It figures that J.D. Vance would blow off condemning the vile ad GOP Ohio Gov. candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is running against Democrat Amy Action. After all, in 2024 he was the one who created the monstrous lie that Haitian immigrants were stealing family’s pets (cats) and eating them. It went viral. Trump and the GOP played the hell out of it, even though Vance more or less admitted he’d made it up. Ramaswamy figured if Vance could get away with it he could too, hence the ad with Acton’s long estranged mother saying her daughter, the Democratic candidate for Governor is a liar.
Backlash against the ad was swift and even more than a few Republicans denounced it. No matter. While the original didn’t contain the tag of ‘I’m Vivek Ramaswamy and I approved this ad’ he clearly did. The proof is that he’s spending four million dollars to keep airing it! And Vance is fine with that. As we can see from multiple outlets including The Daily Beast when asked about the ad Vance did NOT denounce it. Instead he went on a diatribe about how everyone shouldn’t be concerned with who said what in ads (although that’s exactly what political ads usually do!) but instead focus on things that matter. In a sense he’s right – candidates on the stump and in their ads should focus on the issues voters are most concerned with. However, in his lengthy non-answer answer Vance raised the issue of character. Really J.D.? You’re going to attack Amy Action’s character?
Let’s backtrack to what started all this:
JD Vance not only defended MAGA candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for his twisted attack ad attacking his opponent in the Ohio governor’s race, but he also went after members of his own party who have condemned the ad.
The vice president was traveling to Ohio when he was asked about the controversial ad featuring Democratic candidate Amy Acton’s estranged mother.
In it, Donna Arthur called her daughter a liar for claiming she was sexually abused as a child by her stepfather. Acton has been estranged from her mother since 1978, when Arthur stood by her husband in court.
Acton’s mother who is featured in the ad (calling her daughter a liar) didn’t protect her children, either Amy or Amy’s little brother from abuse. In Amy Action’s case it was sexual abuse/rape. Acton has been open about what happened to her as a child, having gone public in an interview in 2019:
Acton has been open about her childhood in Youngstown, saying in an interview back in 2019 that she was sexually abused by her stepfather between the ages of 9 and 12.
A newspaper report from the time showed her stepfather was charged with rape in 1978 after her biological father reported it to the police. The National Review obtained documents that provided evidence of sexual abuse. A grand jury indicted Cledith Arthur, but he never faced trial because he fled. He died in Pennsylvania in 2004.
I want to emphasize this. Acton’s mother didn’t protect her children. Many woman haven’t or can’t. What stands out here is that Acton’s mother chose to back up her P.O.S. second husband. She fled the state with him, and remained at his side until he died despite what he did to her children. That’s what makes this ad from Ramaswamy and his people so vile. He’s attacking Amy Acton, a Pediatrician who overcame the trauma and been tending to children’s medical care for decades. And J.D. effing Vance is attacking ACTON as ‘unfit to lead’? I say if he wants to talk about character then the candidate who’s character that Vance should be attacking is Ramaswamy for reaching down to scrape gunk of the bottom of the sewer.
He’s touting a woman who’s son was beaten, and who’s daughter was sexually abused and raped and chose her spouse over her kids. Again, the allegations were credible and the only reason the mom-from-hell’s husband didn’t go to prison for his crimes was they fled. And now we have Ramaswamy holding HER, this awful woman up as someone who should be listened to! He’s using a ‘mother’ who I’m willing to bet got a nice chunk of money for her effort to trash his opponents character and fitness for office. (Ghislaine Maxwell is probably saying she’d have loved to have Acton’s mother on her staff back in the day!) No wonder even many Republicans are denouncing the ad and ripping Ramaswamy for running it.
But J.D.? He’s not mad about the ad. He’s already proven that any lie no matter how outrageous, dishonest and downright vile is ok if it helps win an election. Well, as long as it’s a Republican doing it. A classic case of IOKIYAR – It’s Okay If You’re A Republican. Vance is however plenty pissed off, just not at fellow ‘when-it’s-convenient-for-me’ Ohioan Ramaswamy. No, Vance is pissed off and I mean really pissed off at his fellow GOPer’s who unlike him refuse to, if they won’t cheerlead then at least STFU and give Ramaswamy a pass. Vance made his feelings crystal clear when he was asked about the ad:
“I’ll be honest with you. Whether the ad was appropriate or not is not really my concern. What is my concern is who’s going to govern the next generation of American government, who is going to win the Senate race in the state of Ohio, who’s going to win the governor’s race in the state of Ohio?” Vance said.
But then he went a step further, criticizing Republicans who have said the ad crossed a line.
“I have to admit that I’m a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America,” Vance said.
J.D. say’s he’s disgusted? What’s disgusting is that ad and Ramswamy for running it. Even more disgusting is Vance not just defending it, but criticizing fellow Republicans that at least on this showed some spine and denounced it! It’s worth your time to read the linked article. It also includes a film clip of Vance’s remarks on the subject. Still, I’ll provide it here for you:
Vance had the gall to ask fellow Republican’s if they felt Acton was unfit to serve as Governor of Ohio, and answered his own question with an emphatic “I do.” You know what J.D.? I say the one who’s unfit to be Gov. of Ohio is Ramaswamy. While I’m at it YOU J.D. f*****g Vance are unfit to be Vice-President of the United States!
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And so what? They have a child rapist they work for. Amy Acton being raped for a couple years, as a young female child, and the perp getting convicted – meh. Anyone finally getting beyond furious?????? I want to hear more men speak out against 47 child raping and this bull shit.