PA's US Senate Seat Election 2022

[esh21167]

Probably The Turtle but I believe that it's voted on by their peers.

Majority Leader, but yeah, he had that role previously. Terrible choice, but he would likely get it.

B-buh-bluh-bi-bi-bipartisanship.

[Walleye Hunter]

So Lurch had a stroke and can't complete a sentence. What happens here? Isn't there a way he can be forced to take a competency test of some sort? And should he drop out altogether, what would happen then?

[Krichardson]

So Lurch had a stroke and can't complete a sentence. What happens here? Isn't there a way he can be forced to take a competency test of some sort? And should he drop out altogether, what would happen then?

Is there a way to force him to dress and look like an adult who bathes regularly?

[ROCK-IT3]

So Lurch had a stroke and can't complete a sentence. What happens here? Isn't there a way he can be forced to take a competency test of some sort? And should he drop out altogether, what would happen then?

Good question. In PA, the governor appoints an interim who finishes the term, but that's is the person is already in office. That leads to the question, if the person is only the senator-elect, and hasn't been sworn in yet, can the outgoing governor appoint a replacement, or does it have to wait until the governor-elect is sworn in?

[TonyF]

So Lurch had a stroke and can't complete a sentence. What happens here? Isn't there a way he can be forced to take a competency test of some sort? And should he drop out altogether, what would happen then?

Who knows.

There is no way to keep someone from running for office who doesn't have some sort of previous disqualification and I'm not sure a candidate can be compelled to undergo testing. And when one considers the fact that there was recent chatter about the mental faculties of Senator Feinstein, I don't know how Fetterman could be found unfit.

But that is all beside the point. The more pertinent question is what can be done about legislators who are not known to be in cognitive decline but ask questions such as this ...

[esh21167]

So Lurch had a stroke and can't complete a sentence. What happens here? Isn't there a way he can be forced to take a competency test of some sort? And should he drop out altogether, what would happen then?

Brandon shows us how that works.

This is a little frightening, but let's say he gets elected, then becomes incapacitated. Could his wife take over?

[Ilikebuckets]

Brandon shows us how that works.

This is a little frightening, but let's say he gets elected, then becomes incapacitated. Could his wife take over?

The governor can appoint whomever they want including his Fetterman*s wife. They will fill the position until the following election when a special election for Senator will be held. (Unless of course it is when the normal senatorial election would have been held anyway. The winner of the special election finishes out the term.

If Fetterman wins, and Mastriano wins, then Mastriano can appoint a republican if he so chooses.

[Noah_Zark]

Fetterman's comments at an Erie campaign rally about being "fortunate to be 20 minutes from a major stroke facility instead of someplace like Elk County" has enraged residents of Elk and neighboring counties.

From CBS:

ERIE, Pa. (AP) * Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman acknowledged he was lucky to be alive as he officially returned to the campaign trail Friday, more than 90 days after the Democrat suffered a stroke that threatened his life and political prospects in one of the nation's premier Senate contests.

Fetterman spoke for nearly 11 minutes, haltingly at times, as he addressed several hundred voters packed inside a convention center on the shores of Lake Erie. It was the 52-year-old lieutenant governor's only scheduled public rally this month as he gradually ramps up his public schedule.

"Tonight for me, it's about being grateful * just grateful," said Fetterman, who stood for the duration of his remarks. "Three months ago my life could have ended. It's the truth."

He said he may not have survived his stroke if he was in rural Elk County instead of being just 20 minutes away from a major stroke facility.

"Gisele saved my life," he said, wearing his usual hooded sweatshirt and jeans.

Fetterman's return marks a significant development in the race to fill retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey's seat. The Pennsylvania contest offers Democrats perhaps their best pickup opportunity nationally as the two parties battle for Senate control in the November midterm elections. The chamber is now split 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris giving Democrats the narrowest of majorities with her tie-breaking vote.

Republican nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz, a celebrity heart surgeon endorsed by former President Donald Trump, has railed against Fetterman's prolonged public absence throughout the summer.

Oz posted a fake "Have You Seen This Person?" poster online last month. He needled Fetterman again Friday in an interview with Newsmax.

"We're doing very well, campaigning all over the Commonwealth, which is a far cry from my opponent, who refuses to leave his home," Oz charged.

Fetterman's physical appearance is a central element of his nontraditional political brand.

At 6 feet, 9 inches, he sports a shaved head and tattooed arms. He's also an unapologetic progressive with a working-class background who supports legalizing marijuana, abolishing the Senate filibuster and establishing a national government health insurance program for everyone * "Medicare for all" in progressives' campaign jargon.

Fetterman's health has been a dominant issue in the Senate contest since the days before the May 17 primary, when his campaign revealed he had a stroke. He required surgery to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator, and later disclosed that he also had a serious heart condition.

His doctor offered a blunt letter in early June detailing Fetterman's decision not to take prescribed medication or see a doctor for several years after a 2017 health scare.

"If he does what I've told him, and I do believe that he is taking his recovery and his health very seriously this time, he should be able to campaign and serve in the U.S. Senate without a problem," Dr. Ramesh Chandra wrote.

Fetterman is now taking his medication as prescribed, eating a low-sodium diet and walking 3 to 5 miles most days, campaign spokesman Joe Calvello said: "He's following the doctor's orders."

On Friday night, Fetterman spoke haltingly throughout his remarks and sometimes fumbled his words. The crowd, which exceeded 1,300, according to the convention center staff, was energized throughout.

Calvello noted that Fetterman still has mild speech and hearing issues as he works his way back to full health.

"He'll miss a word here or there when he's speaking sometimes, or maybe in a crowded room he'll miss hearing a word," he said. "Besides that, he's rock solid."

The high-profile Senate contest has been playing out on television and social media despite Fetterman's extended absence.

Fetterman, who has dominated Oz in fundraising, has been running television ads promoting his candidacy for months. The Democrat has also drawn millions of views from creative social media posts, including one featuring a character from the infamous MTV show "Jersey Shore" telling Oz to come home. Oz is a former New Jersey resident, and it has been a major issue throughout the campaign.

"He's a New Jersey resident. He doesn't live here. He's not about us. He doesn't care about us," Fetterman said.

He concluded his remarks the way he opened them * with gratitude.

"Three months ago, I may not have made it. But now, I'm standing right here in Erie," he said as the crowd erupted.


Local residents of Elk, Cameron, Clearfield, Jefferson, and other neighboring counties are irate over Fetterman's "I might not be here if I was in Elk Co. instead of 20 mins from a major stroke center." This sort of comment truly shows how the ruling class think of rural areas of the Commonwealth - just sources of revenue to be spent in the cities. Lots of Dems are among the pissed off.

How about fixing health care in rural north central PA, Lurch? Be nice to have a major regional stroke care center in Saint Marys, DuBois, or Clearfield in the event you find yourself back in the area?

Noah

[DukeConnor]

Fetterman was at a campaign stop yesterday and he sounded like Joe Biden. He was having trouble stringing words together. The stroke is CLEARLY impacting him.

Oz's best move is to ramp up pressure and force Fetterman to campaign more. It'll expose him.

But I don't think Oz really wants to win this

Did he smile in slow motion ?

[Walleye Hunter]

Did he smile in slow motion ?

Probably just half a smile.