You've probably seen the ad with Acton's mother, the worst ad I've seen in a long time. It's an ad in a unique category of badness.
Here's a response from Acton's brother.
That was after J.D. Vance had said: "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. So I would say to Ohio Republicans, do you actually think that Amy Acton is unfit to serve as governor of the state of Ohio? I do."
I got the quotes from this NYT article.
पोस्ट्स
१६२ टिप्पण्या:
If you can't get along with your mother, can you get get along with the Republicans in the state government?
Incredible that your own mother, appears in an attack ad, and calls you a creep. Thats one toxic relationship. LOL.
Vivek shows his true self.
Yeah, she was a victim. I don't want my Governor to be a "victim". I don't vote people and give them power because I feel sorry for them. Maybe, the D's should have nominated a leader - and not someone asking for tea and sympathy.
Acton has enough downside that resulted from her work for Gov. Dewine during COVID to disqualify her from elected office.
I don’t recall her elderly mother mentioning this alleged abuse in that ad, perhaps I missed it.
Our entire politics is in a unique category of badness. This is a symptom but not the cause.
It is unfortunate that elections are decided on crap like this, instead of the candidates’ positions on the actual issues facing the citizens of the state.
Mark, Vivek did not place the ad. As far as I know, he had nothing to do with it. At the same time, Acton does appear to be a major league liar and psychopath.
How about herself? Will she normalize herself by debating her opponent for the voters?
It's not just Trump. Any opposition to the The Party is outrageous, not normal, beyond the pale, monstrous.
She's afraid of Vivek in a debate and she should be.
Is this the first election when the lesser of two evils is a tie?
ai says no: "Louisiana Gubernatorial Election (1991)"
"This election is widely considered the ultimate "lesser of two evils" state race in U.S. history. The runoff came down to Edwin Edwards, a former governor notorious for multiple corruption and racketeering investigations, and David Duke, a former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan running as a Republican."
Remember when Obama in his first Senate campaign leaked testimony from his opponent’s divorce proceedings?
He was behind at the time. It tipped him into the lead.
The way I understand it, the video of the mother arose from a polling interview. Then, the Vivek campaign decided to use the video and run with it. Here's what the A.I. says:
- The spot was shown to Ohio voters as part of a message-testing poll/survey, and one of those voters recorded it during the poll.
- That voter passed the recording to D.J. Byrnes, an Ohio political blogger who writes as "The Rooster," who posted it on the night of Monday, October 19.
- The leaked version appeared to be a late-stage draft without the "paid for" disclaimer that broadcast ads are legally required to carry, so its sponsor was initially unclear, and it had not aired on television. Ramaswamy's main allied super PAC, V-PAC, denied making it, and the campaign spent much of Tuesday declining to confirm responsibility.
But they have now, and apparently committed around $4mm to running it as an ad campaign.
As I said last night, I think think this would have to be supported by further ads that give examples that buttress what the estranged mother is saying.
I wouldn't want my name connected to an ad like this, and I think Vivek has made a poor choice. Not least because there's no strong defense of it. But it would appear that abuse victims running for Democratic office are exempted from criticism when it comes to refusing to debate their opponent, and refusing to allow cameras at public appearances. She's done the Joe Biden thing of hiding in the basement, running a campaign that appears to depend on a sympathetic press.
And I am also cognizant of the old double standards ploy - you know, like accusing someone of being associated with a pedophile, when they're not. And accusing them because they're Republican, while much closer associations involving Democrats are studiously ignored. In fact, when the subject Republican is one of the only ones that have acted to hold said pedo accountable to the law, and to public shaming. Know what I mean?
For all the supportive outrage theater that's coming with this ill-advised move, I would give a cheerful 'F*ck Off' as a way of acknowledging the state of their credibility at this point. They seem to think that having double standards is a great thing. It means you get twice as many !
If the candidate's own mother says the candidate is a liar, and the opposing candidate doesn't run with it, is that political malpractice?
Also--why didn't anybody in the Ohio press corps know anything about the candidate's history. And if they did, why did they keep it under wraps?
"..the worst ad I've seen in a long time.."
Professor? what, in your opinion, makes it bad? let alone "worst"?
i mean, aside from the fact that it's not supporting Your candidate?
James K, late yesterday Vivek stated that its their ad. It also came out that they are spending at least $4 mil to air it in Ohio.
Check your damn facts before posting. Reading an article on the subject you want to claim expertise seems a pretty low bar, but you missed it.
"Republicans had already attacked Dr. Acton in starkly personal terms, presenting her as a violent drunk, inflating the events of a single night in the Columbus, Ohio, suburbs in late August 2019 when police were dispatched to Dr. Acton’s house, but no charges were filed."
Un huh. It's just unconscionable for a political ad to suggest that the opposing candidate might have "issues." Well, I never!
Has anybody heard or seen any political ads these days? It ain't pretty.
"Professor? what, in your opinion, makes it bad? let alone "worst"?"
The mother didn't even dispute the sexual abuse. She claimed that they never lived in a tent, which apparently they did for a short time. So the mother is lying.
"At the same time, Acton does appear to be a major league liar and psychopath."
How so?
“I won’t normalize somebody…” Who speaks like that? So I guess she's not going to normalize the people who vote for Vivek either.
"She's afraid of Vivek in a debate and she should be."
She needs to get wasted and chase him around onstage with a shattered mirror and he'll be plenty scared of her. Oughtta PPV it!
“It's an ad in a unique category of badness.”
You would not be writing that if it was an ad against a Republican.
