“I can only speak to what I say,” Oz said in a radio interview this week. The new approach has shaken up the Pennsylvania contest, which Republicans argue should have happened after the Oz races. But it has also exposed the Republican to questions about personal decency, allowing Fetterman to question what kind of doctor would ridicule a stroke survivor. The crescendo of the fight came when Fetterman this week refused to attend a debate in early September, citing the effects of his stroke and how Oz’s campaign had affected his recovery. The lack of discussions — Fetterman has yet to agree to a single contest — has raised questions about whether he would ever agree to a personal showdown against Oz, forcing the Democrat to defend the decision. “When they want to get into a serious conversation and really talk about a conversation, I’d be happy to be a part of that,” Fetterman told MSNBC Wednesday in his first televised interview since the stroke. “But right now, the fact that they’ve chosen to run a deeply stupid campaign just to make fun of someone who’s just recovering from a stroke.” Oz’s heightened messaging, however, also changed the subject in a race that just weeks ago was dominated by questions about his wealth, the fact that he lived until recently in New Jersey and concerns about poor fundraising and months spent on the back foot had irreparably damaged his chances in November. “It’s aggressive, and I understand people will criticize the execution at times,” said one Republican who works on Senate campaigns. “But it does change the tone of the race, which is undoubtedly what needed to happen.” All of that combined to make for a chaotic and uncertain week in one of the nation’s high-profile Senate campaigns at a time when the commonwealth has been the focus of political attention. President Joe Biden visited Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, gave a speech from Philadelphia on Thursday and plans to campaign in Pittsburgh on Labor Day. Former President Donald Trump will also be in Wilkes-Barre this weekend with plans to rally Republicans.
Oz walks away from his assistants
The Republican strategy for narrowing the gap with Fetterman was twofold. While Oz aides are sparking a debate over the talks by focusing on Fetterman’s stroke recovery, they are also accusing the lieutenant of being soft on crime, with Oz’s campaign and outside groups running ads attacking Fetterman’s focus on reform of criminal justice and reduce the state. prison population. “As chairman of the Council of States, Fetterman says he’s trying to get as many criminals out of prison as he can,” said an ad from the Senate Leadership Fund, a GOP super PAC. Fetterman has previously said he supports reducing the state’s prison population by a third. But the rhetoric coming from Oz’s campaign has fueled drama within the business, even among some Republicans. Oz campaign aides have mocked Fetterman for his continued recovery, particularly when senior communications adviser Rachel Tripp said in a statement: “If John Fetterman had ever eaten a vegetable in his life, then maybe he wouldn’t have had a major stroke and he wouldn’t have I’m not in a position to have to keep lying about it.’ Fetterman’s campaign criticized such comments, calling them out of line and offensive. But the most notable criticism came from Oz, who, in a radio interview this week, suggested he should not be held accountable for statements made by his staff. “The campaign was saying a lot of things, and both, my position is — and I can only speak to what I’m saying — is that John Fetterman should be allowed to fully recover, and I will support his ability, as someone who he’s having a hard time getting ready,” Oz said. Taking a markedly different tone from his campaign, Oz added: “As a doctor, I have tremendous empathy for what John Fetterman is going through. But the arguments we’ve made are more about him coming out and answering questions about his radical positions.” In response, Fetterman senior adviser Rebecca Katz released a statement calling on Oz to either “stand by” his campaign’s attacks or “denounce” them. “Instead of trying to get away with these cynical, heartless and ignorant statements, let’s hear you defend them — or repudiate them outright,” Katz said. But if Oz is looking for a softer tone, the message hasn’t been delivered to his aides. After Fetterman’s interview Wednesday night, Tripp tweeted: “Chaotic acoustic environments like the floor of the US Senate?” Other campaign statements, including one from Oz communications director Brittany Yanick, asked if Fetterman was “too sick to talk” or if he “can’t stand in front of the cameras for more than 10 minutes.” And in a somewhat sarcastic attempt to get Fetterman to talk, Oz’s campaign told reporters that they would be willing to “pay for any additional medical personnel that they may need to have on hand.” The focus on Fetterman’s health has put Oz in a difficult position — as evidenced by the distancing of his radio interview. Before running for the Senate or hosting a nationally televised talk show, Oz was regarded as a talented and accomplished cardiothoracic surgeon who regularly treated people with strokes. By overseeing a campaign that mocks a survivor, Oz threatens to tarnish his own brand with voters he needs to win, Democrats believe. “Oz is falling into a trap by allowing his campaign to make fun of Fetterman…Oz being a doctor, allowing his campaign to basically try to laugh at a person’s medical problems is going to backfire on them,” said Mike Mikus . Democratic consultant in Pittsburgh who carried Katie McGinty in the 2016 Democratic state Senate primary before losing to Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in the general election. “He doesn’t run as Mr. Oz. He runs as Dr. Oz.” Mikus suggested that the most damage to Oz’s campaign could be felt in the suburbs, where voters — many of whom are familiar with Oz’s TV show — could be moved by his personality and seek someone who is authentic and reliable. “I understand why he’s trying to distance himself from his staff, but he would be better served by firing his staff,” Mikus added. Republicans are less certain about the damage — even as they admit that some of the attacks on Fetterman make people uncomfortable. “Until the last week of this fight, all the talk around the fight was about Dr. Oz who lives in New Jersey, how he’s a rich guy out of state, how he owns ten houses,” said the Republican businessman. . “And today we’re talking about whether John Fetterman is capable of performing the duties of this job.”
“He’s in it”
Fetterman’s strategy was to turn the mockery of Oz’s campaign against the former TV doctor — something the Democrat tried to do when he took the stage at an event in Mercer County on Sunday. “How many of you, maybe you yourselves, have had a major health challenge in your life,” Fetterman said in what has now become a campaign video. “Can you imagine if you had a doctor who made fun of your illness? Or made fun of it? So here we are right now.” He added: “I would like to think that Dr. Oz may have really lost his way if you’re going to make fun of someone who’s had a stroke. But I don’t think he really had his way, since this is a guy who made a career out of selling “miracle diet pills.” Democrats, including Fetterman’s campaign, believe Oz is overreaching and overestimating how much voters care about a debate on debates. “Oz has misdiagnosed right now: his comments are offensive to general election voters, he’s clumsily tripping over himself by trying to disavow his own representative — and meanwhile today Pennsylvanians are reading on the front page of the Inquirer that he believes abortion is a crime,” said David Bergstein, a spokesman for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. Media outlets including CNN reported this week that Oz said during the GOP primary that abortion is “still murder” in early pregnancy since “life begins at conception,” a statement that would have sweeping policy implications on an issue that emboldened Democrats. cycle. Katz, Fetterman’s general, said Oz’s campaign is “intentionally conflating two different things — John’s health and this last lingering effect of the stroke.” “John Fetterman is healthy. He’s sharp. He’s funny. He’s on it,” he said. “Separately, there’s still this matter of audio processing. Those are two different things.” Oz’s campaign, however, also accused Fetterman of lying about his health. “What we’re criticizing is that he’s lying,” said Barney Keller, Oz’s spokesman. The Fetterman campaign denied this, pointing to interviews he has done in which he described the long-term issues his stroke caused. But Fetterman’s campaign was concerned about the details of the stroke while he was in the hospital, and while one of his personal doctors released a letter describing his condition and the candidate has been talking about his recovery for weeks, none of the doctors who performed the surgery have given details about their procedure or prognosis. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a CNN medical analyst and interventional cardiologist who has treated several high-profile politicians, said the lack of information at first allowed the Oz campaign and others to question Fetterman’s condition. “The big issue is…
