November surprise? Oprah offers a last-minute endorsement for Fetterman

(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

It sounds like a broken record but it’s true – Democrats are desperate. The level of their desperation can’t be overstated. Every day provides new examples of desperation. As if she has a fear of missing out (FOMO) on the action, Oprah has weighed in on the Pennsylvania Senate race. She endorsed Democrat John Fetterman.

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Frankly, it’s not a surprise that Oprah endorsed a Democrat in an important race. The Pennsylvania Senate race is one of a handful of races that will decide which party is the majority in the Senate. The race is a toss-up at this point. Oprah is a Democrat and wants the Democrat candidate to win. In the beginning, it was assumed that Fetterman would win the race without breaking a sweat. He’s the lt. governor of the state and his Republican challenger, Dr. Mehmet Oz, was not taken seriously. Oz is a Trump-endorsed candidate and considered a fringe candidate by Democrats.

Democrats spent $53 million boosting conservative candidates in nine state primaries this year. That decision is coming back to bite them on the butt. This is a red wave election. The candidates that the Democrats considered easy to beat on November 8 are now in toss-up races or outright winning over Democrat candidates. The coming red wave will carry many candidates in toss-up races to victory. Between the red wave and John Fetterman’s health issues, Mehmet Oz is on track now to win the Pennsylvania Senate race.

Enter Oprah. She’s been pretty quiet this election cycle. She did get some publicity for doing a virtual event for Stacey Abrams a few weeks ago but other than that, she hasn’t made much of a splash. Suddenly, on Thursday, news came that she’s all-in for Fetterman.

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“I’ll tell you all this, if I lived in Pennsylvania, I would have already cast my vote for John Fetterman for many reasons,” Winfrey said during a virtual conversation with community leaders.

Fetterman’s campaign said Winfrey’s support for the Democrat over Oz “speaks volumes.”

Oprah is widely regarded as the person who helped launch Dr. Oz’s career, and knows him well,” the campaign said.

As I said, Oprah is a Democrat, and she has dabbled in political endorsements in the past. She has tried to play political consultant for some candidates but hasn’t had much success, except with Barack Obama. She was an early supporter of his in the Senate and heavily encouraged him to run for president. She did the same thing with Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke’s presidential run, and of course we know she’s a fangirl for Stacey Abrams. Obama is her shining success. However, she made Mehmet Oz Hollywood-famous on television. Now she’s turned to Fetterman instead of her old friend, Dr. Oz.

Fetterman is pleased. Or, at least his wife, Gisele, is. She’s the de facto candidate, you know.

Fetterman called her endorsement an “honor and privilege,” saying she is a “leader on so many issues — fighting for our democracy, passing common-sense gun reform, and ensuring racial justice. I’m grateful for Oprah’s support and trust on the issues that matter to people across the country and Pennsylvania as we close out this campaign.”

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Oprah went on to endorse other Democrats, just to make the endorsement in Pennsylvania look like a normal thing, I guess, given that she declined to issue endorsements after the primary, saying it was up to Pennsylvanians to decide for whom to vote.

“That is not the only race that matters,” she said. “If I was in North Carolina, as you mentioned, Sister [Cheri] Beasley there, and if I was in Florida, I’d be supporting Val Demings. If I was in Wisconsin, it would be Mandela Barnes. In Nevada, [Catherine] Cortez Masto, and in Texas, Beto O’Rourke and Raphael Warnock and the incredible Stacey Abrams, of course, in Georgia.”

She continued, “There are clear choices out there… the values we hold dear, the values of inclusion, the values of compassion and that so many of us share… Use your discernment and choose wisely for the democracy of our country.”

What changed? Oh yeah. Oz is ahead of Fetterman in recent polls. It’s a very slight lead, true, but it has Democrats wetting their pants. Fetterman is going down in flames at the very end of this campaign. Right now, Real Clear Politics aggregated averaging has Fetterman up over Oz by 0.2 points. The race is a toss-up and RCP rates the seat as a Republican hold. (Republican Senator Pat Toomey is retiring.)

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Fetterman is clearly not up to the job of being a senator. He suffered what looks like a severe stroke and was much more affected by it than his campaign (his wife) let on at the time or even now. Fetterman refuses to produce his medical records, saying only that his primary doctor gives him the go-ahead to run for the Senate and then to do the job, if elected. How will he cope? The Senate is a chamber that debates. It’s not the House where it looks like a political free-for-all most of the time with rowdy back-and-forth one-minute speeches between members. In the Senate, he will be required to stand and deliver justification for amendments to legislation. He’ll have to be able to present a bill that he (his staff) has written for consideration. There is no close caption on monitors on the Senate floor. Fetterman is unable to clearly express himself and he has trouble forming and finishing thoughts.

The one and only debate that the Fetterman campaign agreed to with Oz was an eye-opener. It showed that the media has been covering for Fetterman, as have other Democrats, not exposing the seriousness of his condition. It was painful to watch.

Dr. Oz regularly appeared as a health expert on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the early 2000s, which eventually led to her producing The Dr. Oz Show in 2009. Fetterman has been referring to Oz as a phony doctor, which is odd given his medical career. Oz is a retired cardiothoracic surgeon. It’s just more bluster from a less-than-bright Democrat candidate.

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With friends like Oprah, who needs enemies? Remember her endorsement of Fetterman the next time you’re being lectured by a Democrat about putting country over party. Oprah may agree with Fetterman’s extreme progressive ideology but he’s clearly not up to the job. Pennsylvanians deserve a senator who can work for them in the Senate.

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