Highlights:
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JD Vance suggested that people in “violent” marriages should not get divorced.
- Vance said he was “a very big fan” of a Hungarian law that he said gave newly married couples a $30,000 loan which they would only need to pay back if they separated.
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JD Vance repeatedly attacked working mothers.
- Vance attacking working women.
- Vance implied that women only enjoy working nance because they have been manipulated.
- Vance claimed that more female truck drivers “could actually make our infrastructure problems worse, not better.”
- Vance opposed childcare and policies that made it easier for women to work outside of the home.
- Vance attacking working women.
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JD Vance attacked women without children.
- Vance described women without children as lacking a “direct stake” and “commitment” to “the future of this country.”
- Vance described women without children as “more sociopathic” than those with children.
- Vance mocked women without children as “childless cat ladies” who must be “miserable” about not having kids.
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JD Vance opposed a rule that limited law enforcement’s access to women’s medical records.
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JD Vance opposed having women join the draft.
¶ Vance Suggested That People in “Violent” Marriages Should Not Get Divorced
¶ Vance Suggested That People in “Violent” Marriages Should Not Get Divorced
Vance Suggested That People in “Violent” Marriages Should Not Get Divorced. According to Vice, “The Ohio Republican Senate nominee, talking to Pacifica Christian High School in Southern California last September, gave an extended answer that claimed that people now ‘shift spouses like they change their underwear,’ and that it had done long-term damage to a generation of children. ‘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, OK, 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, that’s going to make people happier in the long term,’ Vance said. ‘And maybe it worked out for the moms and dads, though I’m skeptical. But it really didn’t work out for the kids of those marriages,’ Vance continued. ‘And that’s what I think all of us should be honest about, is we’ve run this experiment in real time. And what we have is a lot of very, very real family dysfunction that’s making our kids unhappy.’ Vance was responding to a moderator who referenced his grandparents’ relationship before asking, ‘What's causing one generation to give up on fatherhood when the other one was so doggedly determined to stick it out, even in tough times?’ And those comments came immediately after he brought up his grandparents’ relationship and how it differed from his parents’ generation.” [Vice, 7/25/22]
Vance Said People “Shift Spouses Like They Change Underwear” And Argued That In Some Cases People Should Remain In “Even Violent” Marriages. According to Vice, “JD Vance said people need to be more willing to stay in unhappy marriages for the sake of their kids—and seemed to suggest that in some cases, ‘even violent’ marriages should continue. The Ohio Republican Senate nominee, talking to a Pacifica Christian High School in Southern California last September, gave an extended answer that claimed that people now ‘shift spouses like they change their underwear,’ and that it had done long-term damage to a generation of children.” [Vice, 7/25/22]
Vance Argued That Some “Violent” Relationships Should Continue Because Breaking Up Marriages Led To “Very Real Family Dysfunction That’s Making Our Kids Unhappy.” According to Vice, “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, OK, 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, that’s going to make people happier in the long term,’ Vance said. ‘And maybe it worked out for the moms and dads, though I’m skeptical. But it really didn’t work out for the kids of those marriages,’ Vance continued. ‘And that’s what I think all of us should be honest about, is we’ve run this experiment in real time. And what we have is a lot of very, very real family dysfunction that’s making our kids unhappy.”’ [Vice, 7/25/22]
¶ Vance Said He Was “A Very Big Fan” Of A Hungarian Law That He Said Gave Newly Married Couples A $30,000 Loan Which They Would Only Need To Pay Back If They Separated
Vance Said He Was “A Very Big Fan” Of A Law Implemented By Hungary’s Right-Wing Government That He Said Gave Newly Married Couples A $30,000 Loan Which They Would Only Need To Pay Back If They Separated. According to Vice, “Vance does want to see new federal policy to encourage people to stay married, however, which he discussed at that September event. He said he was ‘a very big fan’ of a law that Hungary’s right-wing nationalist government instituted giving newly married couples a low-interest loan which he said they only have to pay back if they don’t stay together. (The actual policy stipulates that couples don’t have to pay back the loans of more than $30,000 if they have three children, not whether they stay married). ‘I think there is real opportunity to send a message through public policy that this is a sacred institution, and we should continue to build it,’ he said.” [Vice, 7/25/22]
¶ Vance Repeatedly Attacked Working Women
¶ Vanced Argued That More Women Entering The Workforce Led To “Unhappier, Unhealthier Children”
Vance Argued That More Women Entering The Workforce Led To “Unhappier, Unhealthier Children.” According to an op-ed by JD Vance and Jenet Erickson in the Wall Street Journal, “Our democracy might be comfortable with the trade-offs here—higher gross domestic product and more parents (especially women) in the workforce on one hand, and unhappier, unhealthier children on the other. But we ought to be honest and acknowledge that these trade-offs exist.” [Wall Street Journal - JD. Vance and Jenet Erickson, 5/3/21]
¶ Vance Decried Support For Childcare And Policies That Allowed Women To Work Outside The Home
Vance: “‘Universal Day Care’ Is Class War Against Normal People.”