…it’s the worst ad I’ve seen in a long time. It’s also the best ad I’ve seen in a long time. If it works right up there with the mushroom cloud girl…
I was enjoying the rage quitting CNN montage video but this ad tops for the week…
I’ll skip the leftie response ad. I’m imagining it is as effective as the ‘that was uncalled for Senator!’ that vice president guy barked at the ‘your no jack kennedy’ guy…
If the candidate's own mother says the candidate is a liar, and the opposing candidate doesn't run with it, is that political malpractice?
If the candidate's mother lost custody over her children because a deadbeat piece of shit that covered for a pedo. (BTW, Epstein and now this. Remember Roy Moore?! MAGA is the pedo party.)
It was political malpractice to put her in his campaign. If you don't believe me:
https://polymarket.com/event/ohio-governor-winner-2026
This was political suicide. Vivek is done. 👋 Bye, bye! Later, tator!
A Democrat refusing to debate? Well, I *never*. . . . .
…it’s so difficult to move the needle with ads. Most of them are prepackaged garbage from the same agency. This one stands out as a political kick in the nuts. There will be much energy wasted on mitigating the blow…
If it works right up there with the mushroom cloud girl…
It did not work. His odds cratered even further over the last 48 hours.
I want to see some of you talkers: put your money where your goddamn mouth is. You can made a shit ton betting on Vivek right now. Do it! Imagine taking your family on a nice vacay with your winnings! Maybe pay off your car!
Bet BIGLY on Vivek! He's got this! That ad was a genius move!
Outrage is a lousy way to campaign.
Outrage is the modern era's premiere marketing strategy. Based on all evidence it works superbly.
My impression last year of Vivek Ramaswamy as a smarmy asshole was right on point. Do Republicans want to be known as The Pedo Protector Party (between those protecting Trump and those like Ramaswamy giving the pedo protector wife/mother of Acton credibility for political gain) forever henceforth? How stupid and callous have Republicans become under the Trump tutelage these past years? It’s almost as if they’ve become a cult, putting Trump (and those politicians who ride his coattails) ahead of human decency.
Without actually being interested, it sounds like the husband was accused of raping his wife, exactly what started the confusion about rape and changed minds and regret. The case came before SCOTUS in the late 70s or early 80s, of whether a man can rape his wife. Wm. Buckley wrote in NR that rape is a crime against feminine modesty, and in the case of marriage there's no violation of modesty, so the correct charge would be assault and battery, not rape. SCOTUS ruled the other way, and today nobody knows what a rape is, least of all women.
There being no feminine modesty at all today, the charge of rape ought to be eliminated and replaced by assault and battery. Then the confusion about regret and mind changing and revenge for later acts would not come up, and the importance of contemporaneous police reports would be obvious.
So I side with the mother, I guess.
This was a desperation move by Ramaswamy's campaign. It's not going to save him. He cratered his popularity with those remarks he made last December about Indian immigrants beig harder working than Americans.
“Without actually being interested, it sounds like the husband was accused of raping his wife, exactly what started the confusion about rape and changed minds and regret.”
Huh? Sheesh RH, get your facts straight before commenting. The husband of Acton’s mother raped Acton for two years when she was between the ages of 10 through 12.
The GOP is trying to get swing voters by running minority candidates. It's not working. It was a losing strategy in the Virginia governor's race last year. Now they will lose a gimme in Ohio. They're also going to lose the senate race in Virginia. I hate to say that because I know the guy.
Style versus substance. Which is more important?
"Sheesh RH, get your facts straight before commenting."
Put the facts in the post then.
This is a good post for identifying the commentators that are profoundly irredeemable pieces of shit.
Inga said...
Huh? Sheesh RH, get your facts straight before commenting. The husband of Acton’s mother raped Acton for two years when she was between the ages of 10 through 12.
Got ANY proof for that claim?
No, "Amy said so" isn't proof
D.D. Driver said...
If the candidate's mother lost custody over her children because a deadbeat piece of shit that covered for a pedo. (BTW, Epstein and now this. Remember Roy Moore?! MAGA is the pedo party.)
1: You pathetic freak. Vivek has NOTHING to do with the candidate Amy's parent back when she was a kid
2: What I have red is the there's no actual evidence to support these claims. no arrests, no convictions, etc. you got any? What's your proof?
It was political malpractice to put her in his campaign. If you don't believe me:
https://polymarket.com/event/ohio-governor-winner-2026
You pathetic moron. The betting markets have been complete garbage this year. Only a complete imbecile still presents them as actually informative, about anything
Google AI…
Case Details
• The Arrest and Charges: According to Mahoning County court records, Cledith Arthur was arrested and indicted by a grand jury in 1978 for sexually abusing Acton between 1976 and 1978.
• Fugitive Status: After pleading not guilty and posting bond, Arthur failed to appear for a court hearing and became a fugitive of the state. He remained at large for over two decades until he died in 2004.
• Family Impact: Following the arrest, Acton and her brother were removed from their mother's custody and went to live with their biological father. Acton has remained estranged from her mother, Donna Arthur, who stayed married to Cledith Arthur until his death.
• Political Context: The details of the childhood abuse resurfaced publicly in October 2026 during the Ohio gubernatorial campaign after a political attack ad produced by Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy featured Acton's estranged mother, as reported by the Ohio Capital Journal.
Of course would white knight for a lockdown loon
I can see how the alleged rapes of her as a child might have occurred and the mother sided with the new husband, not wildly uncommon. I do not, however, see why that should make her particularly suitable to govern a state, and (assuming it happened, without meaning to criticize her as a human being) believe (as RCOCEAN suggested, I believe, at the top of the comments) that this might, in fact, make her less desirable as a candidate, as that sort of thing really messes with a person's mind and personality in undesirable ways. This isn't a place for American Idol-style sob stories, after all.
I thought Vivek gave off slinky vibes now add smarmy.
