John Fetterman- We All Have Hurdles To Overcome

And Mehmet Oz should know better than to belittle Fetterman for his disability

I watched Dasha Burns’ interview with John Fetterman, which I thought she handled with sensitivity, but not so much so that she was lobbing softball questions at him. Fetterman, who had a severe stroke the day before the Pennsylvania primary, is generally OK physically, but he sometimes struggles to understand spoken words. It’s a common after-effect for those who’ve suffered a stroke.

I know of which I speak. My father dealt with the after-effects of a massive stroke for the last 29 years of his life. He never made it as far back as Fetterman has, but medical treatments and technologies have advanced exponentially over the past few years.

During the interview, Fetterman used a computer program that transcribed Burns’ questions onto a monitor. At this point in his recovery, it can be easier for him to process information visually. That was the only accommodation made for Fetterman, and he acquitted himself quite well.

Of course, there are those, including Fetterman’s opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz (who should know better), who questions his fitness to serve in the Senate because of his stroke when all Fetterman needs is a moderate amount of assistance.

John Fetterman is at least as fit and qualified to serve as Mehmet Oz. His current mild disability hardly disqualifies him, though Oz is doing his best to paint Fetterman as incapacitated and unfit to serve.

On The Daily Show Wednesday night, Trevor Noah took on the John Fetterman interview that “has everyone talking” this week. And he made it very clear where he stands on the Democratic Senate candidate’s ability to serve the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania despite still not having fully recovered from his stroke.

After playing an extended clip from the NBC News interview, in which Fetterman was open about the need to use a live closed captioning system to read the questions as the reporter was asking them and could be seen stumbling over the word “empathetic,” Noah addressed those on the right—and elsewhere—who are saying this means he’s “not fit” for the Senate.

While he understands that political figures will “jump on any weakness” of their opponent, Noah said, “Let’s be real, people: If stumbling over a word every now and again disqualified you from politics, America wouldn’t have had a president for the past six years.” And while Fetterman stopped to correct himself, the host joked that Biden “wouldn’t have noticed” and Trump “would have tried to convince us that he got the word right.”

Noah also didn’t find Fetterman’s need to read captions a “deal breaker,” saying, “I think America needs more people in politics who actually know how to read,” as photos of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Herschel Walker appeared on the screen.

Politicians are apt to “jump on any weakness” their opponents show. That’s how politics works. But is Fetterman’s stroke and his recovery a “weakness?” Admittedly, his ability to process spoken words is slightly impaired at this moment in time, but from what I’ve seen of Fetterman, he’s able to function, just not at the same speed as someone who hasn’t suffered a stroke.

I don’t know if Fetterman’s condition is permanent or if he’ll eventually recover fully, but that shouldn’t matter. The question isn’t his disability; it’s his fitness to serve, and nothing in his demeanor indicates he lacks the wherewithal to serve in the Senate. He certainly wouldn’t be the first person with a disability to hold a Senate seat.

[Noah’s] most impassioned argument came when he explored what the “questions” about Fetterman’s health say about America’s attitude toward disabilities more broadly.

“I’m not vouching for Fetterman over Dr. Oz or anything like that,” he insisted, “but I do think that this whole debate is veering into the territory of saying that people with disabilities can’t be lawmakers, which is trash.”

And that is especially true, Noah added, because America has disabled lawmakers in Congress right now, pointing to both Republicans like Dan Crenshaw, who lost an eye, and Democrats like Tammy Duckworth, who lost both of her legs. “And Mitch McConnell, who’s literally melting all the time,” he joked. “But has he let that hold him back? No!”

My father had a stroke at 53. It impacted the speech center of his brain to the point where he could speak only a short sentence or two at one time. He could say, “I love you,” and sometimes that was enough because it had to be. He could process information, just not in the same way or at nearly the same speed as before. It was frustrating, but he lived that way for his final 29 years and somehow managed to find peace with his situation.

Greg Abbott runs the State of Texas from a wheelchair, the legacy of a tree falling on him during a run some years back. Yet no one ever questions his ability or fitness to serve. Though I loathe his politics and persona, I admire his determination to live his life without caving into his limitations.

I was diagnosed with ADD a few years ago. I never thought I’d EVER be covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, but here I am with an honest-to-goodness disability. Whodathunkit?

I can’t process information the way most “normal” people do. I forget things quickly. I can’t keep lists in my head. Arguments are challenging because I can’t track the points of the other participants(s) for long. After a while, I often forget the details of the disagreement.

My ADD is a big part of why I’ve been chronically underemployed my entire life. It’s difficult for me to function in a team environment because it’s easy for me to forget the details and expectations of my role and responsibilities.

The cross I bear is nothing like a stroke, but I can partly relate to what John Fetterman deals with each day. It’s not fun knowing people are looking at you without understanding what you’re going through. Nor is it enjoyable realizing that no matter what you do, some people will think there’s something wrong with you. Unfortunately, that’s been my burden my entire life. It’s hard, and it’s never gotten any easier.

I don’t imagine it ever will.

Perhaps it won’t get easier for Fetterman, but there’s no reason to believe he can’t be an effective Senator for the State of Pennsylvania. He’s intelligent, committed, and wants to serve. It’s just that it takes him a little bit longer to process information, and he has to do it differently than most of us. Will that adversely impact his ability to serve his constituents or his country? Not at all.

Of course, there will be those who will ridicule him and question his fitness to serve. There are always those cruel enough to jump on perceived weaknesses and play it for laughs.

Whatever happens, I suspect Fetterman will continue plugging away and serving as an example of why people with disabilities belong in the Senate and many other places.

Disabilities aren’t always visible, but while a disability may impact a person's performance, it doesn’t detract from who a person is or whatever they have to offer. It doesn’t make a person “less than.” And while Mehmet Oz may try to convince Pennsylvanians that John Fetterman is “less than” and somehow unfit to be their next Senator, I’d submit Fetterman’s disability is part of what makes him the best candidate. He has natural compassion and empathy; Oz has to fake it with a campaign aide to seem relatable.

If you watch John Fetterman during his interview with Dasha Burns, I think you’ll see someone uniquely qualified and fit to be Pennsylvania’s next Senator. There is little doubt that he’s far more compassionate, relatable, and decent than Mehmet Oz.

And we know that Fetterman actually lives in Pennsylvania, which is more that can be said about Oz. Why this race is as close as it appears to be defies rational understanding.