Edward-Isaac Dovere asks what it would be like to have Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman “lumbering around the Senate.” Fetterman seems larger than his official height of 6’8″ and his body is filled with tattoos, including of every victim murdered in Braddock, the run-down mostly black municipality outside Pittsburgh, during the 14 years he served there as mayor. With his “biker-bar bouncer’s chin beard” and enormous head, Fetterman is frightening at a distance, but a real softy once you get to know him. He’s the kind of man who could be best friends with progressive stalwarts Sen. Mazie Hirono or Sen. Bernie Sanders while simultaneously making Sen. Rand Paul quake in his loafers.
In my opinion, Fetterman is the most attractive Senate candidate I’ve seen in years, and the best ever in my home state of Pennsylvania. His appearance, politics, personality, and regional base would be a perfect contrast and complement to Sen. Bob Casey Jr. One bland, buttoned-up, non-descript. The other profane, unconventional, an imposing presence in any setting. One socially conservative and economically liberal, and the other known for his bold support of gay rights and his push to legalize marijuana. One based in the East, the other in the West.
I have nothing against North Philly state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta who is running against Fetterman for the Democratic nomination. Either would be infinitely preferable to the retiring Pat Toomey. But this is a no-brainer for me. I’ll all aboard the Fetterman bus.
I’ve been watching Fetterman with interest for quite a while. He seems to have those intangible qualities, much like Sherrod Brown does for his particular appeal here in Ohio. Seems like a man made for the times and for the place in which he is working to assert himself. To me, he is a breath of fresh air.