[Twitter, @JDVance1, 4/29/21]
Vance Described Universal Childcare As A “Massive Subsidy” For “Lifestyle Preferences.”
[Twitter, @JDVance1, 4/29/21]
¶ Vance Stated That Universal Childcare Was “Bad” Because It Encouraged Parents To Enter The Labor Force
Vance Stated That Universal Childcare Was “Bad” Because It Encouraged Parents To Enter The Labor Force.
[Twitter, @JDVance1, 4/30/21]
¶ Vance Complained About Childcare, In General, Suggesting “Normal Americans” Do Not Support It
Vance Stated That “Normal Americans” Do Not Place Their Children In Daycare So That They Can Work.
[Twitter, @JDVance1, 4/29/21]
¶ Vance Was Widely Criticized For His Inaccurate Attacks On Childcare
Guardian Op-Ed By Arwa Mahadawi: Vance’s Contribution To Universal Childcare Debate Was “Incomprehensible.” According to an op-ed by Arwa Mahadawi in the Guardian, “Think that’s an unhinged response? I think it may have been surpassed by JD Vance’s incomprehensible contribution to the debate. On Thursday, the Hillbilly Elegy author and vocal Republican tweeted that ‘‘Universal day care’ is class war against normal people.’ His line of reasoning, if you can call it that, was that: ‘normal Americans care more about their families than their jobs, and want a family policy that doesn’t shunt their kids into crap daycare so they can enjoy more ‘freedom’ in the paid labor force’.” [Guardian - Arwa Mahadawi, 5/1/21]
Jill Filipovic Via Washington Post: “The Most Visible Anti-Child-Care Republican At The Moment Is J.D. Vance.” According to an op-ed in the Washington Post by Jill Filipovic, “The most visible anti-child-care Republican at the moment is J.D. Vance, author of ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ and rumored to be considering a run for a Senate seat in Ohio. Vance went on a Twitter tear on Thursday in which he leaned into gender-neutral terms — ‘parents, ‘Americans,’ ‘people’ — while criticizing ‘corporate day care’ and arguing that ‘a healthy society should make it easier for parents to care for kids.’ President Biden’s proposal for universal pre-K, Vance declared, was a ‘war against normal people’ and their preferences for their households.” [Washington Post - Jill Filipovic, 5/3/21]
The Hill Op-Ed: Vance’s Argument That Childcare Was A “Bad Deal For American Children” Flew In The Face Of Research. According to an op-ed in The Hill by Taryn Morrissey, “For example, in their recent opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, J.D. Vance and Jenet Erickson argued erroneously that the plan — one that would offer the opportunity for additional education and to offset the high costs of child care for working families — would be ‘a bad deal for American children.’ The authors collected data nearly 30 years ago, then selectively cited only the findings that supported their politically motivated argument that young children are better off not enrolled in child care in almost all circumstances. This conclusion flies against the wealth of current peer-reviewed research (including the overall research using the dataset Vance and Erickson cited) that shows over and over again that high-quality early care and education provides tremendous benefits for children and their families — even as the high costs of quality early care and education make it inaccessible for millions of American families.” [The Hill - Taryn Morrissey, 5/21/21]
¶ Vance Attacked Women Without Children As Lacking “Commitment” To “The Future Of This Country”
¶ Vance Described Women Without Children As Lacking A “Direct Stake” And “Commitment” To “The Future Of This Country”
Vance Attacked Women Without Children As Lacking A “Direct Stake” And “Commitment” To “The Future Of This Country.” According to HuffPost, “In a speech at an Intercollegiate Studies Institute conference, Vance specifically named Harris in a tirade against the ‘childless left’ who have ‘no physical commitment to the future of this country.’ He lumped the vice president in with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. ‘Why is this just a normal fact of … life, for the leaders of our country to be people who don’t have a personal and direct stake in it via their own offspring?’ Vance said.” [HuffPost, 7/22/24]
¶ Vance Insinuated That Step-Parents Were Not Real Parents By Attacking Vice President Kamala Harris As Part Of The “Childless Left”