It's that her opponent chose to platform her lying mother!!
I posted this on yesterday's Sunrise thread, and should have put it here, since that one's pretty much dead. It's just as pertinent here:
I'm amazed at the number of people who just assume Amy Action is telling the truth and her mother is lying. I have no idea which is telling the truth, but I do know that 12-year-old girls have in the past ruined people's lives with bald-faced lies. (There was a Muslim student in France who got her teacher lynched and later admitted that she accused him of disrespecting Islam because he gave her a bad grade.)
And we can't "Believe all women" here because they're both women and one of them is lying. Or should I say at least one of them, because they may both be lying about different things?
One reason I think Amy Acton may have lied is something that happened to an uncle of mine. My grandparents had four sons, no daughters, and foster-raised a fifth boy who was a ward of the state. We always called him Uncle Joe, though he was never adopted and never changed his last name. His birth mother only contacted him when she wanted money.
Anyway, the fourth brother and his wife raised two boys and a girl of their own, and another girl whom they eventually adopted. They had a second foster-daughter for one day. The first time my uncle told her to make her bed or wash the dishes (I forget the details - it's been 40 years), she accused him of raping her. Being a sensible guy, he immediately took her (had her taken by someone else?) to the emergency room for a complete examination for evidence of sexual or physical (i.e. beating) abuse, of which there was none. He then called the foster agency and told them to come get her immediately and take her away.
One detail always stuck with me. The foster agency told my uncle and aunt up front that the lying bitchette desperately needed a good home because she'd been molested by her previous two foster fathers. Which means two other men, without the presence of mind to demand a medical examination, presumably had their lives utterly ruined by false accusations.
Again (as I wrote in another thread), if Acton's values don't reflect your values, don't vote for her.
But it's irresponsible to automatically assume she was lying back then, or now, about what happened to her back then.
Did you know that it was her biological father who originally alerted police? Contemporaneously. It's not a case of buried memories.
Did you know that Cledith Arthur, the stepfather, had been accused of incest with regard to his own biological daughter in 1974?
Did you know that he and his wife, Donna, Acton's mother, were later convicted of a crime in Pennsylvania? These are not, on their face, particularly credible people.
The climate in the 1970s was far, far, different with regard to both rape and child sexual abuse. There still was very much a "look the other way" or "sweep it under the rug" attitude..Do you understand how unusual and difficult it was to get these charges lodged and before a grand jury? Cledith jumped bail, and he fled with Donna. Back then, the system for pursuing people who jumped bail and moved to a different state was weaker. And there wasn't necessarily a lot of impetus to pursue people accused of certain crimes.
Look, none of this has bearing on whether Acton would make a good governor or not. But a fair reading of the circumstances and context does not seem to fall on the side of her lying about what happened, especially back then.
As for the tent business, both the mother and the stepfather were arrested at the tent in a campground outside of Youngstown. Police at the time confirmed that it was their primary residence. There are court records, for God's sake. It seems to me the mother is more likely the one lying. Investigators determined that they'd been living in the tent for more than a year, and that the family was homeless otherwise.
I think we need to separate the two issue: whether Acton is someone you'd want to vote for or not, or whether she's someone you want other people to NOT vote; and making judgments about her and her credibility about being abused and even raped when she was a child. This is not a "he-said, she said!"
I stand by my statement in the other thread that the campaign ad is disgusting. It's also disgusting that Donna Arthur is being platformed.
C'mon, now. Seriously.
If Acton were a Republican candidate, and her opposition ran this ad despite the record of what happened, what would you be saying?
"After he was arrested and Amy and I were removed from their custody, our birth mother stayed married to Amy's rapist until he died," he added.
Fuck off.
I think that sympathy naturally falls toward those that are claiming to be victimized, especially child victims. That's was causes a small subset of them to lie in the first place, a perceived easily- won support and sympathy, deserved or not.
That swell of preference is to be expected with such a move, and that's why Vivek can't leave it there. He has to produce something further. He'll lose some support permanently, from those who see this as unacceptably toxic.
Mahoney County, Ohio borders Pennsylvania, which is where the stepfather lived under his own name until his death. The arrest warrants were re-issued a couple of times in the '80s, but no extradition efforts were made, apparently. It probably wasn't a high-priority case back then, and also, it would have been a difficult case to win - back then. Law Enforcement agencies didn't have the connectivity and the cooperation agreements in place that they do now.
The betting markets have been complete garbage this year. Only a complete imbecile still presents them as actually informative, about anything
EXACTLY! That's why should stop being a pussy-assed little crybaby cunt and lay down some real money! The betting markets are full of shit! You are smarter than the betting markets! Get rich mother fucker. Don't be a pussy!
Unless poor little Greggy is broooooooke. 😢 If you're broke just say so tough guy! lol
Grand juries, by their nature, aren't public. But Acton did have to testify, as a child, and apparently her father also testified. I would assume that police etc. also testified about their findings. This is pretty amazing, especially back then.
D.D. Driver: Who's the "fuck off" for? The brother? Acton? Who?
So the facts of the add are, as I find them, the raw add was privately shown to a sample of viewers for opinion research. One of them made a recording and leaked it to the press. So a pre copy was widely shown on the web. The campaign said they were going to show it in a $4mm ad buy, but I can’t find no evidence it was actually broadcast or officially released on the web. Can anyone show that it was officially released?
It sounds like a bad ad but lots of bad ads are made by teams and are market tested. This one was secretly copied and leaked before hand.
So tactically it would have been better to wait until the ad was officially released. They you could blame Vivak more personally, now it looks more like a work product of underlings.
I suppose Acton had no intention of a debate even before the ad came out. The ad makes a better excuse though.
