Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor John Fetterman and TV personality Mehmet Oz met for their only pre-election debate, in what was perhaps the most closely watched match ups of all U.S. Senate candidates this midterm cycle.
The viewers were reminded of the high stakes race that could decide who controls the upper chamber. However, the debate was unusual in the fact that Fetterman, who suffered an unexpected stroke last spring, was still recovering and required the assistance from a captioning screen. This was also shown to the audience before the event.
Fetterman indicated to viewers right away how he would approach the audience. “Let’s also talk about the elephant in the room. I had a stroke. [Oz] has never let me forget that. And I might miss some words during this debate, mush two words together. It knocked me down, but I am going to keep coming back up.”
He did sometimes stumble over words and struggle with sentences. This often hindered his ability to take offense against Oz. He ended his debate by talking about how he felt. “fighting for anyone in Pennsylvania that ever got knocked down and had to get back up again.”
There has been considerable debate over how much of an issue should be made of Fetterman’s condition, especially since he sat for an interview earlier this month with NBC News and attention was paid to his use of captioning to help with auditory processing, Common things for stroke survivors. Oz’s campaign last summer seemed to mock his condition when a spokesperson told Insider, “If John Fetterman had ever eaten a vegetable in his life, then maybe he wouldn’t have had a major stroke and wouldn’t be in the position of having to lie about it constantly.”
Oz has since tried to distance himself from that remark, but he still criticized Fetterman during the debate for not taking questions from potential voters or talking to reporters — even though, in the latter case, the Democratic nominee has sat for interviews.
And as Leland Vittert, anchoring NewsNation’s coverage of the debate, noted afterward, Oz talked fast during the debate, something that makes it more difficult for transcribers to keep up in their captioning.
Although the circumstances were unique for the debate they weren’t unusual. Mark Kirk, the Republican senator representing Illinois, suffered a stroke and faced Tammy Duckworth in 2016. Duckworth lost both her legs during an Iraq war. He joked that both needed wheelchair assistance, but that their physical challenges weren’t an issue.
However, Fetterman was asked by one the moderators if he would give his medical records. He suggested that his campaign’s release of a note from his doctor, attesting to his fitness to serve, was sufficient. “For me transparency is about showing up. I am here today to have a debate.”Oz also seemed to be in his crosshairs, as he claimed that Oz is the “best”. “real doctors”All believe “that I am ready to serve.”
For his part, Oz didn’t quite answer about one of his liabilities, that he’s used his TV show to promote questionable treatments.
“The show did very well because it provided high-quality information that empowered people, which is exactly what I want to do when I’m a senator,”He said. When asked if he made any money by promoting these products, he replied, “I never sold weight loss products as described in those commercials. It’s a television show like this is a television show, so people can run commercials on the shows, and that is a perfectly appropriate and transparent process.”
Substance was not the focus of the debate. It rarely got into the practicalities of policy. Candidates used their time to criticize each other almost daily as though they were engaging in a 140-character Twitter conversation.
Fetterman’s campaign had lowered expectations going into the debate, banking that voters would not hold his speech pattern against him and instead identify with his recovery. Oz, however, displayed his TV skills that he had honed over many years of daytime television. He even ended with a message promoting unity even though he stated earlier in the hour that Donald Trump, possibly the most divisive figure of this generation, would be supported if he ran for president in 2024.
What impact will the debate have on policy? It is not surprising that the debate attracted only a small audience in Keystone state. Most viewers will have been exposed to it via news clips, or, given the millions still to be spent on the race, through accusatory ads.