Front-runner Fetterman defends his platform, 2013 Braddock Democratic in U.S. Senate debate
"Big John looks great in a suit! He did very well considering the attacks by his opponents trailing by double digits. Go Fetterman.
"HARRISBURG, Pa. — For the first official time in their run for U.S. Senate, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta went toe-to-toe on a debate stage Thursday night in Harrisburg, clashing on who has the best chance to win statewide in one of the most important Democratic races in the country...
One of the most compelling discussions centered around inflation, with Mr. Fetterman reiterating that he supports suspending the federal gas tax and Mr. Lamb and Mr. Kenyatta saying they oppose the idea. It also defined a split in the primary over how much to tax the wealthiest Americans. Deeming inflation a tax on working families that Democrats must aggressively attack, Mr. Fetterman said he’d insist that multibillion dollar corporations and the “hyper rich” pay their fair share to offset the suspension to the federal gas tax..."
When he was asked to name an income level in which he’d start taxing the wealthy, Mr. Fetterman said, “You know it when you see it,” and indicated that Americans who are able to afford a super yacht and have stock options in the billions fit the bill. That comment — “You know it when you see it” — was immediately criticized by Mr. Fetterman’s two opponents, with Mr. Lamb saying that it’s “just not acceptable” for a U.S. senator writing legislation Mr. Fetterman responded by calling it “disingenuous” to assume he should name a precise number in a few seconds on a debate stage...
Mr. Fetterman’s opponents have warned that Democrats would be in danger of losing this seat if Republicans used the news report of the incident, from when Mr. Fetterman, then mayor of Braddock, pursued and pulled a shotgun on a man because he believed he may have been involved in a shooting. (2013)Mr. Fetterman opted to describe the circumstances surrounding the incident; he said Braddock had a significant problem with gun violence — a problem that he overcame as mayor, going over five and a half years with no killings — and that he heard a “burst” of gunfire and intercepted the only individual out running from where the gunfire came...Mr. Fetterman said people in Braddock know him and know his heart, and voted him in for two additional terms...
(Closing Arguments)
Mr. Lamb said losing the seat would “effectively mean we cannot govern,” and won’t be able to pass the Voting Rights Act or any of the other critical legislation that Democrats are calling for. He has won in situations like this, he said, and he can uniquely talk to swing voters — the ones who are “not big liberals” — to win. Mr. Fetterman said 2022 will be a tough cycle for Democrats and that the party needs a candidate who’s running a 67-county strategy and who has already built an “unparalleled grassroots movement.” He can put up the margins to win in the smaller, more conservative counties, he said."
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2022/04/21/john-fetterman-conor-lamb-finally-will-square-off-on-debate-stage-thursday-evening-harrisburg-us-senate/stories/202204210071
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