General Discussion

That label fits him quite well. I'm filing that away for future use!

I need to read up on Lieberman. I haven't always been as politically engaged as I am now, and I am not up on everything that happened with him. That sounds like a gap in my knowledge that I need to fill.

As for Fetterman, he definitely did a 180, but I'm not convinced he faked being a progressive. From what I've read, he underwent marked personality changes (not just policy changes) after his stroke. I never heard of him myself until he announced his run for the Senate, but I remember a very enthusiastic reaction to that news here at DU.

Later on, it was like a switch was flipped, and he started to morph into an entirely different person.

I have a hard time imagining how someone could go into politics, convince Pennsylvania voters and the Pennsylvania Democratic Party that he was a progressive, serve as a mayor for 12 years and Lt. Gov. for 4 (building a progressive track record in the process), get elected to the Senate by campaigning on that progressive track record , and then reveal after taking office that he was actually a conservative all along. What an elaborate scheme! If he wasn't a progressive, he sure had a hell of a lot of prople fooled. He'd have to have been an extremely talented actor, as well as a Bond villain level schemer, to pull that off.

When you factor in the stroke he suffered after the primary election, followed by the onset of severe clinical depression (probably triggered by the strokel) shortly after taking office, things start to make a lot more sense, imo. Strokes cause brain damage, and brain damage is known to cause personality changes. Reports of erratic and volatile behavior such as those described in the article linked below support the widely held perception that his entire personality has changed dramatically since the stroke and subsequent treatment for depression:

Alleged outburst at union meeting adds to concerns about Pa. Sen. Fetterman’s behavior
https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/05/fetterman-mental-health-concerns-union-meeting/

So no, I don't think he faked anything. I can see why some might suspect that, but I don't think that theory adds up when I look at the whole timeline. I see Fetterman's story as a tragedy in the most classical sense of the word, rather than a scam. Rising from humble beginnings to the lofty heights of what might have been a notable Senate career, only to have his ability to function in that role blighted by organic brain damage that occurred as he was running for office? If that's not tragic, I don't know what is.

The best thing he could do for himself at this point is resign, but I don't think he has enough sense to see things that way. He won't be in the Senate much longer in any case. I read that Pennsylvania Democrats are already making plans to primary him in 2028, as well they should.