Dr. Oz Senate campaign implosion reaches comical levels

Written on August 25, 2022 by in Democratic Messaging, Media Watch, Republican Messaging

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. and U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman

The 2022 Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race between television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz on the Republican side and Democratic Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman is capturing tons of national media attention, but not for the reasons Dr. Oz would prefer. The  Oz campaign has been especially tone-deaf, making one mistake after another, and Fetterman and his campaign have been quick to capitalize on each one.

Essentially, the Oz-Fetterman race has turned into a Culture War, to the great disadvantage of Dr. Oz. Usually, it’s the Republicans who try to run on Culture War issues, whether it’s abortion, attacking LGBTQ people and their rights, book banning, guns, etc., mostly as a distraction, because Republicans are extremely unpopular on economic and other issues of importance to most Americans. In Pennsylvania, however, Fetterman has turned the tables on Republicans regarding cultural issues.

That’s because, first and foremost, Dr. Oz isn’t even from Pennsylvania. He’s a long-time resident of New Jersey. And Oz’s lack of awareness of anything related to Pennsylvania, as well as his elitism, has become painfully apparent:

–Fetterman calls Oz “Doc Hollywood,” and loves to post this photo of Oz kissing the ground on the Hollywood Walk of Fame:

–Dr. Oz could not even correctly spell the name of the town that he listed as his Pennsylvania address. And that location is not his home, it’s his in-laws’ address. This has resulted in humorous billboards such as this one:

–Fetterman has also mocked Oz for his ownership of many luxury homes, including mega-mansions costing tens of millions of dollars, and vague answers when asked about such homes. Apparently, the number of such homes is 10. Dr. Oz bizarrely responded that only two of these are “homes,” the rest of them are “properties,” as if that is a real distinction, or one that would make a difference to Pennsylvania voters. And note how Fetterman’s mockery appropriates the Culture War statement “he’s not one of us” that Republicans like to use against Democrats:

It helps greatly that Fetterman, in contrast, really is an Everyman, who often campaigns in hoodies and athletic shorts.

–But none of this matches the height of Dr. Oz’s campaign tone-deafness, which came when Oz clumsily filmed a video at a Pennsylvania supermarket, trying to put together ingredients for what he called “crudité”:

Dr. Oz was trying to show the effects of inflation on grocery shopping, but it went horribly wrong. For starters, Oz bungled the name of the supermarket, calling it “Wegner’s,” apparently a mashup of Wegman’s (where he was) and Redner’s. That’s quite insulting to Pennsylvanians, who, as one local newscaster stated, “love their grocery stores.” Then, during the video, in which Oz is trying to cosplay as the Common Man, with his shirt awkwardly tucked in, he frantically grabs at nearby items like someone who won a 5-minute supermarket shopping spree. He even grabs a 2-lb. bag of full-size carrots, which would be overkill for Bugs Bunny’s appetizer plate. He picks up homemade salsa for $6. Then asparagus for “$4 more,” although it’s likely no one would ever eat raw asparagus in their “crudité.” And then he strangely talks about “the Tequila,” as if, again, that had anything to do with “crudité.”

Hilariously, Fetterman set Oz straight as to what real Pennsylvanians call Oz’s concoction, at a price of about $6.99:

And Chef José Andrés, who has fed millions of people in need as the founder of World Central Kitchen, even showed Oz how to shop and eat on a budget:

–Digging his campaign grave even deeper, Dr. Oz recently stated that our military veterans should be forced off of healthcare they receive through the Veterans Administration, and into private health insurance. Once again, Fetterman was quick to attack:

The lowest and perhaps most desperate point of Dr. Oz’s campaign occurred this week, when his senior communications advisor, Rachel Tripp, referring to the stroke Fetterman suffered in May, stated that, “If John Fetterman had ever eaten a vegetable in his life, then maybe he wouldn’t have had a major stroke….” Tripp then  doubled down, tweeting:

But such mean-spirited, medically incorrect statements only led to further mockery and attacks on Oz and his campaign, especially given that nearly every child and adult knows the rest of the nursery rhyme Tripp quoted: “… keeps the doctor away.” That’s precisely what Fetterman’s supporters are trying to do:

https://twitter.com/yoda/status/1562190202286018562

Don’t be surprised, therefore, if Fetterman’s followers show up at his rallies — and even better, at Oz’s events — prominently holding up apples. The comedy practically writes itself.

Of course, since Dr. Oz has an “R” next to his name, he will get plenty of Republican votes, thus the U.S. Senate race in politically divided Pennsylvania will likely be close. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Senate Leadership Fund is adding another $9.5 million to support Oz, bringing the current total to a whopping $34 million. Nevertheless, an indication of how Pennsylvania voters feel about John Fetterman can be seen in this tweet from the U.S. Steelworkers Union yesterday:

If Fetterman wins this election, his campaign will be a study in what Democrats should do (including going on offense on cultural issues), and what Republicans should not do.

Photo by Governor Tom Wolf, used under Creative Commons. https://is.gd/AqsT05

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