As I describe this next story, I want you to try to remember if anything like this has ever happened in American politics before. Yesterday, CBS News aired a remarkable interview with hoodied Pennsylvania Senate candidate and jab victim John Fetterman about his ‘health status’ — presumably meaning his stroke and his mysterious neck lump — and to ask whether he can assure voters he is up to the job.
The interview probably didn’t go quite like Fetterman’s handlers hoped it would. It’s the first time they’ve let him be interviewed since his stroke early this year. For what became obvious reasons.
The segment started with somber lead anchor Lester Holt briefly interviewing perky blonde reporter Dasha Burns, who had interviewed Fetterman. Out of the gate, Lester’s first question was, “this was not the normal interview, was it Dasha?”
Nope.
Burns explained that Fetterman used close captioning for the interview, because he’s having problems hearing things right. His ears aren’t working. But his eyes — his reading — are better. Burns told Lester that during small talk before the interview, it felt like Fetterman had no idea what she was saying.
Hearing just those facts, I wondered, do we REALLY need we go forward with this embarrassing interview? Isn’t the Senate all about TALKING and LISTENING? If he wins, won’t Fetterman need some kind of frantic, error-prone real-time transcription to keep up? And what about all the dealmaking on the side?
In other words, doesn’t Fetterman’s auditory processing disability suggest he should sit this one out, focus on his recovery, and THEN run for the Senate next time around after he gets better? He’s a young guy. He has plenty of time. Why do THIS?
Apparently nobody agrees with me, and the interview kicked off, with casually-dressed Fetterman sitting slightly behind a large iMac, his thick hoody covering the back of his neck. Each time Burns asked questions, Fetterman paused, turning to the monitor to read what she’d just said, and then give short answers.
His answers were mostly coherent, but they suffered in two ways. He sometimes stumbled over his words; once, he tried three times to come up with the word “empathetic.” But more significantly, he didn’t answer the critical questions about his health.
At one point, Burns asked, why won’t he release his medical records. Why haven’t voters seen anything from his doctor for six months? If he’s recovering, as he claims, why not document it? Fetterman’s quick answer was, let the voters decide whether medical records are important or not.
Um. That’s a TERRIBLE answer. The reason to release reassuring medical records BEFORE the vote is to persuade the voters who are on the fence. The ones who are wondering if giving Fetterman the job would be a train wreck.
Anyway, you can
watch it for yourself. It’s painful. But the question is: when have you EVER, in your entire life, seen a candidate persist after a stroke that plainly damaged his cognitive and sensory abilities? I certainly can’t remember anything like this before. Is it the ‘new normal?’
I wish Dana Burns would’ve asked Fetterman about the jabs. He be already packing his bags for D.C. right now, if it weren’t for the shot.
Oh. And she didn’t ask him about the neck lump.
Fetterman's first post-stroke live interview; Trump's emergency Supreme Court appeal; Court's important elections decision; Europe's financial woes; Phizer's backtracking; science's excuses; and more.
www.coffeeandcovid.com