A group called Make the Road Action mocked Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Mehmet Oz, aka Dr. Oz, at a weekend NFL game in the state in which he is trying to secure a spot in Congress with tens of millions of dollars of his own money fueling his controversial campaign.
Democratic challenger John Fetterman, who is currently the lieutenant governor in Pennsylvania, spotlighted Oz’s attempt to essentially personally spend his way into a Senate seat during a recent debate between the candidates. Among other issues centering on the general impression that the multiple mansion-owning, longtime reality TV personality is out of touch with everyday people, Oz has also faced criticism for having lived in New Jersey for decades and only moving to Pennsylvania relatively recently. Make the Road Action furthered this jab in their weekend display, which consisted of a banner flying over the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. The message carried to onlookers Sunday by a plane read: “Dr. Oz is a Cowboys fan — Vote Fetterman.” At the end of the debate, each candidate was asked about the game. Fetterman said he was backing the Steelers, while Oz picked the Eagles — and sung the team’s theme tune, sounding just really desperate.
Check out the banner below:
.@MakeRoadActPA flew this banner over the Eagles vs Steelers game today: “Dr Oz is a Cowboys fan— Vote Fetterman” pic.twitter.com/1kOYd1axx5
— Charlotte Alter (@CharlotteAlter) October 30, 2022
Oz has apparently been sticking to his supposed fondness for the Eagles since earlier this year. “While my beloved Eagles won’t be taking the field today, as you enjoy the Super Bowl game, remember to rise for our national anthem and cherish what makes America special: Bravery,” a February post from Oz’s personal account says. What does that even mean? Is he implying Democrats are cowards? What about all the Democrats in the military? If it’s just a general sentiment meant to encompass basically everybody, it’s not particularly substantive. It sounds both desperate (“beloved”) and made-for-TV. It’s catchy, but the sheen doesn’t reflect much underneath in terms of actual substance. During the Fetterman and Oz debate, Oz also played into the (accurate) Democratic characterization of the GOP stance on abortion, and the Fetterman campaign said they’d be spending part of a $2 million post-debate fundraising haul on spreading Oz’s abortion comments.
“I want women, doctors, local political leaders letting the democracy that’s always allowed our nation to thrive to put the best ideas forward so states can decide for themselves,” Oz said about determining policy around abortion. “I want to look into the face of every woman in Pennsylvania,” Fetterman countered. “If you believe that the choice of your reproductive freedom belongs with Dr. Oz, then you have a choice. But if you believe that the choice for abortion belongs between you and your doctor, that’s what I fight for. Roe v. Wade, for me, should be the law. He celebrated when Roe v. Wade went down. And my campaign would fight for Roe v. Wade and, if given the opportunity, to codify it into law.”
