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Social and news media commenters seize on senator’s gaffe, with some characterizing it as a Freudian slip

With speculation about whether he may defect from the Democratic party swirling around him, US senator John Fetterman described himself seemingly unintentionally as a “lifelong Republican” during a fireside chat in Texas over the weekend.

Fetterman made the comment when someone listening to him speak with CBS News political correspondent Major Garrett at the Texas Tribune Festival on Saturday asked the Pennsylvania senator why he had not become an independent.

“Because I’m a lifelong Republican,” Fetterman replied. Garrett promptly corrected him by saying, “Democrat,” as Fetterman raised a hand and shook his head in disbelief.

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[-] hoppeduponcoffee@lemmy.zip 18 points 1 day ago

He was always this way, the stroke just damaged his brain-to-mouth filter.

[-] UpperBroccoli@feddit.org 15 points 1 day ago

He doesn't wear a tie, but he wears his Freudian slip.

[-] oopsgodisdeadmybad@lemmy.zip 2 points 21 hours ago

Now that part we need to normalize. Ties are useless, annoying, uncomfortable, and I'm done cases potentially dangerous. I think they're ugly af personally, but I think women think they look good? Or maybe they're more attached to the status that sometimes comes with them.

I could go on a whole rant, but I understand that in certain circumstances a uniform might be useful, it helpful. But I'm so other circumstances, wearing something formal should never ever be expected or demanded.

Leave it as an option for the sickos who convince themselves they really want to and it's not a phase, but I have a feeling that once getting rid of suits and ties becomes the default, no one will ever want to outside of actors playing characters dated sometime between their invention and riddance), and maybe for some weird sex stuff.

People look better when they're comfortable. Let them be comfortable, even at work.

I've already told my younger siblings that when I'm dead (not that I've decided exactly what should happen at all yet), that under absolutely no circumstances do I want a stuffy formal funeral, or even burial. Humans made a mistake creating the funeral industry.

One of my brothers is a little annoyed at that, as I do have a funeral director as a brother. But he's known me longer than he's worked there, so he'll get over it. Not like I would ever sit a funeral anyway. But that's not why I don't want one.

This is where the rant would really start, but I could go for a while on this subject (and the tangential ones that would come up, like getting to funerals from ties).

[-] jambudz@lemmy.zip 1 points 10 hours ago

Ties are really fun to be pulled with during some activities. But at work they’re dumb

[-] 5318008@lemmy.ml 2 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

Ties are a descendent of the cravat. It's just another way to accessorize. We used to have plain shirts and coats, and it was something to add a little pizzazz somewhere.

You might do the same thing, but with graphic tees, face piercings, tattoos, hairstyles, or any other thing that differentiates your appearance from anyone else's. Basically, our monkey brains see other people with a cool new look, and we want it, too. That's what happened with the necktie, once upon a time.

[-] oopsgodisdeadmybad@lemmy.zip 2 points 20 hours ago

I feel the same towards those. Like I said, it can still exist, but should not be the default for "serious business".

I realize (or assume) that was the royal "you" there, but personally I have a cartoon character's wardrobe basically. Shorts and solid colored tees. No piercings or tattoos, and I'm bald.

There is one tattoo I have picked out that I might get eventually, but my doctor has strongly advised against it. But I might just say "fuck it" one day and just be super duper careful about infection prevention (in my condition that is very likely to happen, while also being a waaay bigger problem potentially than it is most people).

But it would be more personally significant than a decoration to me.

[-] ProfThadBach@lemmy.world 6 points 23 hours ago

It was him or Dr. Oz and I an starting to think Oz would have been a better choice.

[-] OpenPassageways@lemmy.zip 61 points 1 day ago

If I stroke out just pull the plug, I can't risk becoming a Republican.

[-] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 36 points 1 day ago

Dude, he didnt become a republican because of the stroke.

He's always been one. and a piece of shit asshole too

his locals have been saying that from the damn start.

[-] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 1 day ago

There it is.

[-] voxthefox@lemmy.blahaj.zone 142 points 1 day ago

Can't really fault him, ive been making the same mistake thinking he was a lifelong republican all along as well.

[-] KiloGex@lemmy.world 24 points 1 day ago

Why is the senator of Pennsylvania doing at a conference in and about Texas?

[-] Sculptor9157@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 day ago

Just republican things. You wouldn't understand.

[-] jaschen306@sh.itjust.works 49 points 1 day ago

Yes, we know. Dude is just a Republican plant.

[-] stoly@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

I'm convinced that it's his stroke causing a personality change and possibly cognitive decline.

[-] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago

his locals that have known and dealt with him long before the election have all said he's been a fucking cunt his entire life.

the stroke had nothing to do with anything

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[-] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 113 points 1 day ago
[-] TheLowestStone@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago

He definitely said it accidentally. That doesn't make it untrue.

[-] rumba@lemmy.zip 56 points 1 day ago

Fetterman accidentally tells the truth

[-] Denfa@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago

He’s getting paid to deliver Republican wins. Fetterman loves the money. I doubt he cares which party he aligns with as long as the grift keeps paying.

[-] Mulligrubs@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Practically everyone in office is getting paid to deliver something.

For example, Biden was paid to stop minimum wage.

Trump was paid to invade Iraq.

You can tell what they were paid for by watching what they do. Viola! That's what was paid for.

Dollars are free speech and corporations are people.

[-] m4xie@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 day ago

Trump invaded Iraq? Did I miss that?

[-] WeirdGoesPro@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 23 hours ago

Pretty sure they meant Iran.

