U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) just declared that he is "not a progressive."
Fetterman did so during a recent interview with NBC News.
"I’m not a progressive," Fetterman said.
He added, "I just think I’m a Democrat that is very committed to choice and other things. But, with Israel, I’m going to be on the right side of that. And, immigration is something near and dear to me, and I think we do have to effectively address it as well."
In the above statement, Fetterman points to two issues with which he has departed from many of his fellow Democrats, namely, the Israel-Palestine conflict and Immigration.
Regarding Fetterman's view of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Fox News reports:
Where many in the party have sympathized with the Palestinian’s struggles amid the Israel-Hamas War and have called for a "cease-fire" in the conflict, Fetterman has openly supported Israel’s right to defend itself, and has even mocked progressive protesters demanding he speak out against Israel’s war effort.
Then, concerning Fetterman's stance on immigration, NBC reports:
Fetterman insisted he can be pro-immigration while also favoring policies to restrict the flow of migration to manageable levels, disagreeing with progressives who oppose new limits on asylum and bash some of the ideas in the negotiations as cruel.
These, however, are not the only two issues on which Fetterman has diverged from his fellow Democrats.
Another example would be Fetterman's insistence that U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) ought to be removed from Congress, following Menendez's indictment for bribery.
Based on what is reported above, it does seem that Fetterman is one Democrat with whom Republicans may be able to find some common ground. But, at the same time, it has to be remembered that Fetterman is still a Democrat.
Fox reports Fetterman, "continues to vote with President Biden's policies the vast majority of the time."
Biden's policies, of course, are not centrist policies but leftist policies. So, the fact that Fetterman continues to vote for Biden's policies tells you that he is still a leftist politician.
Fetterman, nonetheless, insists that no one should be surprised about his positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict, on U.S. immigration, or even on the Menendez situation. In fact, Fetterman insists that his views are all "consistent."
Adam Jentleson, Fetterman's chief of staff, told NBC, "He’s just being consistent. He spent the entire campaign telling people he wasn’t a down-the-line lefty."
