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I Can Relate to John Fetterman [1]
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Date: 2023-02-28
Senator John Fetterman
Apart from my departed father and former President Barack Obama, two individuals of African ancestry who created successful existences in this country, I do not usually admire famous men. This is especially true in 2023, as social media and the twenty-four news cycle remake civil society, giving us a more expansive and in-depth view of prominent individuals. I often do not like what I see.
Ten years have passed since I have seen my father, an unfortunate victim of cancer and kidney disease. Nevertheless, I continue to hold dad in high regard. Because he was able to survive the Biafra, a civil war responsible for the deaths of three million Nigerian people. He fought the war as an infantryman before immigrating to the United States in the eighth decade of the previous century, armed only with his considerable wits and unyielding determination.
And Barack Obama? He was born a crime, a product of miscegenation, a practice considered illegal in some states in 1961, the year Obama was born. Despite significant barriers to success, Obama and my father exceeded expectations, bringing about substantial and measurable change that will influence a significant number of people for many decades to come.
As I am the son of African immigrants, I can relate to Obama, and our shared characteristic became the main reason for my assiduous monitoring of his performance in office. When dad was an inpatient at Presbyterian hospital, his health failing, he and I cemented a bond over our mutual admiration of the first black president; both of us chortling as Obama repeatedly outsmarted racist republicans, their faces contorted by irrational hatred and anger because an African man was beating them.
The hospital room is where my two obsessions — concern over my dad’s health and curiosity about Obama — converged, satiating my unending appetite for information on my two favorite men. After my father died and Obama left the presidency, I openly and viscerally mourned their losses, thinking that I could never truly relate to another great man.
Then came the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.
Unable to accept his obvious defeat, a humiliated Donald Trump sought to remain president. A significant part of his overall strategy was executed through the courts, where he filed more than sixty lawsuits designed to halt the eventual certification of the election results. Pennsylvania, widely regarded as a battleground state at the time, was a point of focus for Trump and his minions. As the cases worked their way through the Pennsylvania court system, I became invested in the state, for if Trump were to prevail in court, he would have achieved his desired goal: sowing convolution and chaos. Cable news anchors and digital newspapers provided coverage of these court cases, with most of them seeking to speculate and sensationalize.
John Fetterman, serving as the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania in 2020, confidently and forcefully spoke the truth. As he sat for interviews on MSNBC, he was unequivocal in dismissing the validity of the election lawsuits. After his interviews were concluded, I can recall feeling less anxious about the country’s immediate future. Ultimately, Mr. Fetterman’s assertions would be proven correct, as every single one of Trump’s frivolous court cases were denied.
After the presidential election was finally certified, news organizations kept on bringing Fetterman back for interviews, as there was incessant chatter concerning his potential candidacy for the United States Senate. Mr. Fetterman is unabashedly progressive, a proponent of universal healthcare, abortion rights, expansive voting rights, and ending the filibuster, an archaic rule that dilutes the power of traditionally marginalized voters. As a U.S. Senator, John Fetterman would be one of the most forward-thinking white men in the whole body.
I became infatuated with Fetterman, a bald and hulking man (6’9” and weighing close to three-hundred pounds) with a sinister goatee. He preferred to wear a hoodie and shorts, shirked the evasive speech that is typical of the average politician, and was comfortable mingling with average people. He was a townie, a former mayor of Braddock, a small town (pop. 1708) located on the east side of Pittsburgh, and an icon for the middle and underclass. People probably underestimated him upon initial perception, which would have been a colossal mistake. Fetterman has acquired two master’s degrees, one from the University of Connecticut and the other from Harvard University.
I watched and read stories about politics every day in the subsequent months since the insurrection, hoping to come across a John Fetterman sighting. He excelled when responding to questions posed by television anchors on MSNBC or some other show, speaking directly to millions. Thoroughly captivated by Fetterman’s acute intelligence and presence, I sought additional evidence on the man through google searches. And after reading about his announced candidacy for the United States Senate on Dailykos.com, the most prominent progressive website in the nation, I was elated. Because I was confident in his ability to wipe the floor with whomever the Republican Party put before him.