The fact that Amy Acton's biological father first alerted police (rcommal, 3:31pm) is not necessarily a point in her favor. Might a spurned father encourage his daughter to ruin the life of the man his wife left him for, the man who also has custody of the daughter? Stranger things have happened.
To repeat, I don't know who's lying here, but I have to say to everyone else here: neither do you. Best thing to do is to decide on the issues, where Amy Acton is quite vulnerable.
https://www.wowktv.com/top-stories/j-d-vance-tells-ohio-republicans-to-stop-whining-about-ad-with-actons-mother/
“COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Vice President J.D. Vance told Ohio Republicans to “stop whining” about an advertisement taking spotlight in the state governor’s race.
The Senate race is for the seat Vance vacated when he became vice president. Jon Husted, a Republican, was appointed to the seat and is running against former Sen. Sherrod Brown in another tightly contested race. On Wednesday, Husted told the Associated Press that he “would not have run that ad.””
Isn’t Jon Husted’s body the love/lust object of Donald Trump the last few days?
In the Heat of the Night had an episode of serial incest by man on daughter and her daughter (granddaughter)
The episode is titled "The Family Secret," which is Season 2, Episode 3 of In the Heat of the Night, originally airing on December 6, 1988
P.S. As far as I can tell, there was no evidence, just testimony, so it was a she (Amy) said, he (stepdad) said situation.
Aggie: I don't know whether it would have been hard to win or not, although certainly the climate wasn't friendly back then. That's why that there was an actual grand jury convened, that Acton actually testified, and that an indictment was achieved (and the kids were removed from Donna's custody), makes it seem more likely that this was a relatively strong case, as these situations went back then. It strikes me as on the unusual side. Clearly, investigators and a prosecutor thought the evidence was compelling enough...in 1978!
Sure i dont buy the canned outrage from those who looked at jocelyn and lakem and irina and walked on by
D.D. Driver: Who's the "fuck off" for? The brother? Acton? Who?
That was for Greggy who somehow thought there were "no arrests" because he is an illiterate (broke-ass) retard.
The ad should not have been cut.
By "cut," I mean made. Someone was asleep at the wheel.
In that era, less than 60% of such cases were prosecuted, and only about half resulted in guilty verdicts. Those are not good odds for prosecutors. In that time, all interagency cooperation was over the telephone and teletype. No computers, no copiers, no fax machines.
Things are so much better now, it's easy to lose sight of how much shoe leather was involved not long ago. I remember learning how to research in hard copy libraries using card catalogs. Then Nexus and Plexus came along for the graduate students and professors. Then we got microfiche.
This campaign ad from Vivek is just evidence #1001 why Trump, MAGA, and their supporters are going to face a bloodbath in the mid-terms. It's one thing to be desperate when you know you are going to lose. It's quite another thing to be absolutely despicable.
The left is outraged - outraged!!!!! - over a hit job.
Tough. Shit.
*It’s almost as if they’ve become a cult, putting Trump (and those politicians who ride his coattails) ahead of human decency.*
Your ignorance is only surpassed by your arrogance.
Stop acting like you're so much better than everybody else.
You're not.
It's the New Election Inga ! She's back and now fortified with A.I. !
*This campaign ad from Vivek is just evidence #1001 why Trump, MAGA, and their supporters are going to face a bloodbath in the mid-terms.*
Remember, this is the same guy who predicted
Trump was going to lose Iowa by eight points.
What I love about this. You tell MAGA that immigrants are eating cats and dogs or that shadowy forces of vandalizing the reflecting pool and the believe INSTANTLY with zero proof, or evidence, or common sense.
But if someone is accused of being a pedo....well...we need strict conclusive beyond a reasonable doubt proof!
MAGA will always circle the wagons for a pedo.
And, Aggie, few victims even reported such crimes back then, let alone had them investigated by authorities. A police detective filed a report that contained what he thought as compelling evidence in the case two years, I believe, before the Arthurs were arrested at the tent. That we can't review the requisite grand jury files is because the case didn't go to trial...precisely because Arthur jumped bail and relocated, and authorities didn't aggressively pursue him to another state, which indeed was much harder back then due to flaws in the system, as you outlined.
Yea, whatever, but who would be a better Governor?
Oh, you're not supposed to think about that?
Somebody has family issues, and somebody brought it up. Irrelevant to the next four years. Vivek goes campaign ruthless, and Acton is a liar, so they are both politicians. Glad we got that out of the way.
"I won’t normalize somebody who has said that my childhood is something I’m just complaining about."
In American politics there is absolutely zero reason not to debate an opponent unless:
1.) You're sick
2.) You're dead
3.) You're gonna get hammered before the event and make threats
Acton might have a big problem with #3.
Republicans praise and revere the USA, and want to make life better for ALL its citizens.
Democrats continuously denigrate and hate the USA, and as planned by their plotters, want to eliminate the US constitution, overpower and imprison all who disagree with them and destroy the country.
It has become apparent that a huge mistake was made when the Democrat Party was normalized…
because the SOBs are functionally abby-normal.
A lot of people will see this and think, “Oh my God, what a witch she must have had for a mother.” They’re completely estranged, and the mother angle is deeply misleading. As she puts it, “I’m the mother the state took her away from because of my affection for rapists and child abusers.”
But it’s obvious what Republicans, including Ramaswamy, are doing: trying to change the subject and shift the debate onto what they perceive as more favorable ground.
I'm a lot more concerned about normalizing illegal immigration, widespread government fraud, lawfare, and voting insecurity, but clearly your childhood memories are a lot more important to being governor.
"...trying to change the subject and shift the debate onto what they perceive as more favorable ground."
