Rogan defends Democratic senator who faced backlash from party for supporting voter ID
Podcaster Joe Rogan spoke to actress Cheryl Hines Tuesday about the risks of going against the grain, citing Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., as a prime example.
"Once you get in, for the most part, you have to adhere to the mindset of all the other people that are in your business. And if you don't, you get cast — like John Fetterman — like you get cast out. They hate that guy now. They're mad at him because he says, ‘I think you should probably have ID to vote," Rogan said.
Hines, who had spoken earlier about the backlash her husband, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennery Jr., received agreed, "I know. I like John Fetterman."
"He's great. He's a sweet guy," Rogan said. "He's authentic. Well, that guy genuinely worked in charities for his whole life. Like, he genuinely worked in doing philanthropy work and, like, real stuff. Like, he’s not a greedy guy. He walks around in a Carhartt hoodie and shorts."
Rogan argued the Republican Party has the same problem of cracking down on politicians when they break ranks on a key set of issues.
"But the thing is, like, you have to adhere, and if you don't, you're not allowed to have a deviating opinion," Rogan said. "If you do, you get cast out. You know, like Thomas Massie. You see the same thing in the Republicans. Like, anybody that has an opinion that (deviates from) the groupthink, you get cast out. They'll call you a traitor. They'll say terrible things about you."
"There's a lot of theatrics," Hines agreed.
"There's a lot of that, and I think there's a lot of people that are in that business that start off with really good intentions," Rogan said. "And then you see them slowly give in. They slowly succumb to the weight of what that position is."
HAKEEM JEFFRIES PRESSED ON DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITION TO VOTER ID
Voter ID is a key issue dividing the two parties as Democrats refuse to support the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, which would require states to verify voter eligibility using documentary proof of citizenship.
Republicans argue the act would strengthen election integrity, while Democrats say it could make voting harder for people without photo ID, going so far as comparing it to "Jim Crow-era" laws.
Fetterman said voter ID is not an "unreasonable" ask and pointed to states like Wisconsin that already have similar protections.
"It's not a radical idea for regular Americans to show your ID to vote," said Fetterman, who also rejected the Jim Crow comparisons.