Fetterman’s path toward the United States Senate was complicated by a severe stroke he suffered in May 2022, temporarily incapacitating the typically aggressive and garrulous candidate. He returned to the campaign trail three months later, still suffering from the aftereffects of the stroke, as Fetterman was unable to process speech correctly, making it difficult for him to engage in a conversation without assistance from specialized technology. Dr. Mehmet Oz, Fetterman’s opponent and Trump sycophant, pounced, questioning Fetterman’s fitness for the office he sought. Knowing that Fetterman was at a disadvantage, Oz belittled Fetterman through social media and challenged him to multiple debates, rigorous activities made more challenging by Fetterman’s disability. Against the advice of many experts and admirers, Fetterman relented, granting the eager Oz his debate.
I’m going to admit a hard truth. Objectively, Fetterman lost his public debate with Mehmet Oz. Oz was more polished and better able to process and express his thoughts through words. I often cringed as Fetterman tried to keep up with the snake oil salesman, as he often struggled with verbalizing his thoughts. Nevertheless, Fetterman pushed through until the end.
Fetterman’s detractors interpreted his performance as uniquely disqualifying. Pat Toomey, the outgoing Pennsylvania Senator, and Fetterman’s immediate predecessor, advised Fetterman to drop out of the race. Thankfully, Fetterman did not heed Toomey’s advice, vowing to continue fighting for the people of Pennsylvania.
“I got knocked down but I got back up,” said Fetterman before an adoring crowd in Pittsburgh.
Fetterman would go on to beat Oz by almost five percentage points, an unheard advantage in a statewide race held in Pennsylvania, a perpetual swing state.
As a newly minted United States Senator, John Fetterman replaced his sweatshirt and hoodie with a jacket and tie. Nevertheless, the clothes swap did not change his approach to governing. He exhibited his devotion to service by visiting constituents in Pennsylvania and voting affirmative on democratic priorities.
Fetterman’s schedule is physically demanding and psychologically taxing, requiring the senator to deplete stores of energy and brainpower. When combining his grueling work schedule with dogged attempts to regain his health, Fetterman became psychically overwhelmed, prompting his referral to a psychiatric facility for advanced clinical depression.
John Fetterman remains in the hospital as I write this essay. According to people who are in regular contact with Senator Fetterman, his recovery is proceeding without any catastrophic interruptions or setbacks.
As was the case with Barack Obama, I want John Fetterman, a great man to succeed. Fetterman does not share my African ancestry, but I can still relate to the man. For I have struggled with my mental health for two decades, and I have had to juggle obtaining a viable career with managing my health.
It was difficult for me at first, reconciling the demands of the workplace with my journey toward achieving better health. Because for a long time, the workplace is what caused my mental health to deteriorate. Classified as legally disabled, I was not able to support myself, leaving me dependent on my parents and the government (SSDA) for financial aid as a young man. After suffering another emotional breakdown in the workplace eight years ago, I pledged to do everything I could to improve my health before moving forward with my career. Thus, I submitted to a two-week leave of absence, saw a psychiatrist who finally prescribed the right medications, and ingested the Fluoxetine and Zyprexa psychotropic pills without complaint.
John Fetterman is lucky to have a great support system, comprised of family members, doctors, and staff, individuals who will push him toward realizing his optimal health. I wish him well because we need someone like him in the Senate, a fighter for the little guy/girl and a foil for all of those people who seek to take advantage of the traditionally forgotten and marginalized. And by making his battle with depression public, Fetterman is helping to destigmatize mental illness. He is a role model for me and every other individual who suffers from health disorders.
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https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/28/2155522/-I-Can-Relate-to-John-Fetterman
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