Only one side even wants to have a debate on any subject.
Speaking of trying to change the subject, lying liar IEE was on the previous overnight thread this morning accusing Republicans of thinking that "All rape is a lie". He really should bugger off to BlueSky where that kind of obvious and contemptible lie is at home.
Most don't think "all rape is a lie", but many do think lots of women lie about rape.
It is certainly true that some women lie about rape. Whether it's "lots" or a "a few" is hard to tell, because in so many cases it's a "he said, she said" matter, with no evidence, only conflicting testimony. But no one seriously thinks "All rape is a lie", though some (e.g. Hamas supporters) think rape is justifiable if you hate the victims enough.
All I say is thank you to whoever invented the txt message, because by the end of this century we're gonna have so much evidence of false female accusatory bullshit they're going to go back to sending smoke signals before they lose that argument.
Is it still ok to kill your kids?
It seems it the popular thing among thr moloch crew
I will be glad when the midterms are over, whatever the result. I am sick of the negative smear ads and mailings here in AZ. It's bad enough reading Inga's demented bleats, but the stuff I get in the mail here is voluminous and ridiculous.
They seem to think the Democrat voters are completely ignorant and desperate.
They arent wrong
I just happened to watch the story of a Substack writer I'm following, who almost fell thru the cracks of family separation. Adam B. Coleman found out his real father was not the man he thought was his father, the man that had abandoned him, his sister and his mother.
I love me some happy ending. I share them whenever the opportunity arises, like just now, in this thread. Why Family Separation Is Destroying a Generation (My Testimony) - Adam B. Coleman
Hilljill Elegy
They are stark raving mad
Jim at said...
*This campaign ad from Vivek is just evidence #1001 why Trump, MAGA, and their supporters are going to face a bloodbath in the mid-terms.*
Remember, this is the same guy who predicted
Trump was going to lose Iowa by eight points.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Trump and MAGA are terrified of losing Iowa. I live here. I know what is going on. Iowa is about as Red as you can get. Trump carried Iowa by over 13% in the last election. Trump Republicans own the Iowa Governorship, the Iowa Senate, the Iowa House, and every single state-wide elected office except for one. Trump/MAGA have also appointed every single member of the Iowa Supreme Court. They run absolutely everything. Yet Trump is making TWO campaign visits to Iowa in the last 2 weeks of the upcoming disastrous mid-term elections. Why? Because a huge Red State like Iowa is bleeding because of Trump. All Trump/MAGA can do it to try to stop the blood flow from hemorrhaging. Republican candidates here are even disavowing Trump on his Iran War and the ridiculously high prices of gas and diesel that Iowa farmers must pay during this harvest season. Trump/MAGA PACS are even pulling all funding to Trump Republican candidates here. Trump/MAGA are conceding defeat. Powerline Blog today is literally BEGGING Trump/MAGA to NOT campaign in Minnesota because of Trump's HUGE negatives. Trump made the horrendous mistake to make the mid-term elections all about Trump/MAGA. He and MAGA must OWN this bloodbath.
"Is it still ok to kill your kids?"
Planned Parenthood. Millions aborted annually for social justice and other ethical emanations, moral mutations.
Keep EFFing that sow, lifelong Republican lonejuicebox !
*Trump carried Iowa by over 13% in the last election. *
Yes. That was my point. You predicted he would lose.
You were epically wrong.
Republicans may or may not lose in two weeks, but there's no fucking way I'm taking your word for it. Not with your track record.
*Trump made the horrendous mistake to make the mid-term elections all about Trump/MAGA. He and MAGA must OWN this bloodbath.*
And I called you on this bullshit before. Why is it OK for the left to make the mid-terms all about Trump, but Trump can't respond in kind?
In short, you don't know what the hell you're talking about. That's why you're a FORMER paid consultant.
And I notice you didn't mention Scott Johnson (at Powerline) is getting the shit ripped out of him in the comments.
dr weevil writes: 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘈𝘮𝘺 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦. And 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘦.
Nobody disputes that some people lie about rape. The question is why you think that general fact casts doubt on Amy Acton specifically. You’ve offered no evidence she lied—just a family anecdote, assumptions, and an irrelevant swipe at Hamas supporters. That’s not skepticism; it’s using a politically convenient story to justify a conclusion you haven’t substantiated. If you have evidence against Acton, present it. Otherwise, the accusation says more about your reasoning than her credibility.
For a solid factual reference, the U.S. Department of Justice explains that a complainant’s testimony is evidence and that a lack of independent corroboration does not, by itself, make an allegation.
https://www.justice.gov/ovw/framework-prosecutors-strengthen-our-national-response-sexual-assault-and-domestic-violence
If you're raped, immediate police report. It's easy, the same as you'd do for assault and battery, which the crime ought to be subsumed into anyway.
“If you’re raped, immediate police report. It's easy, the same as you'd do for assault and battery, which the crime ought to be subsumed into anyway.”
How easy is it for a 10 year old?
…the ad is nothing more than the perennial leftie Ron Reagan/family member shitting on their dad/brother/cousin, except it is working against the leftie candidate. That’s why all the vapors from the blogger on down here…
lonejustice said...
This campaign ad from Vivek is just evidence #1001 why Trump, MAGA, and their supporters are going to face a bloodbath in the mid-terms. It's one thing to be desperate when you know you are going to lose. It's quite another thing to be absolutely despicable.
10/21/26, 3:54 PM
-----------------------
Bloodbath is such an ambiguous term. Would you be willing to give your definition for this particular statement for future reference?
Inga said...
“If you’re raped, immediate police report. It's easy, the same as you'd do for assault and battery, which the crime ought to be subsumed into anyway.”
