On Sept. 6th, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette -- a liberal newspaper -- printed the following:

"Prominent Pennsylvania newspaper the Pittsburg Post-Gazette is raising concerns over Senate candidate John Fetterman's health following repeated criticisms from his Republican opponent, celebrity doctor-turned-politician Mehmet Oz.

"If Mr. Fetterman is not well enough to debate his opponent, that raises serious concerns about his ability to serve as a United States senator," the Post-Gazette editorial board wrote."

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pittsburgh-post-gazette-editorial-board-questions-fettermans-health-ability-serve-stroke

Well, apparently this was enough to goad Fetterman into agreeing to one debate with Oz in late October:

"The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Tuesday noted that a live debate would “assure” voters that Fetterman is “up to the job.”

The newspaper’s editorial board suggested the Democrat’s campaign has been “optimistic” about the U.S. Senate candidate’s recovery from his stroke in May.

“Fetterman has not fully recovered from the serious stroke he suffered in May. His campaign has acknowledged his obvious struggles with ‘auditory processing’ and speech, but the persistence of those struggles has contrasted with the campaign’s rosier predictions of a return to the rigors of campaigning, including debating his opponent, Mehmet Oz,” the editorial board of the Pittsburg Post-Gazette wrote.

“If Mr. Fetterman is not well enough to debate his opponent, that raises serious concerns about his ability to serve as a United States senator.”"

Fetterman not only has speech issues, but he has "auditory processing" issues, as well. They've been using a tele-prompter so that he can read questions that are posed to him.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/john-fetterman-to-debate-mehmet-oz-after-newspaper-questions-his-ability-to-serve-as-us-senator_4717574.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=whatfinger

So, I looked up what these "auditory processing" issues could be:

"After your stroke, you may be highly sensitive to sound. It’s a common side effect called auditory overload. Basically, your brain just can’t keep up with the amount of sensory information it receives."

"Symptoms of auditory overload include:

Inability to concentrate on a task or speaker

Fidgeting

Impulsiveness

Repeating a task over and over

Auditory overload can happen at any time. Parties and other social gatherings increase its likelihood.

Here are a few tips to help recover your senses:

Distance yourself from noise as much as possible.

Get lots of rest before attending large social gatherings. When you’re tired, your auditory system will not process sound as effectively.

Avoid excessive use of alcohol.

Ask the host to turn down or turn off the music if it’s competing with people’s conversations.

Wear earplugs to help reduce the intensity of the noise and decrease the amount of stimulation your system is trying to process.

https://www.stroke.org/en/about-stroke/effects-of-stroke/cognitive-and-communication-effects-of-stroke/auditory-overload

No wonder Fetterman doesn't want to debate Oz and is holding off until the last possible moment. He's probably trying to buy time with the hope that this issue will resolve itself.

However, the real question is, why would the Post Gazette -- a liberal newspaper -- force Fetterman into this debate? It could easily sink Fetterman's chances of defeating Oz. Something doesn't add up here.