OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Democrat Sen. John Fetterman’s approval rating in his home state of Pennsylvania is nearly just as bad as President Joe Biden’s approval rating in the Keystone State.
“Fetterman, who has struggled with public appearances since he suffered a stroke on the campaign trail last year, has an approval rating of 39% in the state, matching the president’s. But Biden has a higher “disapproval” rating than Fetterman, with 57% of Pennsylvanians disapproving of Biden’s job performance, compared to half for the senator, according to a poll from Quinnipiac,” the Washington Examiner reported.
“The disapproval of Fetterman and Biden is a stark contrast to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D-PA) numbers. Shapiro has a 57% approval and a 23% disapproval rating after his handling of an I-95 bridge collapse. The other 20% did not offer an opinion, according to the poll,” the outlet added.
“Those across-the-board honeymoon approval numbers for first termer Gov. Shapiro are no doubt buoyed by voters’ perceptions that he stepped up and took charge when the bridge came down on I-95,” polling analyst Tim Malloy said in a statement.
Since suffering a stroke in May 2022, Fetterman has regularly struggled to get through public events and Senate hearings, tripping over words and occasionally appearing completely disoriented.
Fetterman has faced challenges during Senate hearings and public events since assuming office, with some perceiving his communication as incoherent due to the impact of his stroke-related injuries.
His office has consistently criticized those who highlight the issues, maintaining that aside from auditory processing difficulties, he is functioning well.
In June, Fetterman went viral after he gave a speech about the I-95 highway collapse in his state when he started to stammer incoherently and even mentioned the name of the highway three times.
“Uh no, I – uh, would just, um, really like to, you know — the 95, 95, 95. You know?” he said.
“Obviously, you know, you’re pretty much preoccupied with uh 95. And uh, I certainly am, too. And we know it’s a major artery, not just for Pennsylvania but for the East Coast. And a lot of Pennsylvanians are worried that the delays in repairs bring to its standstill deal,” the senator said.
The Associated Press reported:
The collapsed stretch of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia will reopen within two weeks, Pennsylvania’s governor said Saturday, after joining President Joe Biden on a helicopter tour over the critical stretch of highway closed to East Coast traffic since last weekend.
“We are getting it done here in Philly,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said at a briefing at Philadelphia International Airport after the flyover that included members of Congress and the city’s mayor.
Biden outlined the substantial initial federal commitment and longer term support for a permanent fix for the vital roadway. “I know how important this stretch of highway is” to Philadelphia and the Northeast Corridor, he said. “Over 150,000 vehicles travel on it every day, including 14,000 trucks. … It’s critical to our economy and it’s critical to our quality of life.”
Shapiro, offering a timeline that would be welcome news to commuters and long-haul truckers alike, said with Biden at his side: “I can state with confidence that we will have I-95 reopened within the next two weeks. We are going to get traffic moving again thanks to the extraordinary work that is going on here.”
Senator John Fetterman on the I-95 bridge collapse in Philadelphia:
“I, uh, would just, um, really like to, you know — the 95, 95, 95. You know?” pic.twitter.com/QN84NhBmpS
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 16, 2023
In May, Fetterman ignited another firestorm of criticism for comments he made regarding the debt ceiling negotiations between the White House and the GOP-controlled House.
During a news conference, Fetterman claimed that the 14th Amendment, which was ratified in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War and extended citizenship to former slaves while granting all Americans “equal protection of the laws,” was primarily intended for debt negotiations.
His remarks came as he and a handful of other far-left Democrats push President Joe Biden to invoke the amendment to bypass GOP resistance so the government could pay the nation’s debts, though legal and political experts say such a move would not pass judicial muster.
“The entire GOP debt ceiling negotiation is a sad charade, and it’s exactly what’s wrong with Washington. We’re playing with fire and the livelihoods of millions just for the GOP to try and turn the screws on hungry Americans,” said a tweet sent by Fetterman’s account on Wednesday. “This is the whole reason why the 14th Amendment exists, and we need to be prepared to use it. We cannot let these reckless Republicans hold the economy hostage.”
The 14th Amendment, which was ratified in 1868, emerged three years after the conclusion of the Civil War. Widely recognized as a pivotal safeguard of civil liberties in American history, it provided explicit provisions for citizenship and due process to formerly enslaved individuals. The amendment’s “equal protection” clause, in particular, remains highly significant and continues to be celebrated, analyzed, and debated by scholars and the general public to this day.
His tweet was hit with a fact-check from Twitter regarding the debt clause: “The 14th amendment has to do with citizenship, who could run for office, and invalidating debt incurred by the Confederacy.”
