PITTSBURGH (TNS) — There is a phrase in Spanish that I love, “no tiene pelos en la lengua,” which translates to “that person has no hair on their tongue.” There is nothing to impede frank and brusque words from escaping — there is no filter.
Sen. John Fetterman has no hair on his tongue. And while even his most liberal constituents might disagree with some of his thoughts (see: Palestine), his lack of filter is an admirable quality. At least we know what he actually thinks, unlike almost every other politician. And a Fetterman interview is always insightful and entertaining, even when he’s yelling at clouds from an underground bunker.
He’s no ordinary senator, that’s for sure. So when I saw his most recent question and answer session with the New York Times, I grabbed some coffee and settled into my reading chair for some fun. He did not disappoint. And, more often than I expected, I also found myself agreeing with him.
Which is to say: John Fetterman is absolutely right about the Left.
YOU NEED TO JUST STOP
“Have a conversation,” he said in response to a question about “talking to bros.” “Have a conversation with anyone that’s willing to have an honest conversation. That’s always been the rule, and that’s what I’m going to continue,” he said before listing various conservative leaning media outlets that he’s been on before, including Newsmax.
Then he launched into an anecdote: “In 2016, I was doing an event with the steel workers, across the street where I live, and I was noticing a different kind of energy with this, with Trump. It was clear at that time that people were voting for Trump,” he said.
“And the Democrats’ response was, ‘Aren’t they smart enough to realize they’re voting against their interests?’ And that’s insulting, and that’s, I mean, that’s, that’s just not helpful. It’s condescending. And if anything,” he added, “that reinforces that kind of stereotype. Telling them that ‘I know better than you do,’ that’s not helpful.”
I have been saying the exact same thing for a minute. Sometimes I couch it in a bad boyfriend metaphor, sometimes I think about this condescension the way an American teenager or Libertarian would: “who are you to tell me what to do?!”
YOU’RE BEING TOO LOUD
There is a Trumpian quality to Fetterman. He does not speak with the politically contrived speech we typically hear from senators. He sounds like a normal dude, a “bro,” if you will.
He infuriates the kind of people who care about dress codes. He infuriates people with his staunchly pro-Israeli take on the ongoing war in the Middle East. He infuriates his supporters with his apparent about-face on Dr. Oz and immigration, as well as his claim that he was never a progressive. He infuriates his staff with all this and more.
But, verbal betrayals aside, his votes on the Senate floor reveal a solid Democrat, who is deeply pro-worker and pro-agriculture. His record belies his controversies, and as much as Republicans like to salivate over the possibility of Fetterman defecting to the other side, I think he’s built strong enough to endure the criticism without compromising his ideals.
The question is whether or not he’ll listen to the many valid concerns being expressed. The question is also whether the Democratic Party is willing to listen to Fetterman. Because when it comes to diagnosing their issues in connecting with working class and non-college-educated voters, he seems to have the best insight around.
He’s also right that Democrats need to stop freaking out about everything the Republican administration does. As Biden’s pardon of his son showed us, Democratic politicians are just as susceptible to abuses of power. That’s the name of the game. It always has been. Freaking out does nothing.
Or as Fetterman put it: “Does clutching the pearls so hard — does that change anything? Did it work? Did it change the election? Was it productive? And, like, I can’t believe the outrage. That has to be candy for Trump.”
YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN
Most Americans don’t know what an autocrat or a fascist is. Most Americans cannot tell the difference between a journalist and an opinion writer. Most Americans under the age of 25 get their news from podcasts.
Most Americans don’t know what the Democratic Party even stands for — Republicans have won the messaging war. “Less government, lower taxes,” was always going to be more effective than “because we know better than you.”
Democrats need to start listening to voters and need to start expressing in concrete terms the policies that shape their platform. Polling doesn’t shape elections, ordinary people and their concerns do. And as much as many of progressives will hate it, they need to listen to the non-progressive, now-senior senator from Pennsylvania.
“How do you think the Democratic Party needs to change right now?” the New York Times writer asked Fetterman.
He replied, despite having just dispensed much advice, “I don’t give advice except on fashion.”
John Fetterman has no hair on his tongue.
(Adriana E. Ramírez is a columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.)
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