Pablo Manriquez
New Republic, Jan. 12, 2024
“Standing with Israel and thinking that we should have a secure border, I don’t know why either one of them is controversial.”
All life evolves, even that of U.S. senators. John Fetterman is no exception, even if the junior senator from Pennsylvania insists he hasn’t changed a lick. “I’m not a progressive, I’m just a Democrat,” Fetterman said during an exclusive interview with The New Republic on Wednesday.
Some might beg to differ. In the past, he tweeted, “My dude, I’m a progressive Democrat.” He backed Bernie Sanders enthusiastically in 2016 against Hillary Clinton, saying of Sanders, “We stand together as the most progressive candidates in our respective races.” Many progressives expressed excitement in 2022 after he beat a more establishment-friendly Democrat in the primary and then flipped a Senate seat that Republicans had long held—even after suffering a near-fatal stroke a few months before.
But in recent months, that enthusiasm has given way to frustration and even anger from the left because of his outspoken support for Israel amid its overwhelming assault on Gaza after Hamas killed 1,200 people on October 7. He earned even more ire when he called for more restrictions on immigration as Republicans hope to close off people’s means to enter the United States legally in exchange for funding for Ukraine.
And on Thursday, in a speech to a Jewish organization, he referenced charges of white genocide against South Africa, which has brought genocide charges against Israel before the International Court of Justice at The Hague, by saying that “maybe South Africa maybe ought to sit this one out when it comes to criticizing the behavior of other nations.”
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