The GOP needs to convince voters that Donald Trump and JD Vance are regular guys, and, manifestly, they are not.

It would be strange for Democrats to attack the Republican presidential ticket for being ā€œweirdā€ if it werenā€™t true. But those men are getting weirder by the day.

Former president Donald Trumpā€™s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (Ohio), isĀ off to a wobbly start. AĀ Harris 2024 campaignĀ email sent on Friday was headlined, ā€œJD Vance Is a Creep (Who Wants to Ban Abortion Nationwide).ā€ The statement continued, ā€œJD Vance is weird. Voters know it ā€“ Vance is the most unpopular VP pick in decades.ā€

It was bad enough when footage resurfaced of a 2021 interview in which Vance called Democrats ā€œa bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that theyā€™ve made.ā€ Things got worse last week whenĀ Vance offered a non-apology, blaming ā€œpeopleā€ for ā€œfocusing so much on the sarcasm and not on the substance of what I actually said.ā€

Uh, okay, but that doesnā€™t help at all. The substance ā€” which Vance said he stands by ā€” is asserting that adults without childrenĀ do not deserve an equal sayĀ  in the nationā€™s affairs. Another unearthed clip of VanceĀ showed him arguing that parents, when they vote, should be able to cast an extra ballot for each child in their family who is under voting age. He didnā€™t take that back, either, going only so far as to claim it was a ā€œthought experimentā€ and not a firm policy position.

        • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          Iā€™m not sure how much of that is the joke or how much Lemmy gives us a glimpse of Ohioansā€™ attitudes. I visited Ohio recently and I came away thinking ā€œgood God this is basically Northern Florida!ā€

          Edit: oh maybe you meant in Ohio by ā€œhereā€. If so, Iā€™m wondering if youā€™re in a city in Ohio.

          • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            I work in a factory in rural Ohio. Iā€™ve been an Ohioan for most of my life. Yeah itā€™s basically Florida, but as it stands Senator Vance is being seen as increasingly clown shoes. I donā€™t think heā€™s going to shift Ohioan values, I think heā€™s going to be unable to maintain the enthusiasm necessary to hold his seat. Ohio is north Florida, except we were a swing state longer.

            • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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              3 months ago

              Thanks for your perspective here. I hope what youā€™re seeing reflects the rest of the rural parts of the state!