MAGA world figures describing the ad as a ‘self-inflicted wound’ in private, report claims

Vivek Ramaswamy was reportedly warned by Ohio Republicans and campaign staffers not to run the controversial attack ad on Democratic opponent Amy Acton that featured her estranged mother - but went ahead anyway.

Some campaign staffers are so incensed by the decision to run the ad - which featured Acton’s 82-year-old mother, Donna Arthur smearing her daughter as a “liar” over child sex abuse she suffered - that they have considered resigning, according to Zeteo. Arthur lost custody of her children after her late husband, Cledith Arthur, was indicted for raping Acton when she was a child. She stood by her husband, who died in 2004.

Several Ohio Republican and Trump-world figures privately described the ad as a “self-inflicted wound” to Zeteo as the polls with Acton have narrowed.

  • Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
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    1 hour ago

    It’s so funny seeing Ramaswami step back into the public eye after giving Squeex basically half a decade to write a public image for him amongst his audience with his parody character Ramasquamy

    Like, I seriously can’t think of Ramaswamy as an actual politician that people take seriously after several years of watching Ramasquamy prance around announcing “Day One!” whilst holding up double peace signs, stage a “peaceful protest” at the city hall on Jan 6th after he lost the mayoral reelection, or setting up a fake assassination plot to have his ear get shot during the mayoral debates last month, pretending to be the incumbent mayor because of being referenced as mayor in the trailer despite there being nobody actually filling the mayoral role, etc.

  • Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    3 hours ago

    I have “sides with child rapist” on my 2026 right politics bingo card.

    It’s already marked.

  • TheJesusaurus@piefed.ca
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    4 hours ago

    Why didn’t they want to resign before that? They don’t have any problem with vile pieces of shit, they only have a problem with losing.

  • cantstopthesignal@sh.itjust.works
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    3 hours ago

    Apparently this woman was not only a giant pos, when the campaign found her she was living in her car with a bunch of cats. She would said anything for very little money.

  • Freeposity@lemmy.world
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    6 hours ago

    It’s a smart move to quit now, in protest, when you know he’s going to lose. So you lose a week’s pay, big deal.

    If they had quit immediately, THAT would have been the move that showed moral courage rather than this cynical and strategic quitting.

  • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca
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    6 hours ago

    Years ago, I was at a scientific conference and this clown was at my lunch table. He made a lot of money buying abandoned drugs for cheap, then making a new company and attracting investors on new drug pumping, then quietly dumping all stock holdings before the drug failed. He only had a bachelor’s degree in arts, not even science.

    30 minutes into lunch he left the table and conversation was: who was that asshole. He’s quite insane. He offended some indian-American scientists suggesting they should never have been made US citizens. “He knows he’s brown, right?”

    He then went on to write Woke, Inc. How insane do you have to be to get dumped by Trump.

  • pelespirit@sh.itjust.works
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    5 hours ago

    Hasn’t it been playing for awhile now? Why are they quitting the week before the elections? I get it, looking for a job when you put up a child rape denier as gospel looks bad, but you reap what you sow.

    • aramis87@fedia.io
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      4 hours ago

      Same reason a bunch of Trump officials will start leaving next year (for personal reasons, to spend more time with their family, to pursue a wonderful opportunity, etc): if they leave now, it’s easier for them to line up jobs elsewhere in the right-wing universe. If they wait until after Election Day, there’ll be a bunch more people competing for the same positions. This way, they can get in early.

  • Lasherz@lemmy.worldM
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    6 hours ago

    I remember back during the discourse before Trump joined the race Vivek had a tendency to act like he was Trump and could therefore get away with stuff like this. It was made clear to everyone then that he did not have that sort of power but yet he continues to pretend he does. I think there must be something that short circuits in your brain when you become a billionaire. Probably mislead that while he could get into inner circles because his money, the Republicans will never accept a brown person. Candace being as close as you can get. For her I think it’s because she has resolve none of the other tokens have.