First, the Senator’s wife abandoned her husband, who is at the very least is struggling with the aftermath of a traumatic stroke.
In late February, Gisele Fetterman posted that she decided to leave the country and go on vacation while her husband was hospitalized for depression.
We drove straight into … Canada (and lovely Buffalo NY) (Pro Tip: always have passports ready just in case you have to run away ????) We talked about lots of hard things and how we will all have to face hard things. About the need to be gentle … with all and with ourselves. pic.twitter.com/0PWQXHrbqT
— Gisele Barreto Fetterman (@giselefetterman) February 24, 2023
The Washington Post immediately jumped in to save Gisele and wrote a “Perspective” piece written by columnist Monica Hesse and boy did they play the victim card:
I started my twice-a-decade rereading of “The Handmaid’s Tale” a few nights ago, and one scene that sticks out every time I pick up the book is when the miserable Janine is made to recount her sexual assault, then to assume responsibility for it. Her fault, her fault, Janine’s fellow trainees chant, surrounding her and pointing. This is the magic trick of Gilead’s worldview; this is the magic trick of a lot of conservative worldviews. Men are the ones in charge of what happens, but the women are the ones to blame.
[…]
The attacks on Gisele, in particular, are dizzying in scope and ambition: It was her fault that her husband ran for Senate. It was her fault that he won. It was her fault that her children were not dressed more formally for their father’s swearing-in. John Fetterman, according to one line of grotesque and specious Twitter speculation, struggled with depression because his wife wouldn’t stop seeking the spotlight. But then it was also Gisele’s fault when, to avoid the spotlight brought on by his hospitalization, she decided to take their children to Niagara Falls.
But wait, there’s more!
Gisele puts herself in the same category as victims of assault.
In the worst moments of our lives, women are told it’s their fault. In case you need to hear it today: It’s. Not. Your. Fault.
I will keep living and fighting with love. We all need more of it. ???????? https://t.co/oFALKdvDAB
— Gisele Barreto Fetterman (@giselefetterman) March 2, 2023
What’s even more ironic about Hesse defending Gisele is that during the Trump years, she wrote sarcastic pieces mocking Melania Trump’s clothes.
