All-In

Senators John Fetterman and Dave McCormick: Bipartisanship, Money in DC, Datacenters, Graham Platner

Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks, David Friedberg
10 Jun 2026 4 min read 33m
TL;DR

Democratic Senator John Fetterman and Republican Senator Dave McCormick argue that Pennsylvania's political diversity forces genuine bipartisanship — on AI, energy, and the filibuster — that the rest of Congress lacks. Fetterman breaks sharply with his party by defending the filibuster, supporting Israel, embracing capitalism, and opposing data center moratoriums, while McCormick warns that the Democratic Party's lurch left toward socialism and antisemitism is dangerous for the country. Both senators see the fight over AI infrastructure and energy dominance as a China competition issue, not a partisan one.

Key Moments
John Fetterman
“moratorum for data centers I for me that's a China first kinds of policy for that. I'm going to continue to push back that. I'm not going to describe that as a scourge. I'm going to describe that as an incredible new opportunity.”
Fetterman breaks with his party's position on data centers, framing opposition as effectively pro-China
▶ 3:25
John Fetterman
“The entire Democratic party, including myself, we were so wrong about the filibuster. In my cycle in 2020, every single Democrat identified we have to we have to eliminate the filibuster. Seems like it made sense now. And thank God, thank God we had people that stood uh there, whether it's Senator Mansion or Senator Cinema, you know, history has vindicated their wisdom to do that thing.”
Fetterman publicly reverses his prior stance on eliminating the filibuster and credits those who blocked it
▶ 10:27
John Fetterman
“When I was a kid, if someone had a Nazi tattoo, you probably could call them a Nazi sympathizer, you know, and someone now uh and now just yesterday we discovered that he was sexing with up to a dozen women. And now Democrats now some saying, "Well, what's the big problem?" you know, that's, you know, they're constantly just ignoring a lot of these things.”
Fetterman condemns Graham Platner, a Democratic primary candidate in Maine with a Nazi tattoo who is polling well
▶ 20:06
Dave McCormick
“I think it's probably the most consequential moment in all of our lifetimes. And in fact, I think it might be the most consequential moment in humankind, which is which is a big statement. So much change is happening. It's artificial intelligence, of course, but it's it's really how that's affecting everything, life, sciences, defense, energy.”
McCormick opens by framing the current AI moment as historically unprecedented, requiring cross-party cooperation
▶ 1:47
John Fetterman
“A seat or a job is is not I'm always going to be I'm going to be honest and I'm always going to have uh you know, my votes or my opinions are going to be what I happen to believe is is true. You know, uh it's not a seat worth trying to maintain if I'm going to lie or to pretend that things aren't absolutely true.”
Fetterman responds directly to the question of whether he fears a Democratic primary challenge for his maverick positions
▶ 25:35
About the show
›
All-In is a weekly podcast hosted by Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks, and David Friedberg covering tech, business, and politics. The show is known for its frank debates between the four 'besties' who often hold opposing views. This episode features a rare bipartisan interview with Pennsylvania Senators John Fetterman (D) and Dave McCormick (R).
Takeaways
1
Data centers are a China competition issue Both senators argue that blocking data center construction in the US — whether through moratoriums or misinformation campaigns — directly benefits China's AI ambitions. Fetterman explicitly called a data center moratorium 'a China first policy,' and McCormick noted that much of the opposition funding traces back to CCP-aligned groups. For tech infrastructure builders, this framing is becoming the most effective political shield against local opposition.
2
Filibuster reversal signals Senate's pragmatic center Fetterman's public admission that Democrats were 'so wrong' to push for filibuster elimination is politically significant — he now calls it a hill he would 'die on' to defend. The logic is simple: without the filibuster, the Senate becomes a smaller, faster version of the House, eliminating any structural incentive for bipartisan deal-making. This is a rare case of an elected official updating their position based on observed outcomes rather than party pressure.
3
Pennsylvania's working-class coalition is up for grabs in 2028 McCormick points out that two-thirds of union rank-and-file members — electricians, pipefitters, steamfitters — voted for both him and Fetterman, despite national unions endorsing their opponents. Combined with record African-American and Latino turnout in 2024, this coalition crosses traditional party lines and is organized around economic anxiety, not ideology. Whoever credibly addresses wealth concentration and AI-driven job displacement in this demographic will have a major structural advantage heading into 2028.