The Political Insider

Left-wing pundits from Chris Cuomo to Joe Scarborough were aghast following Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman’s “painful” debate performance Tuesday evening.

The term ‘painful’ is being incredibly kind.

Fetterman squared off against Republican candidate Mehmet Oz, where it became immediately evident why the Democrat’s campaign wanted nothing to do with debating from the onset.

The performance did more than call into question Fetterman’s mental capabilities following a stroke he suffered back in May. It proved beyond a doubt that he is unfit to serve.

And those around Fetterman knew it. His campaign tried to temper expectations prior to the debate – issuing a statement warning that viewers would see “awkward pauses” and other communication “errors” – there was no amount of warning that could prepare Pennsylvania voters for what actually took place.

RELATED: Video: NBC News Admits Democrat John Fetterman Can’t Understand Speech, Needs Transcripts

Fetterman/Oz Debate Was a Debacle For The Democrat

John Fetterman’s debate performance, it was clear, was going off the rails early and often. How early? About 10 seconds in.

“What qualifies you to be a U.S. senator?” the debate moderator asked.

“Hi. Good night everybody,” came the response.

From there it got worse. Much worse. And often. 

Fox News host Tucker Carlson described the debate as a “full-blown 30-car Amtrak derailment for Fetterman.”

Responding to claims by Oz that he had failed to pay his taxes, the Democrat who may hold the key to power in the Senate following the 2022 midterms replied, and I quote:

“It was helping two students 17 years ago to help them buy their own homes. They for and didn’t pay the bills and got are paid and it has never been an issue in any of the campaign before.”

I’m sorry, what now?

When Oz pointed out that Fetterman had been financially supported by his parents and received a house from his sister for one dollar, the reply was: “He [Oz] got his Pennsylvania house from his own in ladies for $1. That’s typical.”

The response was not typical.

Fetterman sputtered his way through commentary that the “most American bargain” is the ability to “work full-time” and to “be able to live in dignity is well true.”

Perhaps the pièce de résistance of the entire night was Fetterman’s response to having flip-flopped his position on fracking – a key platform for Pennsylvania voters.

After the debate moderator pointed to a statement in 2018 in which the candidate said “I don’t support fracking at all,” Fetterman slowly responded: “Uh, I do support fracking, and, I don’t—I don’t—I support fracking, and I stand, and I do support fracking.”

RELATED: Report: Democrat John Fetterman’s Brother Tased Man in Front of His ‘Physically Challenged’ Son During Road Rage Incident

Even Liberals Were Putting Their Heads Down in Embarrassment

It’s difficult not to dip back into the memory banks and think that Fetterman’s debate performance was eerily reminiscent of this response from Miss Teen South Carolina in 2007.

And while Democrats and the media would have no mercy if the roles were reversed and this were a Republican struggling on stage, it’s hard not to feel some level of sympathy for Fetterman.

Why did his handlers allow this campaign at all? Why do they continue to abuse an unwell man by forcing him to run for Congress when he is unqualified and incoherent?

The performance was so frighteningly bad that even the staunchest liberal pundits had a tough time putting any positive spin on what they had just witnessed.

NewsNation host and disgraced ex-CNN employee Chris Cuomo provided the understatement of the evening, saying Fetterman “struggled.”

“He clearly is dealing with health issues that affect his ability to process and his ability to speak,” Cuomo said. “Clearly, fitness for office is going to be on the table.”

MSNBC’s resident loon, Joe Scarborough, admitted Fetterman’s “ability to communicate is seriously impaired” and added it was “painful to watch regardless of one’s politics.”

“Pennsylvania voters will be talking about this obvious fact even if many in the media will not,” he added.

David Axelrod, a Democrat strategist who served as a senior adviser to Obama, was equally dismayed.

“Fetterman needed to show he’s sufficiently recovered, and this debate surely did not help,” he wrote.

Numerous other left-leaning political pundits far and wide panned the Fetterman debate performance.

The debate was vindication for NBC News journalist Dasha Burns who, earlier this month, revealed shocking video showing Fetterman needing assistance from a transcription program to understand the questions being asked of him face-to-face.

“In small talk before the interview without captioning, it wasn’t clear he was understanding our conversation,” Burns told viewers.

She was widely criticized by the left-wing media for calling out Fetterman’s clear and obvious disability.

It’s evident that Burns’ concerns were warranted after Tuesday evening. It’s clear that Fetterman has no business running for a Senate seat when he can barely form complete sentences.

And it’s clear that Pennsylvania voters should be ashamed that this race is even close. Poll numbers will be interesting after this mighty car wreck.

John Fetterman is not fit to serve as a United States Senator. We all just saw it.