Vance Attacked The “Childless Left” As Unsuitable For Political Leadership, Naming Vice President Kamala Harris As An Example. According to HuffPost, “In a speech at an Intercollegiate Studies Institute conference, Vance specifically named Harris in a tirade against the ‘childless left’ who have ‘no physical commitment to the future of this country.’ He lumped the vice president in with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. ‘Why is this just a normal fact of … life, for the leaders of our country to be people who don’t have a personal and direct stake in it via their own offspring?’ Vance said.” [HuffPost, 7/22/24]
Harris Was A Step-Mother To Two Children. According to ABC News, “Harris, who entered the 2024 presidential race after President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign Sunday, is the stepmother of two children with her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. When she was sworn in as vice president in 2021, Harris, 59, made history as the first stepmother to be America's vice president. Emhoff's children, Cole, 29, and Ella, 25, call Harris ‘Momala’ and describe a loving co-parenting relationship that exists with their mother Kerstin Emhoff, who attended the presidential inauguration in 2021, along with her kids.” [ABC News, 7/23/24]
¶ Vance Claimed Women Without Children Were “More Sociopathic” Than Those With Children
November 2020: Vance Claimed Women Without Children Were “More Sociopathic” Than Those With Children. According to CNN, “In November 2020, Vance said on a conservative podcast that childless Americans, especially those in the country’s ‘leadership class,’ were ‘more sociopathic’ than those with children and made the country ‘less mentally stable.’ Vance added that the ‘most deranged’ and ‘most psychotic’ commentators on Twitter – now known as X - were typically childless.” [CNN, 7/30/24]
October 2021: Vance: “Our Country’s Low Birth Rates Have Made Many Elites Sociopaths.” According to CNN, “In September 2021, Vance tweeted that ‘cat ladies…must be stopped’ in response to a report that a higher percentage of Americans fear having children because of climate change. In another tweet a month later, Vance wrote, ‘Our country’s low birth rates have made many elites sociopaths.’” [CNN, 7/30/24]
¶ Vance Mocked Women Without Children As “Childless Cat Ladies” Who Must Be “Miserable” About Not Having Kids
Vance Mocked Women Without Children As “Childless Cat Ladies” Who Must Be “Miserable” About Not Having Kids. According to HuffPost, “Days later, the Ohio Republican doubled down on his attacks on childless Democrats in an interview with then-Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. ‘We’re effectively run in this country, via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs, by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too,’ Vance said. ‘It’s just a basic fact: You look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC, the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children,’ he said. ‘And how does it make any sense that we’ve turned our country over to people that don’t have a direct stake in it.’” [HuffPost, 7/22/24]
¶ Vance Refused To Apologize For His Remarks
Vance Said His “Childless Cat Ladies” Remark Was Not At The Top Of His Regrets. According to Axios, “GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) said in an interview aired Sunday that while ‘I regret ... that a lot of people took it the wrong way,’ his past comment about ‘childless cat ladies’ is not high among his list of regrets.” [Axios, 8/25/24]
Vance Said His “Childless Cat Ladies” Remark Was “Willfully Misinterpreted” By Democrats. According to The Hill, “Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), former President Trump’s running mate, said he thinks Democrats are intentionally misrepresenting his past comment about ‘childless cat ladies’ as he continues to face backlash for what’s been seen as a dismissive remark about women. ‘I made a sarcastic comment years ago that I think that a lot of Democrats have willfully misinterpreted,’ Vance said during a Sunday appearance on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press.’” [The Hill, 8/26/24]
¶ Vance Attacked The Head Of The American Federation Of Teachers For Not Having Children
