JD Vance (Photo: Gage Skidmore, via CC BY-SA 3.0)
JD Vance, a GOP candidate for the Ohio Senate, pitched the bizarre idea that people with children should get more votes. He says they have a bigger stake in the future.
Vance is a venture capitalist who also became a bestselling author with the publication of his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy. It was looking back on his upbringing in the Appalachians and was made into an Oscar nominated film last year.
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More recently, Vance turned to a career in politics. He hopes to fill the Senate seat which will be vacated next year by fellow Republican Rob Portman.
Speaking Friday at a conservative conference organized by the Institute for Intercollegiate Studies (ISI). Vance said a lot of the problems in the United States are due to the “childless left.” These people, says Vance, have “no physical commitment to the future of this country.”
Vance, the father of two, cited Vice President Kamala Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Senator Cory Booker and MP Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as examples.
He said, “Why is it just a normal fact of life for the leaders of our country to be people who have no personal and direct interest in it through their own offspring? “
It should be noted that Kamala Harris is the stepmother of two children from her husband, Doug Emhoff’s previous marriage.
Vance continued, “Democrats are talking about giving 16-year-olds the vote. Let’s do this instead. Let us give votes to all the children in this country, but let us give control of those votes to the parents of the children.
Responding if that meant “non-parents don’t have as much voice as parents” and “parents have more say in how democracy works,” Vance said the answer was yes.
“When you go to the polls in this country as a parent, you should have more power, you should have more ability to make your voice heard in our Democratic Republic, than people who have no children,” did he declare.
“Let’s face the consequences and the reality; if you don’t have that much investment in the future of this country, maybe you shouldn’t have much the same voice.
Vance went on to praise Hungary’s far-right and anti-LGBT President Viktor Orbán for encouraging married couples to have children.
Orbán is currently trying to introduce a widely criticized anti-gay propaganda law in Hungary. In the Eastern European country, said Vance, “they offer loans to newly married couples who are forgiven at some point later if those couples have actually stayed together and had children.
“Why can’t we do this here?” Why can’t we really promote family formation? “
Dave Wiegel of the Washington Post said in mockery that Vance might want to check the Democrats’ child tax credit if he thinks it’s a good idea.
Interesting speech. Vance praised a Viktor Orban policy that pays parents who have multiple children – “why can’t we do that here? – but didn’t mention the Democrats’ child tax credit.
– Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) July 24, 2021
Prior to his speech, Vance spoke to the Daily Caller about the issues he would be addressing. He again expressed his opinion on the problems with people without children, especially in the media.
“What you constantly see is that many of the most unhappy, miserable and angry people in our media are adults without children. Let’s be honest about that.
Vance’s ISI talk was discussed yesterday on Fox and Friends, with hosts believing it to be an “interesting idea.”
Co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy, who has nine children, said: “It’s absolutely true that people like AOC, Pete Buttigieg – you can name the politicians on the left, people who think we should legalize marijuana because that they don’t have kids and they don’t really have an interest in what that looks like. I agree with him 100% that they have no interest in the game.
She added that while agreeing with Vance’s thought, she didn’t think it was a “doable” idea.
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JD Vance made headlines earlier this month when he praised former President Trump, reversing a position he took in 2016.
At the time, Vance said he would not vote for Trump and posted a series of anti-Trump tweets. These have now been deleted. He told Fox News in early July: “Like a lot of people, I criticized Trump in 2016. And I ask people not to judge me based on what I said in 2016 because I been very open in saying that I said these critical things and I regret them, and I wish I was wrong about the guy.
He now thinks Trump was “a good president.” I think he made a lot of good decisions for people, and I think he took a lot of criticism. “
Both Portman and Vance were seen as fairly centrist Republicans. It appears Vance is now taking a more right-wing stance on issues if he portrays Hungarian Viktor Orbán and Trump as good role models.
Vance’s ideas have been very badly received by many Internet users.
It is ridiculous and offensive. Married for 31 years and has never been able to have children; been a teacher for 30 years. Thank you for reminding me of the saddest thing about an otherwise wonderful marriage, though.
– Alicix (@ dinahcat04) July 24, 2021
OK. Because you can’t have empathy or concern for the health and safety of your fellow Americans if they aren’t blood relatives?!? This prospect speaks volumes about her ability to emotionally connect with people who aren’t already members of her tribe.
– Adam Brown (@A___CB____) July 24, 2021
So he wants to restore the voting system whereby slave owners got one vote for every slave they owned. For now, they will be using their children instead. 🙄
– christine m. streams (@runewarrior) July 24, 2021
If I take one for my dog who is a very intelligent boy
– BennyBenBenji (@ BenBenTwoTwent1) July 24, 2021
Is this REALLY the same guy who wrote the best-selling book? Has deceived many of us.
– Elida Witthoeft (@elidawitthoeft) July 24, 2021
