Conservatives Without Conscience

GOTV believes that today's Republican Party has become, even welcomed, what John Dean called conservatives without conscience . The Senatorial race in PA exemplifies that. In an attempt to spotlight speech and hearing impairments John Fetterman experiences due to the stroke he suffered in May, Mehmet Oz released his medical records, and challenged Lt. Gov. Fetterman to do the same. Voters should have full transparency … Oz declaimed.

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, whose seat is the one up for grabs and the one which will change the balance of power in the Senate, chimed in with more put-downs. If John Fetterman were elected to the Senate, and he’s not able to communicate effectively, if he’s not able to engage with the press, if he’s not able to engage with colleagues, he will not be able to do the job.

Discriminatory digs at people with disabilities are, sadly, nothing new for the GOP. Remember 45's mocking a disabled reporter on live television?

Because of occasional auditory and hearing issues, Fetterman has opted out of media gaggles. Instead, he meets with reporters via video conferencing. Nor has he taken part in multiple debates. But he responds to criticism by:

• saying In June, I released a letter from my doctor where he clearly stated that I am fit to serve

• saying I trust my actual doctors over the opinion of a charlatan who played one on TV

• agreeing to debate Oz on Oct. 25 for a televised debate two weeks before the election

It’s common practice to release health records in presidential elections, but not Senate races. Even if that weren't the case, GOTV feels it important to point out that the narrow concept of being fit to serve in the way it’s being used in the Fetterman-Oz race relies on a definition of health that labels disability as invalidating.

If having a stammer or a hearing impairment disqualifies someone from running or holding office, are we really living up to the promise of government by the people? Joe Biden’s stutter has been used by the congenitally ruthless to try to discredit him. Similarly, GOTV is reminded of an episode of the TV series The Untouchables. In it, Eliot Ness confronts a wheelchair-bound criminal. That man pleads his handicap as a defense. In response to his question What can a cripple do? Ness says He could be elected President of the United States.

Disabled Americans have the right to be represented, and most importantly, to work, and that includes working for the U.S. in any capacity.