The 2022 vote: Fetterman v Oz
Except maybe for the ridiculous race in Georgia, where Herschel Walker keeps getting caught in one ridiculous lie after another, no vote in any Senate race this year should be easier than the vote in Pennsylvania. The race matches a serious public servant, with executive experience and serious, thought-out policy positions against an unprincipled clown and TV quack doctor who has totally reversed his position on virtually every issue from moderate Republican to all-MAGA, all the time.
Oz also deserves scorn for running perhaps the meanest and most deceptive campaign in a mean and deceptive year. His Willie Horton-type “soft on crime” ad campaign reaches new levels of deceptiveness, and his snide insinuations about Fetterman’s health stand out as singularly sleazy.
John Fetterman has pushed policies he believes in, including some that most politicians avoid. These included immigration reform and LGBTQ+ rights. Before gay marriage was legal, Fetterman performed one of the first same-sex marriages in the commonwealth.
He got his start in politics in what many would consider an unenviable job: mayor of a declining industrial city, Braddock, PA. As mayor of Braddock, he successfully opposed a four-lane interstate highway through Braddock, a town that’s more than 80% Black on the grounds that it was environmental racism. He focused on community policing and economic revival. In 2009, the Guardian called Fetterman ‘America’s coolest mayor.”
Fetterman supports an end to the Senate filibuster. He has also said that Democrats need to be more ruthless, like Republicans, in order to pass legislative priorities.
Healthcare. Fetterman has supported Medicare for All. He has said that "Healthcare is a fundamental human right," and that he would "support whatever path" is necessary to expand healthcare accessibility, including the expansion of Obamacare.
Abortion. Fetterman opposes any legislative restrictions on abortion, and has expressed support for the codification of Roe v. Wade into federal law.
Gun policy. Fetterman supports greater restrictions upon gun purchases, including universal background checks and closing loopholes that allow for the mentally ill and domestic abusers to purchase firearms.
Criminal justice reform. Contrary to the highly deceptive ads Oz’s campaign is running, Fetterman does not want to release all criminals immediately. But prison reform is one of Fetterman's signature issues, advocating for more rehabilitation as well as broader clemency. As lieutenant governor, he chairs Pennsylvania's Board of Pardons, which processes clemency requests and forwards them to the governor. Fetterman urged the board to process requests more quickly.
Policing. Fetterman has described himself as "pro-policing", including pro-community policing. He calls the idea of defunding the police absurd. As lieutenant governor, Fetterman supported legislation that would only allow the police to use deadly force in situations where officers or others nearby face imminent threat of death or serious injury.
Fetterman is in favor of abolishing capital punishment and would extend Gov. Wolf’s moratorium. He has called the death penalty "inhumane, antiquated, expensive, and [a] flawed system of punishment.”
Environmental issues. In the past, Fetterman opposed fracking, calling the practice "an environmental abomination.” However, he now says that he supports the continuation of fracking, although he calls for stricter environmental regulations. In 2021, Fetterman said that he supports moving towards a "de facto moratorium [on fracking] because the transition is going to be toward green and renewable energy.”
Minimum wage. Fetterman supports a $15 minimum wage.
Taxation. Fetterman supports a wealth tax in the United States.
This series is written to promote political discussion and organizing. Permission is given to use this in fact sheets, talking points, letters to the editor, etc. We’d appreciate if you notified Gettysburg DFA (leonsreed@gmail.com) of any uses.