Paul Begala: Dr. Oz Is a ‘Jerk,’ Attacking Fetterman’s Health Will Not Help Him Become More Likable

EXCERPT:

BEGALA: "Man, you’ve got to be careful how you do it. If Mehmet Oz was kind of a nice guy, like Scott Jennings, maybe — he might could — we're from Texas, we use double conditionals — he might could get away with it, but he’s not. He’s a jerk. He put out a statement today, his campaign did, that said, 'Dr. Oz promises not to potentially hurt John’s feelings. At any point in the debate, John can raise his hand and say, 'Bathroom break!'' Look, a lot of Pennsylvanians can relate to having a health scare. Not a lot of Pennsylvanians can relate to having ten homes and not even being able to — or how many, or voting in Turkey before you ever voted in Pennsylvania. Oz has a problem. And his problem is, he's seen as a phony, and he’s seen as out of touch with Pennsylvania, not a real Pennsylvanian and a carpetbagger. Attacking Fetterman’s health, in such a clumsy, snotty way, frankly, is not going to help him be more likable. By the way, 68% of Pennsylvanians in the Emerson College poll said that Fetterman’s health is not an issue to them. So, I just think it’s the wrong place for Oz to go. The style is so bad."