Vance Attacked The Head Of The American Federation Of Teachers For Not Having Children. According to NBC News, “Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice presidential nominee, attacked teachers who don’t have children in remarks in 2021 that resurfaced Tuesday. In his public comments, he reserved specific criticism for Randi Weingarten, the head of the American Federation of Teachers. ‘You know, so many of the leaders of the left, and I hate to be so personal about this, but they’re people without kids, trying to brainwash the minds of our children,’ Vance said at a Center for Christian Virtue leadership forum moderated by conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt and the group’s president, Aaron Baer, in October 2021. Vance was joined by other Republican candidates in Ohio’s Senate race for 2022. When the candidates were asked about handling problems with schools and making them more responsive to parents, Vance took aim at Weingarten, who has described herself as “a mother by marriage,” by saying she ‘doesn’t have a single child.’ ‘If she wants to brainwash and destroy the mind of children, she should have some of her own and leave ours the hell alone,’ he said in a 30-second clip the liberal news site Heartland Signal resurfaced Tuesday. Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign later amplified the clip.” [NBC News, 8/27/24]
¶ Vance Fundraised Off Of His Comments Disparaging People Without Children
Vance Sent Fundraising Emails And Raised Money Off Of His Comments Disparaging People Without Children. According to CNN, “Vance would later fundraise off those 2021 remarks in a series of emails obtained by CNN from a commentator who posted them on social media at the time. ‘Did you see me on FOX Primetime recently? I needed to speak DIRECTLY to patriots like you about the serious issue of radical childless leaders in this country,’ reads one Vance fundraising email from August 2021. ‘We can’t have people who don’t have a direct stake in this country making our most important decisions. ‘We’ve allowed ourselves to be dominated by childless sociopaths - they’re invested in NOTHING because they’re not invested in this country’s children. Fighting back won’t be easy - our childless opponents have a lot of free time. That’s why I need YOU to stand with me.’ Another fundraising email reads, ‘Our country is basically run by childless Democrats who are miserable in their own lives and want to make the rest of the country miserable too… What I want to know is: why have we turned our country over to people who don’t have a direct stake in it?’” [CNN, 7/30/24]
¶ Vance Opposed A Rule That Limited Law Enforcement’s Access To Women’s Medical Records
¶ Vance Opposed A Rule That Limited Law Enforcement’s Access To Women’s Medical Records
The Department of Health and Human Services Proposed A Rule That Limited Law Enforcement’s Access To Women’s Medical Records. According to Talking Points Memo, “This spring, HHS finalized new regulations under HIPAA to limit law enforcement access to medical records tied to reproductive health. The rule was first proposed in the aftermath of the Dobbs decision as a way to limit the ability of state and local law enforcement agencies to access medical records to stymie or criminalize access to legal reproductive health services, most specifically abortions, but not only abortions. It also applies to contraception and the full range of other endangered reproductive care.” [Talking Points Memo, 7/16/24]
Vance Was One Of Only Eight Senators To Sign A Letter That Demanded The Proposed Rule Be Withdrawn. According to Talking Points Memo, “Now when this rule was first proposed back in 2023, a group of 28 members of Congress wrote to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra demanding he withdraw the proposed rule ‘immediately.’ (I was reminded of this letter when I saw this write up this morning.) They argued that the proposed rule ‘unlawfully thwarts the enforcement of compassionate laws’ and ‘creates special protections for abortion that limit cooperation with law enforcement, undermine the ability to report abuse, restrict the provision of public health information … erase the humanity of unborn children’ and ‘interfere with valid state laws protecting life.’ Now, I said 28 members of Congress. That’s not very many. You’ll remember there are 535 of them, of which 100 are senators. Vance was one of only eight Republican senators willing to go this hard for menstrual surveillance by state law enforcement agencies. The other 20 signatories are members of the House and a quick review of the names shows they are mostly hardcore Freedom Caucus types. But think about it: even in the House GOP caucus, they could only get 20 people to sign this thing. That’s how extreme it is. But JD Vance signed.” [Talking Points Memo, 7/16/24]
¶ Vance Opposed Having Women Join The Draft
¶ Vance Opposed Having Women Join The Draft
Vance Opposed Having Women Join The Draft.
[Twitter, @JDVance1, 7/23/21]