What to Make of John Fetterman’s Struggles

Benjamin Wallace-Wells: “I don’t want to understate how significant a problem Fetterman’s condition was for his ability to debate effectively. The cognitive gaps were evident nearly every time he spoke, and shaped many of the exchanges. Often, Fetterman would begin an answer with a clear sentence, only to follow it with several confusing ones. At other times, he would hit upon a phrase of choice (a favorite was ‘the Oz Rule,’ the ‘rule’ being that Oz lies every time he’s on television) and continue to circle back to it, like a life raft.”

“When Fetterman’s answers triggered some basic political follow-ups from the hosts, he could not find the words to talk his way out of them, as politicians ordinarily do…”

“It seems a little strange to think about exactly how this debate will affect the rest of the race, though I’m inclined to assume that it was much worse for Fetterman than for Oz. Even so, there was a rare poignancy to Fetterman’s position last night, both in what he was so obviously struggling through and in how much pressure was on him. The Democrats are in a perilous political situation at the moment—they are almost sure to lose control of the House of Representatives, President Biden is unpopular, and the economy is teetering. What they have been depending upon this year is that a few exceptional candidates in key states (Mark Kelly, in Arizona; Raphael Warnock, in Georgia; Catherine Cortez Masto, in Nevada; and Fetterman, in Pennsylvania) will pull in enough swing voters to keep control of the Senate and keep the politics of Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis at bay. So much depends upon a handful of individuals—upon their vigor on the trail, upon the precision of their arguments, upon their health. Maybe too much.”