LOL the amoral piece of shit that danced on Charlie Kirk's grave and wants abortion after birth is talking about child rape.
This piece of shit supports turning children into Eunuchs.
She is worse than a child rapist.
Inga doesn't believe a single word she says. People are giving these pieces of shit way too much credit.
IEE just can't stop lying. I haven't 'justified any conclusion' about what happened, except that at least one of the Acton women is obviously lying. I began by saying (3:19pm) "I'm amazed at the number of people who just assume Amy Action is telling the truth and her mother is lying. I have no idea which is telling the truth." Got that, "no idea"? Because either or both could be lying. Again, at 3:46pm, I wrote "I don't know who's lying here, but I have to say to everyone else here: neither do you."
So how about we (or at least those of us who live in Ohio) figure out which of the two candidates is more qualified for the job, instead of whether one of them may or may not have been the victim of a horrible crime long ago? Even if she was, that is not a qualification for political office.
Finally, IEE's comment is inept and incomplete: "lack of independent corroboration does not, by itself, make an allegation" - make an allegation WHAT? The missing word makes the sentence unintelligible. Is it too much ask, that someone who posts as voluminously as IEE (in quantity, not quality) do so with bare competence?
ndefinitely Extended Excursion™️ said...
dr weevil writes: 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘈𝘮𝘺 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦. And 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘦.
Nobody disputes that some people lie about rape.
LOL.
You support turning children into Eunuchs.
You are worse than a child rapist.
You also voted for Joe Biden who is a known rapist.
Really why you people bother is a joke. These are evil people that want you dead or in prison and they want your children turned into Eunuchs.
You don't reason with dishonest pieces of shit like this.
rehajm (6:50pm):
"Ron Reagan . . . dad/brother/cousin"? You missed a more recent and pertinent example: Mary L. Trump shitting on her uncle Don.
You've probably seen the ad with Acton's mother, the worst ad I've seen in a long time. It's an ad in a unique category of badness.
LOL!
Pathetic.
Oh yeah I want this fight you Trumpkin shitheads.
The FIRST reaction to this disgraceful little story from the right wing blogosphere was that maybe, this was an oppo operation against Vivek. Or even, perhaps, a commercial that was worked up but they didn't want to use it, and disloyal Vivek turncoats leaked it.
THAT's how bad this shitshow of a commercial was.
Now, the part that I want to destroy with fire. Where we ask if Ramaswamy knew about it and approved it. He did. The Columbus Dispatch got the answer:
https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/10/20/amy-acton-brother-slams-ad-estranged-mother/92342937007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=false&gca-epti=z11xx28p119050l001050c119050e1102xxv11xx28&gca-ft=34&gca-ds=sophi
So fuck him and the horse he rode in on. It is now the entire political ecosystem of the Western World, against Ramaswamy, and JayVee Vance, and Don Junior. Which is the ideal sort of dispute in this world.
"Only one side even wants to have a debate on any subject."
Here's some subjects:
- Sexually mutilating/sterilizing children
- Expensive "green" energy
- Giving money/benefits to illegal aliens
- Releasing rapists and murderers from jail
- Holding down wages through illegal immigration
- $10/gal. gas
- Voting fraud
- Welfare fraud
Debate.
“Inga said...”
“If you’re raped, immediate police report. It's easy, the same as you'd do for assault and battery, which the crime ought to be subsumed into anyway.”
Um… no. That is Rhhardins comment.
I'm with JD Vance.
The Democrats are mobsters, authoritarians and communists.
The mom daughter situation actually does not make the daughter look good.
That she was victimized by her step father is terrible.
But how does that make her qualified to be governor?
Also - does she have a problem with the truth?
Worth a nice hearty bold
@ Bagoh -- said.
"I'm a lot more concerned about normalizing illegal immigration, widespread government fraud, lawfare, and voting insecurity, but clearly your childhood memories are a lot more important to being governor."
Vivek Ramaswamy rolls out an ad featuring someone accused of enabling child sexual abuse. It reeks of the same Republican willingness to excuse and protect those accused of preying on children.
By the way (because I really don't much care about conversing with, interacting with, or trying to build anything with, Trump supporters; I just want to beat them) I wanted to note here that the prediction markets are swinging heavily towards Dr. Acton right now, even before this story gathers the inevitable speed that will be coming.
The editorial page of the Columbus Dispatch today essentially said, "Enough; we've seen enough. We are endorsing Acton right now."
Child sexual abuse is a new public problem, arising in the 70s. Child abuse (not sexual) arose as a public problem in the 60s.
Before that they both were personal moral failings, not public problems.
Or if you go back the Greeks, who knows.
Coleridge mocked "moral discoveries," on the grounds that the principles of morality do not change.
What's new is clickbait and response, I think.
google of Ian Hacking's title
The concept of "child abuse" is a socially constructed and historically shifting category. As philosopher Ian Hacking explored in his seminal 1991 essay "The Making and Molding of Child Abuse," while harm to children has existed throughout history, the specific medical, legal, and moral frameworks used to define, classify, and respond to child abuse evolved rapidly in the second half of the 20th century.
IEE thinks it's wrong to "protect those accused of preying on children". Apparently an accusation is enough: no conviction, or even any evidence, is necessary: just an accusation. Sounds kind of . . . Fascistic.
Psychiatrist Adolf Guggenbuhl-Craig, who treats child abuse victims, says that the response to it is positively harmful to the victims, in insisting that they are in no way responsible for what happened to them, at the age where they are learning to take at least partial responsibility. Why? You want to place the world in control of the victim, not the opposite, to whatever degree possible.
The AD never mentioned the step father.
