Posted on 02/17/2023 4:57:25 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
Lynn Rivers, a Democrat from Michigan, opened up about her diagnosis with bipolar disorder during a radio call-in show when she first ran for Congress. Her opponents had been hinting she had mental health problems. She decided, spur of the moment, to let it out.
That was 1994. Ms. Rivers was elected, despite a Republican tidal wave, and served four terms.
Now another Democrat, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, has announced that he has entered a hospital to be treated for clinical depression. Politicians of both parties are praising him for his openness. Mental health experts say he is a powerful symbol — especially for men, who are less likely to seek treatment for depression and suffer higher rates of suicide.
Yet the stigma around mental illness remains strong — especially in politics, where questions about temperament can determine a candidate’s electability. Mr. Fetterman and others face a continuing challenge: How much do they really want to say?
Mr. Fetterman is not the first Washington politician — or even the first member of the Senate — to be open about a mental health struggle.
Political strategists of both parties say that if Mr. Fetterman recovers and can function as a senator, his future in politics will not be hurt.
“I don’t think that the fact of having depression or dealing with a mental illness in and of itself would impede his career,” said David Axelrod, a Democratic strategist whose father’s death by suicide has led him to advocate better mental health treatment. “But if people come to believe that he has disabilities that would prevent him from doing his job, that is a different thing.”
Whit Ayres, a Republican strategist, agreed, saying, “It’s all about whether he is able to do the job to which he was elected.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
OMG!
Call it anything but what it is.
He’s a regular hero now.
Hurray! Let Brandon speak!
He should just step down.
I——can’t——stop——laughing.
Must be how Kamala feels all day.
He’s a friggin retard!
All of you patriots in Pennsylvania that were way to conservative to vote for Oz I hope you enjoy the next 6 years of Mrs Shrek being your senator.
He realized he might actually have to leave the house and fake like he’s working. …
bkmk
Fetterman is INCOMPETENT to be a Senator... in as much as he has had a major stroke from which he has NOT recovered. Nevermind his depression and getting treatment being lauded. HE is not a functioning Senator and the dems do not care- they wanted this seat, and the hell with the State and it’s people.
...and he loves puppies and baby ducks.
Imagine this article being written about Trump. You can’t because the NTY’s are verminous POS.
Those very same “conservatives” gave us 8 years of Obama. Did not vote McCane or Romney.
It signals an openness to publicly admitting our so-called leaders are mental defectives.
This reminds me of about 12 years ago when the Obama policies really were squeezing the middle class and a lot of people had very reduced disposable income. The MSM noted that consumers were not buying much and the meme they were told to approvingly announce was “the new frugality”.
aka "propAgenda"...
All democrats are mentally ill.
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