John Fetterman, the Democrat nominee for US Senate in Pennsylvania, is avoiding debates with his Republican opponent due to his recovery from a stroke earlier this year. The Washington Post, which is now more of a propaganda outlet for the Democrat Party than a newspaper, actually called Fetterman’s few medical disclosures “not good enough.”
WaPo writes, “Mr. Fetterman is asking voters for a six-year contract without giving them enough information to make sound judgments about whether he’s up for such a demanding job.”
It is reasonable for multiple debates in a statewide race for a high-profile, open seat. There is nothing unusual for Fetterman’s Republican opponent, TV’s Dr. Oz, to request debates. It is highly unusual for one of the nominees to be incapable of debating.
The US Senate is, or at least was once, known as the greatest deliberative body. The Senate floor has been the stage for great oratorical performances from the likes of John C. Calhoun and Daniel Webster. Those days are long gone and great speakers do not necessarily translate into great leaders. Knowledge of government capacity and resource allocation are different skills from public speaking.
We do not elect a press secretary; we elect representatives who need knowledge of government and resource allocation skills more so than speaking skills. But we also need plenty of information on the candidates and confidence that they are healthy enough to do the job. Fetterman needs to prove to voters that he is healthy enough for a six-year million-dollar contract. Let’s see some debates.