And Chuck admits he wants to "beat" Trump supporters, cleverly implying that he'd like to hurt us badly with his fists, possibly even beating us unconscious, while preserving deniability by using a word that could also be taken to mean "defeat electorally" in a totally non-violent way. Clever, and contemptible, use of language. We all know which he really means.
The dems want all females abused in sports - by allowing men to compete with them. That's abuse.
One interesting part of this controversy is that the ad encourages voters to focus on the mother's story but doesn't explain why she and her daughter haven't spoken for nearly 50 years.
As others have pointed out, contemporary court and newspaper records show that Acton's stepfather was arrested and indicted on rape charges involving her. He failed to appear for trial, so there was never a conviction. Her brother's account provides further corroboration. This background is important in evaluating her mother's claims.
I agree that Acton's pandemic record and her decision not to debate deserve scrutiny. Her difficult childhood doesn't automatically qualify her to be governor, but it certainly doesn't disqualify her either.
There's plenty of room for vigorous disagreement about the candidates' records and policies without turning a painful family history into a campaign weapon. Ramaswamy's decision to promote this ad raises legitimate questions about his judgment.
I'm not a big fan of Vivek, and don't have to live in Ohio, thank God, so if he loses, I'm not too troubled.
So all the supportive outrage theater is rolling out now, bully for them. Are these the same people that we've heard clamoring support for 10 year olds to change their sex with sterilizing hormone treatments and surgery? In secret, with sympathetic teachers and guidance counselors, and without their parent's knowledge? But those definitely wouldn't be victims of sexual abuse - right?
Pardon me while I cynically say F*ck Off - and stay away from my family.
"Check your damn facts before posting. Reading an article on the subject you want to claim expertise seems a pretty low bar, but you missed it."
Ok, I was wrong. Mea culpa. I qualified my comment with "as far as I know." The Columbus Dispatch story came out around 10:20 this morning. The earlier reports had said the ad was placed by a PAC. The ad itself did not say that the Ramaswamy campaign approved of the ad.
The Dems never want to talk real policy - just rage about todays offense to their "principles" The ones they turn on and off like a dido as needed. You guys have been defending sexual assault all year when your candidates or representatives were caught wet-handed.
What are the Democrats running on? What are the things you will do with power?
If you are raped by a trans "woman" in the locker room, should you call the cops? If you do, should you say you were raped by a woman?
Dems are running on defeating make America great again. They hate that.
The dems are running on lies and hate.
They really want to re-fund USAID and get all of Biden's illegals on more welfare/fraud and give illegals Driver's licenses so they can vote. They want child abuse with trans madness. They want to DE-fund Police and ICE. They want gov run health care and the tax hikes to pay for it all while they whine about affordability. Even as gov run health care is collapsing in UK and Canada.
The Dem-Social-Commies want to destroy the US Constitution and are saying so openly.
And while the outrage is rolling thick, can I just ask: Has the ad actually been aired yet? I mean, aside from the 'leaked' version from the polling session. A $4mm campaign has been discussed. Has it actually run on TV yet? No?
As with so much of dr weevil’s Trumpsplaining, reading grand strategy into Trump’s erratic behavior and imagining him as the adult in the room is a form of emotional self-protection. We need to believe there’s a hidden order to the chaos and that Trump’s grandiose plan can be trusted. It would feel unkind to disabuse dr weevil of that hope, if events weren’t already doing the job for me.
As always, IEE just can't stop lying. "Trumpsplaining"? My only mention of Trump on this thread was when I criticized Chuck for wanting to beat "Trumpsters" (7:43pm). I haven't written a damned thing here supporting any particular Trump policy other than not beating Trump supporters - or anti-Trumpsters, either.
And IEE still can't be bothered to tell us the missing word in his 6:32pm quotation, or defend his urge to punish anyone "accused of preying on children", whether the accusation turns out to be true or false. Not just a cretin, but a lazy cretin.
IEE(D) is a demofuckicrat sycophant who adores democrat party lies hate and corruption.
She'll make a mess of being Governor if she gets elected. That's for sure.
That was a real dick move by Vivek. One of the problems that the high tech people have is that they're often blind to bad optics and inappropriate actions. To them, understanding technology is easy and understanding humans is hard. Also, doing something like this forces a lot of high profile Republicans into the bad position of supporting what he did or violating the 11th commandment. (And a lot of these Republicans won't forget what he just did to them.)
I’m so sick of the moral outrage that ad has provoked. My California brother-in-law quit the Democrat Party years ago when he found out they ordered a subscription to a porn magazine and addressed it to a Republican candidate but mis-addressed by one house number so that it would come to the neighbor. LBJ boasted about his dirty politics. JFK’s daddy invented the trick Dems are playing in Alaska putting a same-named dummy candidate on the ballot to dilute votes. Dems invented ballot-harvesting, the most blatant vote theft operation in history. Dems raided MaraLago, indicted Trump how many times? Four? Or 94? They threw Paul Manafort into prison into solitary, arrested Navarro and Stone like they were terrorists … on and on these bastard tricks go and now they’re offended by an ad that shows a truly messed up family? I want to swear here but will refrain because it would weaken my loathing.
M Jordan: well said
AMEN, M Jordan. Well said.
…its fake, symmetric moral outrage….
M Jordan.
Thank you.
A reminder that the Biden Administration put Tulsi Gabbard on a terrorist watch list with the Orwellian name “Quiet Skies”. See, they wanted her to remain silent.
At least Acton never raped anyone while out on furlough.
M Jordan shares some interesting examples of questionable tactics in American political history, and I think we can agree that both parties have engaged in them. Still, we don't need to establish which party has committed more dirty tricks to decide whether this particular ad was appropriate.
