Fetterman Still Sounding More Like a Conservative

Did the stroke that Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman suffered during his Senate primary run fundamentally change something in his brain? He seems to have fully recovered at this point after a period of time when he could barely speak coherently, but something about him appears to have changed. Fetterman was previously hailed as a democratic socialist with a far-left progressive agenda. But these days he’s sounding more and more like a conservative Republican. The latest demonstration of this phenomenon showed up in a recent interview he did with the New York Post. Fetterman blasted the idea of “squatters’ rights” being claimed by migrants and correctly identified them as “criminals.” He also declared to the Post that he is “not woke.” For someone who originally staked his claim to fame as a politician who opposed Donald Trump, Fetterman is sounding more and more like the Bad Orange Man every month.

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman ripped the idea of “squatter’s rights” during an exclusive interview with The Post this week.

“Squatters have no rights,” Fetterman said, adding that the issue was one he often dealt with when he was mayor of working-class Braddock, Pa. “How can you even pretend that this is anything other than you’re just breaking the law?”

“I am not woke,” he warned.

“We always tried to push back against that,” he said, adding that he had been horrified by what he’s read in The Post’s extensive coverage of the squatting issue.

In the interview, Fetterman makes a lot of sense for a person who once championed progressive values. He compared the idea of squatting in someone’s house to stealing a person’s car. If you manage to hide the car for thirty days, do you suddenly own the car? Obviously not. We’ve discussed the issue of squatters’ rights in blue states here before and the need to change them. John Fetterman is right on the money in this regard.

He also blasted the current crime rates plaguing the country. He called out the soft-on-crime laws in states like New York and blamed liberal politicians for the death of New York Police Detective Jonathan Diller. (Diller was posthumously promoted from officer to detective first class during his funeral.) He declared that Guy Rivera should “spend the rest of his life in prison and never have an opportunity to get out.” He told the Post that he still believes in second chances for people, “but not 20.” I must wholeheartedly agree with him.

Fetterman further broke ranks with much of his party by reiterating his 100% support of Israel in its war against Hamas. He called out Chuck Schumer for calling for new elections in Israel and said there should be “no conditions” on our support of our ally. This wasn’t a new position for Fetterman. He previously went out on social media and declared the same thing.

In this war against Hamas—no conditions for Israel. pic.twitter.com/qCrqHT4pge

— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) April 4, 2024

Despite all of these apparent policy shifts, John Fetterman is not yet ready to put on a MAGA hat and sign on with the GOP. He may be sounding a lot more like Trump these days, but he will not be supporting him in the upcoming election. He told the Post that he remains committed to supporting Joe Biden for a second term. 

You might wonder if these sorts of positions will weaken Fetterman’s support among the Democratic base and endanger his position. But he’s not up for reelection until 2028, assuming he even plans to try for a second term. He’s already served as the Lt. Governor in Pennsylvania and he’s made no secret of the fact that he’s still interested in a shot at the Governor’s mansion if it becomes available. Pennsylvania is so closely divided that it’s one of those states where you can get away with being considered a “moderate.” Perhaps Fetterman is being more cagey than I would have given him credit for.