this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2026
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[–] Airowird@lemmy.blahaj.zone 204 points 2 days ago (2 children)

It's insane how well Fetterman showed that brain damage causes conservatism.

[–] UnspecificGravity@piefed.social 78 points 2 days ago (8 children)

He was a fake Democrat before his stroke. What he shows is how easily people are duped by a person that says what they want to hear.

[–] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 40 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Tbh I think it’s both things. I think he was a bit of a quisling before, but I also think his stroke turned that up to 11.

[–] UnspecificGravity@piefed.social 31 points 2 days ago

Not a single person who knew him before says this is a surprise.

Here's a good example if how this happened.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SocialDemocracy/s/b8IISKdAPO

Here is a discussion with people who are almost certainly genuinely leftists. They were given clear information from people who know the guy that he's full of shit. No one wants to accept that narrative because it leaves them in the position that all American leftists fund themselves in eventually: no one on their ballot actually supports their interests.

[–] FudgyMcTubbs@lemmy.world 26 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Dude, it was him against Dr. Oz. At the time, anything was better than a celeb snake oil salesman who lives in New Jersey. I still think Fetterman is a better pick than Oz or McCormick, but I am disappointed by his voting record.

[–] UnspecificGravity@piefed.social 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

As long as our standard is "are they better than the worst imaginable person for the job?" this is the kind of candidate we can expect to get.

[–] BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago

It is the corrupt, broken two-party, FPTP system working as intended.

[–] Sharkticon@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 days ago

If Oz had won I'd wager the votes would have all been the same but at least he isnt doing the damage he is doing to Medicare.

[–] nondescripthandle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

This shit always happens. There's almost always enough Democrats willing to flip sides to fuck our lives up and yet still people freak out when you're skeptical of the next mediocre white nepo candidate who had a nazi tattoo.

There are a whole bunch of people that will jump your shit if you criticize anyone that even pretends to be a good progressive, they will accuse you of giving purity tests and being a Trumper.

The most recent example was the actual fucking nazi blackwater mercenary that is running as a progressive in Maine. Point out the fact that he was literally a NAZI MERCENARY and somehow that is you supporting Trump because this nazi is comfortable with lying about being a "progressive".

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago

He was a fake Democrat before his stroke

Then it was a con long enough to get his wife and every other friend, staffer, and family member who has spoken publicly about it...

Like, that's what makes brain damage so dangerous: the subject doesn't realize they've changed.

He rationalizes away his prior opinions and it sounds like he was never progressive in the first place, he most likely doesn't think he was.

It's not like brain damage draws a line with a sudden change, it makes the person forget who they used to be. They view every memory thru the lens of the present, especially in Fettermans case where the damage is localized to frontal lobe.

I'm not defending him and this a million times worse than what you thought, but that's why we need to understand it, we're all one railroad spike to the forehead away from the same thing....

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

He was a fake Democrat before his stroke. What he shows is how easily people are duped by a person that says what they want to hear.

No he's a real Democrat. He's in the party. This is what Democrats are like.

That is a fair assessment. I should have said "fake progressive".

[–] Thedogdrinkscoffee@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 days ago

Democrats are fundamentally compromised. They are a "controlled opposition", not a political alternative because the DNC leadership ensures enough compromised candidates get in.

[–] paultimate14@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Look at his voting record before vs after in the Senate. He has the stroke before he was even sworn in, but mostly voted along party lines in 2023 and 2024. His only real deviation, going back to his campaign, was that he was pro-fracking.

Anyone cane go ahead and look up his voting record, but it's incredibly tedious to try to figure out what a vote actually means, how It aligns with the rest of the DNC (which is not necessarily what I would call "progressive), and how to feel about it. Everyone really SHOULD do this on their own, but for the lazy here is a website that at least claims to be progressive and tries to evaluate how members of Congress have voted over time.

2023: 200/207 votes were progressive 2024: 210/230 2025: 454/594 2026: 30/33 so far

You can find other websites that show a similar trend, and this matches my own personal observations as a Pennsylvania. Part of what got Fetterman elected in the first place was distancing himself from a tarnished DNC, and he was mostly doing a good job for his first year or so. In either later 2024 or 2025 something changed.

Someone got to him, and I could only speculate who. I doubt he's in the Epstein files because he was not important enough for Epstein to care about until years after Epstein died. Could be AIPAC. Could be that oil companies had him in their pocket the whole time. Could be something else. But it's certainly not correct to say that PA voters should have seen this coming.

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[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 6 points 2 days ago

Textbook case.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 91 points 2 days ago

It really says a lot that all it takes to turn a progressive into a conservative is just significant medically verified brain damage...

