J.D. Vance denies supporting abusive marriages after viral comments
Source: Cleveland 19 News
COLUMBUS, Ohio Republican U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance has been under fire after a video clip surfaced of him speaking about violent marriages, but his team said his words were taken out of context and twisted.
Social media users argue his comments show he believes people in abusive relationships should stay together for the sake of the institution of marriage and for the family.
While talking to a California high school last September, the nominee addressed why he thinks divorces are more common now than generations ago, VICE News reported.
This is one of the great tricks that I think the sexual revolution pulled on the American populace, which is the idea that like, well, okay, these marriages were fundamentally, you know, they were maybe even violent, but certainly they were unhappy and so getting rid of them and making it easier for people to shift spouses like they change their underwear, thats going to make people happier in the long term, Vance told the moderator in the video published by VICE.
The Vance campaign said the media, specifically VICE, is spreading disinformation. News 5 reached out, giving him the opportunity to defend his allegations against the media company.
The story was ready to air on Wednesday, but after several times being pushed back and eventually denied, the team gave Vance another day. Instead, he sent someone from his campaign.
"This is a very good case study in the way in which the media works and they twist words and they do it on the behest of a campaign and most likely the mainstream media, they do it on behest of the Democratic Party," Vance's Senior Strategist Jai Chabria said. "This reporter at VICE, it was extremely dishonest for him to start to say that he was okay with marital violence."
The article, titled "JD Vance Suggests People in Violent Marriages Shouldnt Get Divorced," provides the link to the uncut video.
Maybe it worked out for the moms and dads, though Im skeptical. But it really didnt work out for the kids of those marriages, Vance said to the moderator. "Thats what I think all of us should be honest about, is weve run this experiment in real time. And what we have is a lot of very, very real family dysfunction thats making our kids unhappy.
Watch the full comments on VICE's YouTube page.
Media has "purposely" been missing the "fundamental point" Vance was trying to make, the strategist said.
"This is a comment that he made where he's talking about how it's important that couples stay together for the kids, that we actually have good kids first," he said. "All he is saying is that it is far too often the case where couples get divorced, they split up and they don't take the kids needs into consideration."
It is "preposterous" to say that Vance supports individuals staying in relationships that are abusive, he added, especially because the candidate was "the victim of domestic abuse when he was a kid."
In Vance's book "Hillbilly Elegy," he referenced growing up in a home of alcoholism and substance abuse, referencing it as "violent," as well. His grandparents' relationship was "incredibly chaotic," he added in the Sept. statement.
"They fought a lot. They were very, you know, earlier in their lives, they were even violent with each other, but they never got divorced," Vance said in a 2020 interview with the Chris Buskirk Show. "There's this weird sense of just devotion for its own sake, that I think has its downsides, to be honest, it certainly has downsides, but I think is a very useful trait. And something I just don't see enough among the professional class in this country.
Thousands of users online have rallied against Vance, calling his comments "disgusting," "offensive," and some alleging that his words could cause "many deaths."
RELATED: Black state lawmakers take aim at Vance over comments likening abortion to slavery
When asked if there was a more clear way Vance could have made his point, instead of referencing violent marriages, Chabria said no.
"If someone has an agenda and they want to write something, you can never be clear enough for them," the strategist responded.
This video has been shared widely, including by Vance's Democratic opponent Tim Ryan on his campaign Twitter.
Ryan posted a clip of his statement on Twitter while commenting that "JD Vance thinks parents should stay in violent marriages 'for the sake of their kids.' That's not just wrong, it's unbelievably dangerous."
JD Vance thinks parents should stay in violent marriages "for the sake of their kids." That's not just wrong, it's unbelievably dangerous. pic.twitter.com/aQnTGRCuNi
Tim Ryan (@TimRyan) July 25, 2022
The Democratic congressman's tweet has been liked and shared about 30,000 times, including by nonpartisan accounts with millions of followers.
"I think it's absolutely dangerous and irresponsible," Ryan told News 5. "Trying to, you know, judge people or pressure people who are already in a very difficult circumstance, I think shows how out of touch, quite frankly, J.D. Vance is from the average family and how complicated situations can be."
