy Kim (NJ-3). He’s won 2 terms in a very Trumpy part of the state. Redistricting will make his precinct MUCH bluer.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Kim_(politician)

  252. 252.

    Paul in KY

    August 18, 2022 at 10:09 am

    @Will: I wouldn’t call that ‘racist’. Will be glad with the win, if it occurs.

  253. 253.

    Paul in KY

    August 18, 2022 at 10:12 am

    @delphinium: He’s a long shot, for sure. Has a puncher’s chance. Needs that wierdo to make some excllent gaffes to have a chance (and he has to capitalize on the gaffes).

  254. 254.

    Paul in KY

    August 18, 2022 at 10:15 am

    @Will: That’s him being a richy-richer. No ‘normal’ person says ‘crudite’, IMO.

  255. 255.

    Paul in KY

    August 18, 2022 at 10:24 am

    @Will: I can see your wife’s heightened sensitivity to this (and yours). I’m also sure some MAGA shits will vote for Fetterman because he’s whitey-white. That’s not Mr. Fetterman’s fault. Nor is it Mr. Oz’s.

    I know I will take their stupid vote, as Mr. Fetterman is not the candidate they think he is

  256. 256.

    Paul in KY

    August 18, 2022 at 10:38 am

    @Will: You might ask your wife sometime that if you moved to India and started funnily mispronouncing words in Hindi, would anyone there think that was funny and/or try to correct your mispronunciation?

  257. 257.

    fancycwabs

    August 19, 2022 at 10:40 am

    In any case my cough was misinterpreted, I was talking about myself. Grumpy like Fetterman, Cussy like Beto. More likely to lose than either of them.

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