Democratic Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman’s campaign event didn’t “blow over” too well.
At a rally with former President Barack Obama in Oakland, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, a sudden gust of wind knocked over the American flags behind the rally stage while Fetterman was speaking. Twitter users reacted to a clip of the incident, with many users interpreting it as a metaphor for Fetterman’s and Democrats’ prospects in the midterm elections on Tuesday, or a sign from Heaven about the state of the country with Democrats in power.
The original clip was shared by RNC Research Saturday afternoon. While Fetterman stood at the podium, looking down his speech, strong gusts of wind can be heard. The wind picks up several large American flags in the background, and one by one, the flags topple over. “John Fetterman’s rally is off to a great start…” RNC Research wrote.
John Fetterman’s rally is off to a great start… pic.twitter.com/51UtJQ9cM8
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 5, 2022
Twitter users immediately mocked the unfortunate incident, interpreting it as a metaphor for Fetterman’s collapse in the polling, Democrats in the upcoming midterms, and the state of the country with the Democratic Party in power.
“The perfect metaphor for Fetterman’s campaign,” Donald Trump Jr. trolled.
“A perfect metaphor for Democrats’ control of Congress,” Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel commented.
“Democrat candidates going into Tuesday in a single shot. 🤣,” TownHall columnist Buzz Patterson tweeted.
“Everyone was blown over by his charisma,” radio host Michael Berry mocked.
“After listening to @JohnFetterman it might make more sense to fly the American flag upside down,” former Republican Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker wrote.
“What a visual for a sunken candidate,” Club for Growth Vice President of Government Affairs Scott T. Parkinson said.
“God works in mysterious ways,” one Twitter user added.
“…[I]t’s all falling down for democrats…” said another.
“America if @JohnFetterman wins,” another user wrote.
Whether or not the flags falling over is a sign of anything, Fetterman’s collapse in polling is a tangible warning sign about the state of his campaign. Fetterman led consistently in polling through the spring and summer, but Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz has taken the lead in most major public polling since the two candidates debated on October 25.
A poll from InsiderAdvantage/FOX 29 Philadelphia puts Oz ahead by two points, 48%-46%; another survey from Big Data Poll found the same margin; so did a third poll from the Trafalgar Group.
Both candidates have also employed signs as a campaign device. Ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles’ primetime matchup with the Dallas Cowboys on October 16, Fetterman bought billboards on both sides of I-95 outside Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles’ home stadium. The billboards labeled Oz a Cowboys fan, part of the campaign’s effort to portray Oz as an out-of-state carpetbagger. “Dr. Oz is a Cowboys fan,” the billboard read, alongside a photo of Oz dunking a football over a goalpost at AT&T Stadium, home of the Cowboys. “Elect a real Pennsylvanian. Vote Fetterman for Senate on Nov. 8th.” Before he was running for office, Oz publicly professed himself as an Eagles fan.
Oz used his own signage as a means to troll Fetterman during a Democratic fundraiser in Philadelphia with President Joe Biden On October 29. A mobile billboard drove around the Philadelphia Convention Center, playing the entirety of the October 25 debate.
“Pennsylvanians deserve to see this debate as much as possible since John Fetterman ducked six others,” Dr. Oz for Senate communications director Brittany Yanick said in a statement at the time. “He won’t be able to escape it during his fundraiser with the inflator-in-chief.” Dr. Oz shared a news hit from Fox News in a tweet, in which the billboard pulls up to a traffic light, playing the debate, while a reporter speaks to camera.