[-] ExtremeDullard@piefed.social 65 points 1 day ago

"Accidentally"...

Either this guy's brain was so deprived of oxygen that it's now unable to lie, or - more likely - he's sending not-so-subtle messages to his soon-to-be new political family.

[-] 13igtyme@startrek.website 35 points 1 day ago

His brain was so deprived of oxygen. Just five more seconds and he'd be a brain dead vegetable. Instead he's got just enough brain function to be a Republican.

[-] chillhelm@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

Also see: McConnelling.

[-] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 55 points 1 day ago

Tldr:

“Let’s revisit after the midterms, and let’s see what happens – you know – if I happen to be 51,” said Fetterman, who was elected to the US Senate in 2022. “I don’t know.”

If he has to put an R by his name to block Dems, he'll do it.

But the grift money for being the most conservative Dem is a shit ton more than being a random Republican.

So he's not going to do it unless there's a reason, and that would likely come with a lump sum bribe.

He's advertising that he'd be for sale to all the billionaires who want trump to be unaccountable

[-] Fredselfish@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 day ago

Should be illegal to run as Democrat get elected then switch to other party. If you want to switch Should have to run as that party. If I lived in that state I be PISSED! ASSHOLE should be recalled. The fact that voters in Pennsylvania aren't protesting at the capital demanding just that.

[-] OpenPassageways@lemmy.zip 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I don't think political parties should be written into the law at all, but in general the ability to vote to recall a politician should be. Some states are able to do that, and there should be a new election if they are recalled.

[-] arrow74@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 day ago

I'd support a law that would automatically trigger a recall vote if a sitting representative changes party affiliation.

Of course since states have full control over the election of their representatives I suppose it may have to be 50 laws, but still

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[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 31 points 1 day ago

If you listen to him, he clearly still has issues with speech after the stroke. A speech impediment isn’t inherently disqualifying from being a lawmaker, but such a dramatic change to someone’s brain should have automatically triggered a re-election that allowed the voters to evaluate if he could still perform his duties to the same degree as when he was elected by the people.

Except, the stroke happened before the election. The stroke happened before the primary.

The people of Pennsylvania elected him to office knowing that he'd had a serious stroke.

[-] Jtotheb@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago

Yeah dog. Welcome to representative politics. The primary was never even close. Stroke was a few days beforehand. His campaign talked up his recovery. Feel free to look up quotes about just needing surgery for a pacemaker and how he’d be fine. All the messaging stayed progressive; campaigns are run by staffers, so him being absent meant nothing for outward appearances. And who would progressives have voted for after he won the primary—Doctor Oz? Or should everyone have banded together to call the Fetrerman campaign liars and form a write in push for one of the primary losers? And risk losing Pennsylvania to DOCTOR OZ?!

Pennsylvanians were lied to and they have no true representation. But there’s no mechanism to fix that. You’re supposed to wait a couple years and just take what you get, because it’s more important that you follow the rules than it is to be heard. And that’s called democracy.

[-] FudgyMcTubbs@lemmy.world 2 points 23 hours ago

Between Oz, McCormick and Fetterman, at least Fetterman lives in Pennsylvania. That's how shitty the choices for that election ended up being.

[-] AfterlifeAdventures@lemmy.world 31 points 1 day ago

Politician finally tells the truth that should be the title

[-] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

because he is

[-] danc4498@lemmy.world 25 points 1 day ago

Democrats winning 51 seats will not be enough to resist Trump. He will switch sides and vote maga the rest of his term.

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[-] mattyroses@lemmy.today 9 points 1 day ago

oh, did the new rotating villain drop early?

[-] CrimeIsLegalNow@ani.social 9 points 1 day ago

I think this one has been teased for a while.

I think trying to brush off the Epstein files gets you more status that an rotating villain but nobody on the internet can hold more than one idea at a time so sure, I guess that makes him part-time

[-] resipsaloquitur@lemmy.cafe 14 points 1 day ago

Sorry, John, but this isn’t out of context.

[-] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

Never trust a motherfucker from York county.

Anyone who is loyal to a party is putting a party over their constituents. I'd say whichever party he was going to say is a problem. No representative should be voting for what the "rest of the group" is voting for but rather what the people they represent want. If 65% of his constituents say they want to end U.S. sanctions on Cuba it shouldn't matter what they want, or the party wants, his vote should be to end sanctions on Cuba or be immediately ousted for being corrupt.

[-] Rhaedas@fedia.io 12 points 1 day ago

You are correct about this. The key problem for him specifically is actions are not reflecting what the majority of his voters wanted. But this does also address another problem (not so much for senators but for representatives in the House), the number of people they represent.

We need an expansion of the House and redistricting so that each seat only represents a limit of people, so they can actually talk to those people and know what their interests are. Too large a chuck of population and that becomes muddled, and so party lines is far simpler to manage, assuming the votes still stand. But for local issues, which are often what bills are about, how can party line always be the best option, or even matter? Some things are politically bounded, they're what's best for the people in that region, and if the rep doesn't even really know who that is or what they want...

Granted, they have a staff to do a lot of this, but the population number per is still too high.

Oh, and Fetterman is damaged goods, they need a new senator. Of course, look at Kentucky, they didn't even have one of the senators for 90+ days (and I still have doubts).

[-] mrmaplebar@fedia.io 11 points 1 day ago

What a doofus. With "allies" like Uncle Festerman, who the fuck needs political opposition?

[-] Widdershins@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago

Please dont disparage Uncle Fester. He is loyal to his family and always has been.

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this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2026
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