Yes, you heard that correctly...a physician is making fun of a man for having a stroke. It seems that Republican Senate candidate and celeb TV doctor Mehmet Oz has stooped to a new low in an effort to rescue his floundering Senate campaign: mocking his opponent’s health. President Franklin D. Roosevelt must be turning over in his grave.
John Fetterman, the Democratic frontrunner in the upcoming US Senate race who suffered a stroke in May, declined to debate Dr. Oz (R) implying that he was not yet at his best in terms of recovery to perform at the peak of his abilities. Fetterman's decision came after a full day of goading by the Oz campaign.
Dr. Oz's campaign then issued the following statement. Warning: Poor Taste:
“Dr Oz promises not to intentionally hurt John’s feelings at any point. We will allow John to have all of his notes in front of him along with an earpiece so you can have the answers given to him by his staff in real time.
“At any point John Fetterman can raise his hand and say bathroom break … We will pay for any additional medical personnel who might need to have on standby.”
Fetterman's response?
“As I recover from this stroke and improve my auditory processing and speech, I look forward to continuing to meet with the people of Pennsylvania," Fetterman said.
“Today’s statement from Dr Oz’s team made it abundantly clear that they think it is funny to mock a stroke survivor. My recovery may be a joke to Dr Oz and his team, but it’s real for me.”
Fetterman also said he was “proud of my record as mayor [of Braddock] and as lieutenant governor and I’m eager to put my record and my values up against Dr Oz’s any day of the week.”
Oz was asked by a Pittsburgh radio station if it was “appropriate” for Oz’s senior communications adviser to say that Fetterman, who supports cannabis legalization, would not have had a stroke if he “had ever eaten a vegetable in his life.”
Rather than taking the opportunity to disavow his campaign’s comments, which more than 100 Pennsylvania doctors have condemned, Oz deflected. "The campaign has been saying lots of things," Oz said.
Guess Who's Leading In The Polls?
Meanwhile, despite Fetterman’s lack of public appearances since his stroke, he is leading Oz in the polls. And despite POLITICO's recent report that the Mitch McConnell-aligned super PAC “Senate Leadership Fund” has already reserved $24 million for pro-Oz ads in PA as well as Trump and Fox News' overt support (especially Laura Ingraham who dedicates entire segments to blasting Fetterman), the Lt. Governor is anywhere from 8 to 10 points ahead of Oz.
Photo: YouTube
