John Fetterman wants us to respect his pain – even as he mocks Palestinians’

The senator is writing a book about his mental health. That's hard to celebrate while he shrugs off the suffering of millions

John Fetterman is a workwear icon. The Democratic senator from Pennsylvania has made a national name for himself by wearing baggy basketball shorts and a scruffy hoodie in any and every situation. And his penchant for sportswear makes sense: he needs it for all the vigorous political flip-flopping he does. While progressives helped Fetterman into power, it only took a few months in office before he started giving them the middle finger. Republicans once mocked Fetterman for his slobby presentation and his health problems (the senator had a stroke while running for office). Now, however, he's getting admiring comments from the right and hosts of Fox News are cheering him on for his hawkish pro-Israel stance and his anti-immigration comments.

When he's not yelling about how we need to be softer on Israel and tougher on immigrants, Fetterman likes to talk about his mental health. Last February, the senator checked into a hospital for clinical depression and spent six weeks there as an inpatient. After he left, he wasn't shy about talking about his health problems. He gave an emotional interview on MSNBC and was on the cover of Time. Now it's been reported that he's writing a memoir about his experiences with depression. The book is going to be called Unfettered.