[–] pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com 34 points 2 days ago

He stopped being a democrat after his stroke. I believe his wife left him too

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 17 points 2 days ago

Fetterman loves fascism.

[–] 1orangecat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 27 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Why is anyone still surprise? The brain was fried from the stroke.

Whenever, Fetterman does something shocking as a Democrat is equivalent to water is wet.

[–] chuckleslord@lemmy.world 18 points 2 days ago

He, umm, was actually a shit person beforehand too. Just had better optics on the national stage

https://youtu.be/28M_zkoAGQM

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

it is surprising how much our right today tends to attrack those with drug problems or brain damage or both. You know now that I think of it this sorta explains all those actors who made the abrupt right turns. Don't do drugs kids. Well not the hard stuff anyway.

See, the odd thing is, I've had the unique privilege of having many chances to interact with people who have brain damage (from drugs, injuries, or other health problems).

This is anecdotal, so don't take it uncritically, but I've found that the number of people who stayed emotionally and ideologically the same before/after is honestly pretty consistent.

The thing with brain damage is it tends to erode the things we've learned, and leaves the things that are buried down the furthest. The few who were violent and hateful, having spoken with their family, were often that way before the accident or before the brain damage set in. They were just more subtle or more controlled.

Most people were frightened, confused, and seeking help and reassurance from anyone who could offer it. Fundamentally, they were good people, before and after. Some of them may have grown more gullible, and social isolation does strange things to normal people. Bedbound people who only had Fox news for company tended to have it the worst.

I can't speak for John Fetterman. Or Kevin Sorbo. Or any other famous public figure who turned into a raging fascist after they had their brains scrambled by unfathomably bad luck. But in my experience, they were either lukewarm about human rights before, or just keeping their bigotry to themselves out of politeness.

[–] My_IFAKs___gone@lemmy.world 36 points 2 days ago

Strange to see him still being labeled as a representative of that party. At the very least, his attitude and voting record should indicate former Democrat, de facto Independent.

[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 17 points 2 days ago

I hope that his voters kick him into the rocks, and get someone who doesn't suck.

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago

Dude got brain damage and became a conservative.

[–] GutterRat42@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

What a disappointment he is.

[–] spacebread98@lemmy.zip 22 points 2 days ago (2 children)

The stoke gave him brain damage and turned him into a republican

[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 3 points 2 days ago

In a couple of decades, we might discover that conservatism is a medical condition.

[–] sudo@lemmy.today 1 points 2 days ago

Hopefully the next one turns him into a corpse

[–] decapitae@sh.itjust.works 22 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 29 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

That piece of shit traitor is going to pull a Sinema and try to go Independent or flip Republican.

Shame we must wait for 2028 cycle.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I thought he admitted that he regrets even running in the first place?

[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Nothing stopping the bitch from resigning right now if he wants.

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[–] mrmaplebar@fedia.io 1 points 2 days ago

Maybe he'll stroke out again and have to resign.

[–] d33pblu3g3n3@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Fetterman is a DINO.

Democrat In Name Only.

Is there any mechanism to revoke the name?

[–] kreskin@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

Do we really need him soiling that D next to his name? Cant we just toss him from the caucus and openly rip him to shreds? I know he's a D vote occassionally but damn he takes a steaming dump on the democratic partys reputation all the time and its a real cost during elections.

[–] BigMacHole@sopuli.xyz 13 points 2 days ago

THATS my Boy!

-Chuck Schumer!

[–] celeste@kbin.earth 12 points 2 days ago

There's no recall mechanism for members of congress. Fetterman has me reminding myself of constitutional law.

[–] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 11 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Stop calling him that, is there a way to force a party change? Like he's literally voting opposite of his party. Or is he just compromised and Trump has dirt.

[–] NABDad@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

is there a way to force a party change?

Primary

[–] Sharkticon@lemmy.zip 5 points 2 days ago

That piece of shit ogre turd.

[–] KonalaKoala@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

How about "Fetterman only Senate Democrat to be severely primaried for voting to keep ICE Terrorism funded"

I hope he's not the only one...

[–] TomMasz@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

Fetterment only Senate"Democrat"...

[–] switcheroo@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Brain damage should get you removed from office.

That MFer is basically a republikkkan at this point.

This is why I refuse to donate to Democrats. They have no spine to get rid of or effectively punish conservatives in their own party.

[–] hansolo@lemmy.today 3 points 2 days ago

Fetterman ran as a DINO, still going strong as one.

Who is actually surprised here?

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