Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has now publicly distanced himself from the hard progressive left for their stance on Israel after weeks of outwardly expressing support for the Jewish state.
Fetterman’s support for Israel has been no secret, even going back to his U.S. Senate campaign. In April 2022, for instance, he told Jewish Insider that he would always be leaning in toward Israel.
“Whenever I’m in a situation to be called on to take up the cause of strengthening and enhancing the security of Israel or deepening our relationship between the United States and Israel, I’m going to lean in,” he said. “I would also respectfully say that I’m not really a progressive in that sense.”
Interestingly enough, back in 2018, socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) hailed Fetterman as an “outstanding progressive” during his campaign for Lt. Governor. Fetterman also backed the Sanders campaign during the 2016 presidential primary.
Since the horrific October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, Fetterman has been stalwart in his support, earning him the nickname #GenocideJohn from the far left. In an interview this past Wednesday, Fetterman said he will not be backing down.
“What I have found out over the last couple of years is that the right, and now the left, are hoping that I die,” Fetterman said. “There are ones that are rooting for another blood clot. They have both now been wishing that I die.”
Fetterman said he feels the progressive label has left him.
“It’s just a place where I’m not,” he said. “I don’t feel like I’ve left the label; it’s just more that it’s left me.”
“I’m not critical if someone is a progressive,” he added. “I believe different things.”
As noted by the New York Times, Fetterman has “rejected calls for a cease-fire, filled the walls of the hallway outside his Senate office with photos of the hostages taken by Hamas, draped himself in an Israeli flag and even waved one provocatively in the face of pro-Palestinian demonstrators.”
On other issues, Fetterman has stepped away from his left-leaning colleagues by asking for Democrats to engage with Republicans in a dialogue on border security.
“I don’t think it’s unreasonable to have a secured border,” he said in a recent interview. “I would never put Dreamers in harm’s way, or support any kind of cruelty or mass expulsion of hundreds of thousands of people. But it’s a reasonable conversation to talk about the border.”
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
