Here Are Four Times Democratic Sen. John Fetterman Surprised Conservatives in Siding With Republicans

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman has recently taken several positions that have garnered unexpected praise from conservatives, who have responded to Fetterman’s curveballs with a mix of praise and puzzlement.

Despite being anticipated as a staunchly progressive member of the Senate, Fetterman’s actions as he recovers from a stroke, which seriously harmed his cognitive functions, have deviated from the expected progressive line on several occasions.

One notable instance is his firm support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas. Fetterman’s stance has led to disappointment among liberal activists, but he remains steadfast in his belief that Israel must be able to defeat Hamas to achieve peace in Gaza. His commitment to this cause was evident when he attended a large pro-Israel rally in Washington and displayed posters of hostages captured by Hamas in his Senate office.

On the issue of immigration, Fetterman has shown a willingness to engage in discussions that many of his Democratic colleagues have avoided. He has expressed openness to negotiating with Republicans on immigration reform, linking it to aid for Israel and Ukraine. Fetterman highlighted the scale of the challenge by comparing the number of people encountered at the border to the population of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s second-largest city.

“It’s a reasonable conversation — until somebody can say there’s an explanation on what we can do when 270,000 people are being encountered on the border, not including the ones, of course, that we don’t know about,” Fetterman said in an interview with NBC News.

Fetterman also spoke in opposition to the acquisition by a Japanese company of the Edgar Thomson Steel Plant in the senator’s town of Braddock, Pennsylvania.

“The acquisition of US Steel by a foreign company is wrong for workers and wrong for Pennsylvania. I’m gonna do everything I can to block it,” Fetterman said in a video on X.

Another significant move by Fetterman was his call for the resignation of Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, a fellow Democrat, who faced indictment on corruption charges. Fetterman compared Menendez’s alleged crimes to those of expelled Rep. George Santos, suggesting they were more sinister. He asserted that Menendez should face the same consequences as Santos.

“He needs to go,” Fetterman told NBC News. “I don’t understand why he can be here, having expelled Santos. But I’m sure there might be a very innocent explanation of having gold bars in your mattress and overstuffed envelopes of cash.”

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