Remember the Thrilla in Manila, the epic 1975 heavyweight championship fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier? Well, get ready for the Grapple in the Capitol.

 

If far-left Democrat Abdul El-Sayed wins his hotly contested Senate race in Michigan, he’ll join what many call ‘the world’s greatest deliberative body.’ But there, he’ll face a man who despises him with a vengeance. That would be fellow Democrat John Fetterman, the large man in short pants who has tried his best to stop El-Sayed’s rise. How do they really feel about each other?  Let’s say they’re Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr without the pistols, or, if you prefer cartoon enemies, Tom and Jerry.  Fetterman has called El-Sayed the ‘Pontiac Platner,’ referring to the disgraced macho man with the Nazi tattoo. Abdul returned the compliment by pithily calling Big John an ‘***hole.’

 

Much of this enmity stems from El-Sayed’s great friendship with Hasan Piker, who campaigned with Abdul during his primary battle before being ditched like a bad habit.  Piker and El-Sayed share a disdain for America and especially for Israel, so they were natural buddies until Piker became a liability.  Fetterman, in contrast, is Israel’s best friend among Democratic Senators and hammers colleagues who accuse Israel of war crimes and genocide.  He has quipped that El-Sayed is running to lead the ‘pro-Hamas wing’ of the Democratic Party.  Fetterman’s low opinion of his prospective colleague was summarized in a challenge.  The Senator offered El-Sayed $50,000 to rally with Hasan Piker on 9/11.  He threw in another 50-grand and dared El-Sayed to appear with his radical half-sister, who celebrated the October 7th massacre of Israelis.  Abdul rejected the $100,000 offer.

 

So what might happen if Abdul El-Sayed defeats Mike Rogers?  No one should be surprised if Fetterman switches to Independent.  He’s already threatened to abandon the Democratic Party over Israel, and Abdul could be a bridge too far.  Whatever his affiliation, look for John Fetterman to be a thorn in the side of any prospective Democratic majority.  If Dems attempt to eliminate the filibuster, he will stand in the way.  If they try to reject Trump judicial nominees, he will likely vote to approve the president’s picks. Fetterman recently broke with his party’s liberals and allowed one of Trump’s federal judicial picks to go forward. Expect more of the same from the rebel without a tie.

 

Returning to that magnificent, historic fight in 1975, Muhammad Ali always saw himself as physically beautiful.  He talked about himself like President Trump gushes over Jon Husted and Nicki Minaj. Meanwhile, he disparaged Smokin’ Joe as ‘ugly’ and a ‘gorilla.’  The same focus on looks appears in this intramural battle between Democrats.  Abdul El-Sayed called Fetterman an ‘ogre,’ to which the Senator gave this response:  ‘I own mirrors … I know I’m an ugly guy.’  He politely added that El-Sayed is suffering from a terrible case of ‘little man syndrome.’

 

Is the Democratic Party big enough for these two men?  Or will Fetterman head for the exit if Abdul El-Sayed wins?  Among the many interesting things to watch on Tuesday, this prospective death match between Big John and Little Abdul is certainly among them.