Liberal Media Largely Defends Fetterman For Skipping Oz Talk About Stroke Claims But Some Call Him

Many mainstream media outlets are providing sympathetic context to Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman’s decision not to debate his Republican opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz as Fetterman recovers from a stroke. That appears to be due in part to sharp attacks from Oz’s campaign and Republican allies that included sarcastic promises to help Fetterman in any debates and one spokesman’s pointed remark that Fetterman could have avoided his stroke by eating more vegetables. On-air chats from CNN and MSNBC saw media executives widely condemning Oz’s campaign comments about Fetterman’s health and suggesting they might turn people away from a Republican candidate with an already unenthusiastic voter base. However, several commentators and guests also expressed concern about Fetterman’s ability to govern. Fetterman, who suffered a stroke in May and spent time away from the campaign trail, has said he plans to talk to Oz at some point. Speaking with Fox News Digital, Legal Insurrection founder and media critic William A. Jacobson said media coverage would be different if a Republican sidestepped health issues. MSNBC’S STEPHANIE RUHLE ALLOWS FETTERMAN TO AVOID QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER HE’LL AGREE TO DISCUSS OZ BEFORE INTERMISSION John Fetterman, Pennsylvania lieutenant governor and Democratic Senate candidate, speaks during a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S., Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. (Justin Merriman/Bloomberg via Getty Images) “It’s often helpful to ask how the media would treat a situation if the party affiliations were reversed. Is there any doubt that if a Republican candidate had a serious potential mental disability and stayed off the campaign trail and refused to debate because of it? That the media would be all over it? on the issue? Of course it would be front and center and the public interest would take precedence over sympathy,” he said. CNN political commentator Michael Smerconish said Fetterman’s health was a “reasonable concern” but also called Oz’s comments “unusual” and difficult. “That might end up working in Fetterman’s favor because we all know somebody who’s had a stroke, and Oz through his response to that, I think made Fetterman more likeable,” he added. CNN political analyst Jackie Kucinich made a similar statement on “Inside Politics with John King” when she claimed Fetterman had turned a “legitimate issue” about his health into a “potential positive.” He further referenced a recent campaign ad for Fetterman that saw the Democratic candidate ask a crowd “who here has ever had a health problem” to which the vast majority of people raised their hands. CNN’s John Avlon was more critical of Fetterman’s decision to skip a debate against Oz in September, with the “New Day” panel identifying a number of disagreements among the panel. Natasha Alford, another CNN political analyst, told the panel that she was more concerned about the Oz campaign, as opposed to the Fetterman campaign, when it came to the Democrat’s health scare. Citing a recent poll that showed Fetterman’s stroke was not a major concern among likely voters, Alford said “people don’t care” about Fetterman’s health issue and that it’s not a “weak point” for them. Avlon then proceeded to state that the Alford prospect was a “separate issue.” UNITED STATES – AUGUST 18: Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz holds a rally at the Tunkhanock Triton Hose Co Fire Station in Tunkhanock, Pa., on Thursday, August 18, 2022. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images ) “I don’t know why it’s so difficult in our politics today to apply the same standards, regardless of which political party it is,” Avlon said. “You know what? You have to do the same thing when a Democrat does it for whatever reason.” Avlon added that while Fetterman shouldn’t fall victim to low blows from his opponent, he has an “obligation” to talk to Oz in front of his potential voters. FETTERMAN RESERVED SUPPORT FROM DISCUSSION WITH DR. OZ: ‘BIDEN BASEMENT STRATEGY’ Speaking on MSNBC, Puck News senior political correspondent Tara Palmeri said it’s “absolutely a weakness” for the Fetterman campaign that its leader isn’t well enough to go out and campaign. He said it was important for Fetterman to get out and campaign if he is unable to debate, but admitted that his strategy of staying out of the spotlight has worked for him. He then echoed the words of several other media figures when he speculated that Oz’s comments about Fetterman’s health might turn his health problem from a “weakness” to a “strength.” Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat, speaks during a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. ((AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)) While Oz himself has expressed hope for Fetterman’s full recovery, his campaign has occasionally thrown elbows, with an Oz spokesman at one point saying the Democrat wouldn’t have had a stroke if he had “never eaten a vegetable in his life of”. KTTH radio host Jason Randz told Fox News Digital that it’s important for Oz to bring up Fetterman’s health issues without appearing to pick on him, but also slammed the media for “dishonest” news coverage. “Reporters are in a pickle. They know Fetterman’s health is a clear issue and legitimate concern, but they don’t want to hurt his chances of winning. This just reminds us how completely incapable some reporters are of providing honest news coverage.” he said. DePauw University journalism professor Jeffrey McCall said the media’s sympathetic coverage of Fetterman’s health is “understandable,” but the media must recognize that there is a difference between understanding and holding someone accountable as a candidate. “We should all be concerned about Fetterman’s health, of course, but this Senate seat could very well determine control of the Senate, and as such, Fetterman should be expected to prove he can handle his duties. office,” McCall told Fox News Digital. . “Being an effective senator requires being able to debate in committee hearings and on the Senate floor. Therefore, Fetterman should be expected to rhetorically engage the public through formal debates and through in-depth media interviews.” He noted that Oz’s attempt to lead Fetterman to the debate stage was deemed “insensitive”. The mainstream media also provided somewhat odd context to print reports, such as the Washington Post article titled, “Fetterman campaign says stroke recovery factors in fall debate plans.” Washington Post headline on August 31, 2022. (Fox News) “Counselors say Fetterman can participate in one-on-one conversations but struggles with more chaotic auditory environments, a condition common to stroke survivors that doctors say can improve over time.” the report said. FETTERMAN SAID HE OPPOSED VOTER LAWS BECAUSE ‘COLLEGES ARE LESS LIKELY TO HAVE THEIR IDENTITY’ Some conservatives slammed the Washington Post’s tweet for the story, noting that a debate format would essentially be a one-on-one conversation. He went on to describe Republican attacks on Fetterman for avoiding debate and also relayed an unnamed Democratic source’s description of focus group members who were apparently unconcerned about his condition. “The rising tensions highlight an extraordinary dynamic developing in a race that is seen as central to deciding which party controls the Senate next year. Republicans are trying to make Fetterman’s health and his campaign account a liability this fall, after Fetterman suffered a stroke in mid-May and only later revealed a more complete picture of his medical history,” the Post wrote. Other outlets also framed their stories through the lens of Oz’s campaign by making Fetterman’s health an issue. NBC News headline as of August 30, 2022. (Fox News) LETTER TO PENNSYLVANIA SENATE: OZ TARGETS Fetterman FOR BIDEN’S NO-ATTENDANCE ON TUESDAY NBC News, in a report headlined: “Fetterman Rejects Oz’s First Debate Offer, Calls List of ‘Concessions’ Offensive,” highlighted Oz’s apparently sarcastic campaign offers to give Fetterman what he needed to get through a conversation, like bathroom breaks. , a headset to communicate with his staff and hand notes. “John Fetterman, the Democratic candidate for an open Senate seat in Pennsylvania, rejected Mehmet Oz’s proposal to hold their first debate next week, saying the GOP candidate’s campaign thinks it’s ‘funny to make fun of’” his recovery from a stroke,” NBC reported. The New York Times lamented the “ugly turn” in the race in an op-ed titled “When Fetterman Refused to Debate, Oz Made His Brain Matter.” The piece acknowledged that “Mr. Fetterman said Tuesday that he would not participate in an early September debate, implying that his recovery from his stroke in May was not complete enough for him to play at his peak. His decision came after a day of stalking by Oz’s campaign.” The New York Times headline as of August 31, 2022. (Fox News) “While there is a long tradition in American politics of candidates questioning the health and fitness of their opponents for office, Dr. Oz seized on the issue as he revitalized his struggling candidacy,” the Times reported. “The attacks opened up an issue that the Fetterman campaign has tried to control — Mr. Fetterman’s health — by avoiding free questions from the media or voters after the candidate returned to the campaign trail this month.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP He identified an Aug. 23 excerpt of Fetterman’s speech pausing and fumbling for words, before adding: “Conservative news outlets and commentators seized on excerpts…