Let’s start with two things:

• We need to defeat Trump in November, because the man who looks like a cross between a carrot and a barely-sentient goiter would be a profound threat to American democracy, and a literal threat to the lives of millions of Americans.
• To get the votes to do this, yelling at and mocking people who might vote for Biden is a very bad strategy.

That leads us to John Fetterman, the towering figure (literally) of the U.S. Senate, representing the state that I am currently writing this in. Beyond his politics, I’ve always had a soft spot for Big John. He’s from my hometown, York, Pa., and given our similar ages I am 99 percent sure I met him at a party when I was in my early 20s. It’s hard to forget a giant burlydude who had a resting glower face and a pretty nice personality despite it. Like me, he also ended up in Pittsburgh, eventually making his mark on the political scene as the mayor of a rusting steel town, Braddock, and turning it around economically.

I campaigned for the big man, both for his successful lieutenant governor run and his successful senate run against Television Quack Dr. Oz. I was excited by his open progressive stances, his ability to energize voters, and his unique style of dress which can pretty much be described as Middle-Age Western Pennsylvania Guy chic. However, soon after he won, Big John seemed to go through a transformation.

The man who said in 2016 after his failed Senate run “We have started a progressive movement here in Pennsylvania. It’s not going away. This isn’t over. This is not how our story ends” now declares “I am not a progressive.”

Fetterman has been so much of a supporter of the far-right Israeli government he has received praise from the American right. That’s not necessarily the problem. It’s that he’s becoming the new Krysten Sinema, and by that I mean he’s trolling his own supporters.

The first example of this trolling I noticed was this:

Here’s John Fetterman laughing and waving a tiny Israeli flag at protesting veterans while they’re getting arrested pic.twitter.com/uAAj0FiLaD

— Michael Arria (@michaelarria) November 10, 2023

This is behavior you might expect from a Republican. But this is far from the only example of Fetterman trolling former supporters. The most recent example is this:

Sunrise Movement is a pain in the ass which makes it even worse that Fetterman looks bad here. He’s not being shouted at, no one is being aggressive, so why respond this way? Even ignoring them would be better than this https://t.co/9iaY9FGf2J

— Daniel Vogelburger (@_Henn_Dawg1) May 14, 2024

This is a far cry from the Fetterman of 2018. He didn’t mock young climate activists with concerns backed by science.

tbt to 2018 version of @JohnFetterman who rallied with young people to stop fracked gas pipelines 🥲 https://t.co/KJrZitZk1M pic.twitter.com/7CPDJ8QvOB

— Sunrise Movement 🌅 (@sunrisemvmt) May 14, 2024

Fetterman did this in the past against Republicans, of course. But this absolutely is different. Because Democrats need all the votes that can get in November and cannot mess around.

Too many Democrats fall back on yelling at young people and/or progressives expressing concerns that are important to them and frustration over politicians. Often this is based on the importance of the 2024 election. I agree. It is very important. But see, this is a two-way street.

We don’t need politicians openly mocking these young voters. Yelling or mocking might make one feel better or superior, but feelings and the need to be “superior” are not the most important things right now. If the worry really is these people not voting or voting for some scammer like Cornell West, then one needs to control their emotion and use persuasion, not trolling or anger that will drive these voters away.

The Biden campaign certainly isn’t yelling at young voters. They are courting them.

And look, outside of a few issues, Fetterman has been a good senator on a lot of issues. He is an outspoken advocate of abortion rights, universal healthcare, abolishing the filibuster, and labor unions. He also more or less votes in line with fellow Democrats. Which is fantastic.

However, trolling potential Democratic voters is not a smart move right now. If the people yelling at progressives about hurting Biden are really worried about the election and are not just using it to try to shut us up, then they should also want Fetterman to stop turning off potential Democratic voters. Biden needs all the votes he can get.

The last word goes to Ray Davies.