Anti-Zionists want to remake the Democratic party. And so, they’re making an example of Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, who’s being tried in American media for heresy.
New York Magazine fuelled this firestorm by questioning Fetterman’s fitness to serve, cloaking that purpose in “concerns” about his well-being. (True concern is expressed privately, with name attached.) Fetterman, of course, suffered a stroke during his 2022 Senate campaign and was hospitalised for depression in early 2023. A stroke is a major health event, but back then, Democratic leaders conveyed confidence in his ability to serve. Widespread Democratic support remained even after Fetterman’s hospitalisation after a bout of depression.
Fetterman now stands accused of two crimes: Primarily, Fetterman has broken with Democrats to stand strongly with Israel since October 7. Secondly, Fetterman, who represents a vital purple state, has met with President Donald Trump and given Trump’s top-level appointees a fair hearing.
The New York Magazine article, published last week, relies heavily on Fetterman’s former chief of staff, who is both the journalist’s friend and accused by Fetterman’s wife of being “part of a conspiracy to damage her husband’s reputation”. An unclear number of “former and current staffers” are also repeatedly cited anonymously. There’s a reference to the anonymous letter “16 of his former campaign staffers wrote (in October 2023) . . . saying they found his full-throated support for Israel to be a ‘gutting betrayal.’” Not mentioned is the fact that Fetterman has reportedly lost Senate staffers over his Israel support, and some of those quitters are likely quoted anonymously here.
But it’s not just the sources. It’s the framing and details, too. A scene-setting sentence explains Israel “retaliated with brute force” after October 7. Fetterman’s “constant and unconditional support for the military action in Gaza” is clearly considered problematic. And J Street, an organisation increasingly aligned with the far-left, is called “a Zionist institution that isn’t afraid to take shots at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The organisation lives in a gray area”, whereas “Fetterman saw things in black and white”.
Readers are reminded that Fetterman “posed for a thumbs-up photo with Elise Stefanik, then the nominee for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations”, who has been an outspoken supporter of Israel in the House and presumably would have won Fetterman’s vote. And Fetterman’s X habits are criticised – that is, the social media platform where Fetterman tweets unabashedly pro-Israel and pro-hostage statements.
Readers could also have been reminded that Fetterman voted to confirm Gov. Mike Huckabee, President Trump’s inspired choice for ambassador to Israel, or that he voted to advance a bill sanctioning the International Criminal Court, which has targeted Israel’s leadership. All of it infuriates anti-Zionists.
Axios, CNN, The Atlantic, and others have run with this story, and almost no national Democrats have defended Fetterman. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont), reportedly a friend of Fetterman, told NBC News that the Pennsylvania senator is “a special talent in our party”, and “I want to be there to support him as much as I possibly can.” Meanwhile, anonymous Senate Democrats shared their own supposed “concerns” in The Hill.
Only one national Democrat appears to have criticised the campaign against Fetterman. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-New York), Fetterman’s pro-Israel House counterpart, posted on X:
“I know a hit piece when I see one. The only reason for the coordinated
campaign against Senator John Fetterman is his unapologetic pro-Israel politics. Let’s call it what it is.
As someone who has struggled with depression my whole adult life, I can tell you that if you truly care about someone’s mental health, leaking hit pieces against them is a strange way of showing it.”
Notably, for our partisan era, Republican Senators seem more protective of Fetterman. Pennsylvania’s Dave McCormick, Arkansas’ Tom Cotton, Iowa’s Chuck Grassley, and Alabama’s Katie Britt – reportedly a Fetterman friend – have posted defenses on social media.
It’s good that some are standing up, because tearing down Fetterman is not virtuous. Dr. Staci Weiner, clinical psychologist and owner of Apple Psychological in New York and Florida, told me that when Americans see “public figures... demeaned” over mental health, “there is more shame and resistance when considering seeking out help for [their own] mental health issues.” That’s bitterly ironic during Mental Health Awareness Month.
Zionists should also pay heed. Anti-Zionists sabotaged Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s vice presidential prospects last year, and they’re now focused on destroying Fetterman, who’s remained outspoken about Israel. This witch trial by media sends a pointed message: “Zionists have no home here.”
