10/26/2022
WHY FETTERMAN IS NOT OUT OF THIS RACE DESPITE HIS DEBATE PERFORMANCE
Opinion By Bill Collier- Fetterman lost the debate, mostly on account he is still not doing excellent in his recovery and some are opining that this means he will lose. This idea the Democratic Party's coalition will not show up to vote for Fetterman is mere projection because the center and right tend to vote for the person foremost, a tactic that often leads to strategic defeat.
To be clear, people who believe Democrats will fight for equality, equity, justice, and the little guy, will vote for Fetterman knowing his state of mind may be compromised, at least for now, but his victory will serve their interests regardless. It remains true that for people who care about those things, Republicans do little more than deny the underlying issues/problems behind these concerns and issues.
Unlike Republicans, many Democrats and people in their coalition, understand that in the general you vote the party because majorities matter and because a bad Democrat who votes mostly for their ideas is better than a good Republican who mostly doesn't vote for their ideas.
I am sensitive to this issue in large part because of my wife who, at only 57, is now in memory care and has had struggles which ultimately led to a diagnosis of extremely early age Alzheimer's last February. Dora's struggles began way back in 2003 and we now know that the medical system failed her, thanks to misdiagnosis and insurance companies refusing to pay for tests and procedures which could have mitigated this.
Some of the commentary by the right regarding Fetterman I find ungracious and unkind and this appeal to not vote for him on account of his cognitive issues I find weak and unrealistic.
As an aside, I find Republicans are not as vocal or engaged about early access to diagnostic tests and treatments for Alzheimer's and am personally engaged in an effort to change this at the Federal and state level.
But, for me, even though this is a painful issue, in the end, I perceive this election as a freedom election. The issue is will the Bill of Rights continue to be degraded or at the least will this war on freedom, as I ascertain it, be stalled for now? I don't see Democrats as being for any freedom save things like abortion and, well, things I deem as not as essential as free speech, the right to self-preservation (Second Amendment), religious freedom, and a free market.
If you see this differently, that's totally fine, but I think many thousands in this County probably agree mostly with this sentiment.
For others, I can see why they see Democrats offer something about what they care about and were I a one-issue voter on this issue of early diagnosis and treatment for dementia/Alzheimer's I would likely vote Democrat.
I happen to think there are enough elected officials on both sides of the aisle that we can still make progress on this issue regardless of which party is in power.
This is the issue: not so much which party in power would do the most good but, sadly, which party in power aligns most with your priorities and values, as well as interests, or at least does the least harm. I would perhaps try to argue that if you are a poor person and you feel underrepresented and disenfranchised and have been voting for years for Democrats, maybe it hasn't really been serving you to do so.
Regardless, the people who form the coalition that elects Democrats have a certain discipline, real-world practicality, and wisdom about how to vote than their opponents in the coalition who typically elect Republicans WHEN THEY SHOW UP.
Even if all Fetterman does is lend his seat to a Democrat majority and just votes as maybe someone else in the Party instructs him, he is a better choice for those on the left, for Democrats, and for people who think Democrats care about the stuff that they care about. Moralizing about how "Democrats would elect a yellow dog over even the best kind of person of that person is a Republican" is almost childish in its lack of "realpolitik."
If the situation was reversed, it is doubtful conservatives, Republicans, or people who at least fear a Republican majority less then what some see as a totalitarian Democratic agenda, the Democrat would have smooth sailing.
The "vote the person and not the party" myth is only embraced by the center and the right, the left, for all their flaws, understands how stupid and ineffectual this concept is in practice. Majorities and "butts in seats" actually matter MORE then whose butts they are!!!
Even if you don't "like" Ozz, but see the dangers of Chuck Schumer settinf the agenda as being way worse even than the feckless way, for the most part, that Mitch McConnell will run things, then it's high time YOU voted the party and not the person.
Do this because majorities matter and because ultimately a bad Republican who votes at least half the time for things you like is better than any Democrat who will surely vote most of the time for things you don't like.
Likewise, I wouldn't try to convince the left, Democrats, or people whose interests align with the Democrats to not vote for Fetterman on the grounds of his cognitive issues. I would try to show them that their actual workaday interests are actually not served by Democrats.
If I was in the Democratic Party's coalition, I would not in any way care about Fetterman's brain, I would care more about winning a majority and I would care about Fetterman's votes in the Senate. I am totally sure more Republicans in this County (as a percentage of registered Party members) will sit out this race because they don't like one or more of their Party’s candidates than will Democrats in this County even if they think Fetterman is not all there.
The Democrats would be wise in this action and the Republicans who sit out the election would be fools.
To Democrats I would say, ignore Fetterman the man, you are right when you vote the p
PARTY knowing it's all about majorities and butts in seats.
To Republicans I would say, the Democrats have more mature and disciplined view of elections and you should take the same approach: vote the Party because it's only ever about majorities and butts in seats.
