Pennsylvania Senate candidates John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz faced off in their one and only debate Tuesday night. After a rough start where Fetterman’s lack of experience in being a fast-talking fraud was contrasted with his fast-talking hack doctor opponent in Oz, Fetterman began righting the ship. In a nice exchange where Oz side-stepped a question about how most doctors consider Oz’s many remedies to be ethically dubious at best, Fetterman dropped a very nice reminder for the viewers at home.
”It’s the Oz rule. If he’s on TV, he’s lying.”
Fetterman began his night by laying it all out: That Oz is a liar who is using this Senate race to serve his own personal interests, and that Fetterman wants to serve the people of Pennsylvania. That one of these two men has a career of serving their community and fighting for those without a voice, and the other is a TV doctor who sells fake dreams.
When asked about abortion rights, Oz literally said that he wanted the choice concerning abortion and women’s health to be made between “women, doctors, and local political leaders.” Read that back to yourself. Then watch it.
Other things Oz would like you to discuss with your “local political leaders” may include:
- Who you have a child with.
- Whether or not you can use contraception.
- Mammograms!
One of the many things Fetterman had going for him is that he is not Oz. Oz’s fast-talking, polished style that oozes the kind of hucksterism you might only find in the dictionary next to the word “inauthentic” allowed Fetterman to simply point out that the fast-talking guy saying all of the crazy things was lying.
A reminder of which person had courage tonight and which guy was a snake oil salesman.
Here’s a good summation of the night.
And another reminder.
And something to keep in mind as you look about the interwebs for news.
Today on The Brief, we speak with Way To Win’s co-founder and vice president, Jenifer Fernandez Ancona. Ancona comes in to discuss how grassroots progressive groups are spending money in the hopes of getting as many voters out for the midterm elections. She also talks about what campaign advertisements are effective and which are not. One thing is for sure, though: We are living in historic times, and what that means for these midterms cannot be easily predicted—so Get Out The Vote!
Let’s keep the train going: Donate what you can to Daily Kos’ endorsed candidate John Fetterman.
Sign if you agree: A vote for Republicans is a vote to ban abortion.
Abortion rights, gun safety, and the our planet are all at stake in this election. We must persuade Democratic voters to turn out in November. Click here to volunteer with Vote Forward and write personalized letters to targeted voters on your own schedule from the comfort of your own home, without ever having to talk to anyone.
