With Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate Mehmet Oz struggling in the polls, his senior communications advisor has apparently decided to throw decency to the wind.
Politics is not known for being a genteel sport. Itâs long been known that there are dirty tricks and harsh jabs thrown at challengers.
But Ozâs senior communications aide, Rachel Tripp, decided to take her attacks on Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D), who is running for the Senate, to a whole new lower level.
In response to a story about Ozâs âcruditĂŠâ video where he messed up the name of the grocery store he was shopping in, Tripp issued an âexclusive statementâ to Business Insider that included a gross attack on Fettermanâs health.
âIf John Fetterman had ever eaten a vegetable in his life, then maybe he wouldnât have had a major stroke and wouldnât be in the position of having to lie about it constantly,â Tripp said.
https://twitter.com/RobertMaguire_/status/1562166947692806144
Seemingly quite proud of her attack, Tripp tweeted a link to the story with her statement and the caption, âAn a dayâŚâ
Fetterman fired back on Twitter, writing, âI had a stroke. I survived it. Iâm truly so grateful to still be here today.â
âI know politics can be nasty, but even then, I could *never* imagine ridiculing someone for their health challenges,â he added.
Polls currently show Oz trailing in the race, and desperate campaigns use desperate tactics. But, letâs be clear here: there is nothing witty or funny or smart about Trippâs attack.
It is gross and shameful. And the fact that it is coming from someone whose boss is a celebrity surgeon makes it all that much worse.
Fetterman was sidelined from the campaign trail for roughly three months earlier this year after suffering a stroke. Speaking to supporters in August as he returned to campaigning, Fetterman said that he âmight not have made itâ after his stroke, highlighting the severity of the incident.
Perhaps it could be forgiven if Trippâs comments were overheard by a reporter while she was joking with colleagues and swept up in the mood, or if she believed she was speaking with her guard down to a favorable reporter and did not intend for it to be repeated â though none of those are good excuses.
And itâs one thing to question whether Fetterman has recovered and is in shape to be a senator, or whether continuing to campaign is whatâs best for him and his family. Those are hard but legitimate questions that could arise.
But the fact that this attack came in the form of an âexclusive statementâ would seem to suggest that there was some kind of thought process and vetting that went into it.
If thatâs the campaign Oz wants to run, that says a lot about him. And even conservatives who despise Fettermanâs policies should question whether that is the kind of person they want representing them.