Democrat Strategy: Vote Now, Debate Later

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Posted: Sep 13, 2022 12:20 PM

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The Pennsylvania Democratic candidate for Senate, John Fetterman, has refused to agree to a debate against his Republican counterpart Dr. Mehmet Oz. It may be because of his obvious mental incapacity coming off of a debilitating stroke just days before winning his primary election. Or, it could be because his campaign is embracing one of the oldest, wisest strategies in the book: Don’t get in the way of your opponent when they’re doing a fine job hurting their own cause. And Oz has not been the most effective candidate in Pennsylvania up to this point. Whatever the reason, it appears as though Fetterman can’t run and hide from the public stage much longer. Even the Washington Post now realizes that the Fetterman cognition issue is a serious problem. Since returning to the campaign trail, Mr. Fetterman has been halting in his performances. He stammers, appears confused and keeps his remarks short. He has held no news conferences. Mr. Fetterman acknowledges his difficulties with auditory processing, which make it hard for him to respond quickly to what he’s hearing. He receives speech therapy — and we wish him a speedy, full recovery — but the lingering, unanswered questions about his health, underscored by his hesitation to debate, are unsettling.Of course… they’ll still endorse him. Ultimately, Fetterman will agree to a debate, but it will be in the final weeks of October after many early, mail-in ballots will have …