Ryan rejected that the comments were taken out of context, citing that the video "doesn't lie," and that the Republican can "backpedal all he wants," but this is very consistent with his other views on women.
RELATED: Vance would vote against codifying right to marriage for same-sex couples
"That's outrageous in 2022. If he wants to run for Senate in 1800, that may be a different story but this is a modern society where people have rights and liberties and freedom to get out of those kinds of relationships and circumstances," Ryan said. "[The comments Vance made are] about controlling women's bodies. It's about forcing women to stay in violent situations when they're married or if they want to be able to get out. It's about autonomy."
Chabria wasn't surprised by Ryan's response, and even said he was expecting it.
"Tim Ryan, our opponent look, here's the thing, the reason this stuff happens is because they need it," Chabria said. "It has to be a distraction from the fundamental issues that Ohioans care about, what Ohioans care about they care about putting food on the table."
The Vance campaign Twitter showed the exact kind of video clipping his team condemns, however they deny it is out of context.
🚨Tim Ryan "doesn't think the inflation is really an issue" and wants to KEEP SPENDING your money.
Can you believe this guy?!?
Ohioans will REJECT Rubber-Stamp Ryan and send in conservative fighter @JDVance1 this November! #OHSen
Join the team at https://t.co/jbeYRAlm29 pic.twitter.com/yYndzyj51i
JD Vance for U.S. Senate Press (@JDVancePress) July 27, 2022
"I don't think inflation is really an issue," the short video clip showed Ryan told CNN.
Another tweet from Vance of a Breitbart article about Ryans comments on inflation showed about a thousand have interacted.
"I think when people lob these accusations and they're not backed up, they lose credibility because it's very easy to refute," Ryan said in response.
RELATED: Still anyones U.S. Senate seat despite Tim Ryan raising four times as much money as J.D. Vance
With greater context and seeing the full video, Ryan said the majority of his answer is addressing how inflation is a big concern for voters but also adds that it shouldnt deter job growth.
"But right now, we need, we need a tax cut. I don't think inflation is really an issue when it comes to investing into the jobs of the future," he said.
Earlier in the conversation, Ryan addresses how people are "getting crushed" by inflation and how "the gas prices, the food prices, the supply chain lock up, the whole nine yards, it's been brutal."
Watch Ryan's full interview with CNN here.
"When the record comes out, you look foolish and you look like you're willing to say anything to be able to gain power so that you can then control people," Ryan added. "I have a record, so we can always, you know, if something said about me, refer back to my record and what I've done and what my beliefs have been and how I have delivered on whatever the topic that's being manipulated is."
Chabria said Ryan and mainstream and some local media have twisted Vance's words, and Ohio voters know the kind of person he is, despite his comments being published in full.
"What I'm confident of is that the Ohioans are not stupid, even though some in the media think they are," Chabria said. "You're a local reporter and so you're with the people here and you see them, but a lot of these national reporters, they're on the coast and they truly look down on us as Ohioans... That's why I think that I'm not too worried about these kinds of things. It's a pain in the neck. It's an annoyance. We have to deal with it. But I'm not worried about it on Election Day."
Read more: https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/politics/ohio-politics/j-d-vance-denies-supporting-abusive-marriages-after-viral-comments?fbclid=IwAR1TX2gBgLv_uq4dQ3Eu9bb-dmna5ZTTqnvbLdace_6-yzhVYfXz9oCAfQo
Who are going to believe, me or your lying ears
irisblue
(33,021 posts)From a RWbook reviewer,
"His grandpa had become an alcoholic, and after one particularly bad night of drinking, Vances grandma (or Mamaw) told her husband if he ever came home drunk again, shed kill him. Vance relates that Mamaw, never one to tell a lie, calmly retrieved a gasoline canister from the garage, poured it all over her husband, lit a match, and dropped it on his chest. When Papaw burst into flames, their eleven-year-old daughter jumped into action to put out the fire and save his life. Miraculously, Papaw survived the episode with only mild burns.
https://benhoyt.com/writings/hillbilly-elegy/
Yeah, that is not a way for kids to live. What did seeing that do to his mother and aunt & then his generation?
True Blue American
(17,988 posts)His Grandmother was a fowl mouthed old Henrucky women, but she kept him in school.