What troubles me is that the ad features Acton's estranged mother questioning her daughter's honesty without explaining their nearly 50-year estrangement. Contemporary court and newspaper records corroborate important parts of Acton's account, including her stepfather's arrest and indictment on rape charges involving her. He never stood trial, so there was no conviction, but that background is important when evaluating her mother's claims.
I agree that Acton's pandemic record, policy proposals, and refusal to debate are all fair subjects for criticism. Her difficult childhood doesn't automatically qualify or disqualify her for governor. Likewise, Ramaswamy's decision to promote this ad raises legitimate questions about his judgment.
I would hope we could apply the same standards to both candidates. We don't need to excuse questionable campaign tactics simply because politicians from the other party have used them before.
M Jordan
This is what passes for virtue with them. They are, at their hearts, very immoral people.
Translation: We've been found out, and at the moment, they look bad, so let's not argue and bicker over 'who murdered who', because they're thinking about it now, and starting to reflect on it, and that's dangerous for us. They might start to remember our actual track record.
In Ohio, already voted for Vivek. No second thoughts.
J.D. Vance is right. The ad was perhaps in "poor taste," but it does call out Acton for the compromised candidate she is: mentally unstable? drug user? alcoholic? Video clips of her talking about wearing masks as "normal," say a lot about her mentality. Is she the best person to govern Ohio? The research into Acton the ad has compelled people to do says "No." The use of her mother in the ad should not be the main focus (a lot of political ads on both sides are distasteful, btw) : the candidate Acton is the focus. Politics is a dirty game, yeah. Get over it.
Amy has been saying she won't debate Vivek for months for one reason or another. This just the latest excuse. Amy Acton disqualified herself for this office by how she handled her responsibilities during the pandemic. This is vote for the "least worse" candidate election.
“We don't need to excuse questionable campaign tactics simply because politicians from the other party have used them before.”
@Peaceful Warrior, actually, yes we do. There is no way to stop “questionable campaign tactics” other than to throw them back at their practitioners. It’s called “tit for tat” and it has a sound, formal mathematical foundation.
I find it interesting that I cannot find confirmation that the ad has actually aired yet, by the Vivek campaign. Several press outlets have danced around this, moving the idea into the present tense, but when you dig into it, there is no record of it being aired, only of plans. Now: D.J. Byrnes, the Ohio political blogger that originally leaked the ad that was being poll-tested with voters, is a left-leaning blogger. He's a Progressive. So it would appear to me that the voter who video'd the test ad, then passed it to Brynes, saw an opportunity to get out in front and use it to make Vivek look bad. Otherwise, why pass it to a Progressive blogger, who then used it like dynamite?
But you didn't know Brynes was a progressive, did you? Because it hasn't been communicated, has it? And the ad hasn't aired yet, has it?
In the absence of more clarification, this reads like Acton's campaign got wind of something and used it to their advantage.
'Byrnes was active in the Miami County Democratic Party and ran as a Democrat for an Ohio House seat in 2018 '
Oh. I see.
I can remember Democrat ads showing Republicans pushing a wheelchair-bound grandma off a cliff, Democrats’ use of Laura Bush’s accident when she killed a classmate when 17-years-old, repeated Democrat fake references to Trump being a felon. But those were all against Republicans, so they were okay. This ad (which isn’t an ad) released by Vivek (which wasn’t released by Vivek) is nowhere near the worst ad I’ve seen.
So reviewing the timeline, then:
'...the pattern looks convenient on its face: the ad landed first with a progressive blogger, and the Acton campaign's response was remarkably fast and disciplined — a statement from her brother within hours, a response ad the same day, and Acton hitting Ramaswamy in interviews before he'd even confirmed the ad was his (AP, CNN)....'
So behind all of this manufactured outrage is the face of a successful political op. Acton has the money for astute intelligence gathering, they got wind of the ad being prepared, got access to a sympathetic polling participant, got it leaked by a Progressive blogger, and were ready with their own responses before the ad was even finished its testing phase.
How outraged are you now?
Aggie raises an interesting question about how the ad first became public. Byrnes's Democratic ties and the speed of Acton's response are certainly worth noting, but neither establishes that Acton's campaign arranged the leak. A politically motivated leak is plausible, but a coordinated operation involving Acton's campaign would require more evidence.
There's also an important difference between the original leak and what happened afterward. Ramaswamy's campaign confirmed that it produced the ad and subsequently launched a statewide advertising campaign to promote it. Whatever the circumstances of the leak, that decision belongs to Ramaswamy.
Big Mike makes a fair point about political retaliation. Tit for tat can discourage bad behavior, but it can also lead to escalation if neither side backs down. A strategy that sometimes works in game theory doesn't necessarily make every retaliatory tactic appropriate in politics.
I agree with RoseAnne that Acton's pandemic record and refusal to debate deserve scrutiny. But Ramaswamy's judgment deserves scrutiny too.
Even Republican Governor DeWine, who endorsed Ramaswamy and continues to support him, has urged him to withdraw the ad. That suggests the objections aren't purely partisan.
It should be possible to hold both candidates accountable without turning every election into a battle to see who can justify the ugliest campaign tactics.
Nice try RJW.
WIthdraw what ad? It hasn't been run yet.
Ramaswamy seeks to take political advantage of the fact that his opponent was raped as a child. But to his credit, unlike many other Republican politicians, he was not personally the rapist in question.
"The mother is a witness to things" can be read two ways. Wikipedia says that the stepfather had already been prosecuted for raping his own daughter. That doesn't mean that Amy Acton is lying (or that she's telling the truth), but it may put her charges in a different light. There are plenty of other reasons not to vote for her.
Between Jim Jordan and Vivek Ramaswamy, Republicans may have built an insurmountable lead among sex abusers in Ohio.
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