His Mother was a drug and alcohol addict, who went through 6 husbands. She was nutty as a fruitcak.
Vance did said that about staying in abusive relationships.. He went through College after serving. Then went to Silicon Valley, made millions. He knows nothing anout Governing..
Sorry, my IPAD SC went crazy on this post.
TexasBushwhacker
(20,211 posts)is JD Vance. I mean seriously, just because he grew up in abusive households and managed to become successful in spite of it doesn't mean it's a good idea.
I had parents who both grew up in abusive homes during the Great Depession and WWII. They married young. They weren't really in love, but that's what you did in the 50s. The had 3 kids. Their parenting style was to take care of our physical needs and not beat the shit out of us. Emotional needs? Not so much.
True Blue American
(17,988 posts)Warpy
(111,336 posts)My great great grandfather was a prodigious drinker and a mean drunk who lived to 106. The family built him a shack out in the woods where he could get as drunk as he wanted but was too far for him to go to beat anybody up. Once a week, whichever kid was in the doghouse had to deliver a sack of food. They'd throw it on the porch of the shack and run like hell.
I gathered that my mother was the grocery delivery person more than once since she knew the drill.
No one should ever have to live with an abusive asshole because some god botherer tells them the burden of the whole country is on his or her back.
Maraya1969
(22,495 posts)me the spot in the wall which contained the bullet that went over his head the very last time he ever touched a drink; shot by my grandmother.
And that actually stopped the violence in the house because once he stopped drinking the fighting stopped.
But I think my grandmother didn't want to actually shoot him because if she did he probably would have been hit him and he would have been dead.
Alcohol can create really bad violence. That is one of the reasons I support pot so much. I don't think it ever makes a person more violent.
But JD Vance? I don't think he should be giving life advice.
plimsoll
(1,670 posts)Divorced women were stigmatized, children of divorced parents were treated with contempt.
Yes, a great time. He's a bullshit artists.
Every time I hear this sort of argument for doing away with current divorce laws I get a strong urge hit the speaker with a 2x4. Who will suffer the most under a return to those good old days? The women and the children, well, that's OK then (yes that is derisive sarcasm).
Another dick head who said something ignorant and now has media consultants trying to convince us not to believe our lying eyes.
yankee87
(2,175 posts)I still remember when I was young, a friend of mine parents got divorced. We said such horrible things about his mom. This as the mid 70s. Im ashamed now, but thankfully he turned out raising a family from what I see on Facebook
Demsrule86
(68,660 posts)Tim is up in the polls by the way. K&R
True Blue American
(17,988 posts)Demsrule86
(68,660 posts)He helped with the lawsuit that may get the folks that worked there some serious money...and he helped with Delphi...pension issues. He is a great guy.
True Blue American
(17,988 posts)White Collar workers. Blue Collare had a Union contract. One of the houses. Just approved the bill.
Demsrule86
(68,660 posts)is a lawsuit that GM closed Lordstown illegally and despite a Union agreement...Ryan was involved with that also...it is going to mediation and could result in a big payday for former union Lordstown GM workers.
True Blue American
(17,988 posts)For sure you will not get any help from the Keystone Kops gang that now control Ohio.
Johnny2X2X
(19,114 posts)It's not like the GOP is hiding their message on women, they think women are the property of men. They think women are owned by men and can be abused and mistreated as they please, they only exist to make them happy. Their interpretations of the Bible drives their belief that women are second class citizens.
yankee87
(2,175 posts)Like you said, the Qpublicans are telling you how they will govern, take them at their word
Demsrule86
(68,660 posts)True Blue American
(17,988 posts)And treat their wives gently. Another distortion from me.
ColinC
(8,329 posts)But with the evidence to back up that he did say the horrible thing, well -that's a double whammy.
ZonkerHarris
(24,252 posts)"who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?"
Martin68
(22,869 posts)ZonkerHarris
(24,252 posts)LenaBaby61
(6,977 posts)about abuse. Hey, many in the so-called liberal media which is really right-winged, corporate and greedy for ad dollars and for fatso to be re-installed loves blaming things on Pres. Biden that they dare not blame on the GQP US Taliban party.
Hey it might work since you know, everything is Biden's fault