By Stephen Macaulay
On August 25, Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance appeared on NBC News’ Meet the Press. Kristen Welker, the interviewer, asked him about his comment about “childless cat ladies.” He’d made the quote during an interview in 2021 with Tucker Carlson on Fox News. As you may recall, Carlson was fired from his gig in 2023 after Fox settled a defamation lawsuit with voting machine company Dominion. The suit was brought because Dominion maintained that some folks at Fox were spreading false claims about the 2020 election being rigged. It cost Fox $787 million. Fair and balanced, right? Lying didn’t seem to matter much until it cost them.
The quote was a description of who Vance considered to be running the U.S., including “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.”
Welker pointed out, “The Census Bureau estimates there are 22 million women between the ages of 20 and 40 who for whatever reason do not have children. What do you say to those women who hear some of your comments, including the childless cat lady comments, which you’ve been asked about, but who feel as though you won’t represent them?’
He, of course, answered that he wants to be the “vice president for the whole country” and “represent everybody.” Not respect everybody.
Vance claimed it was a “sarcastic comment [made] years ago that I think a lot of Democrats have willfully misinterpreted.” There are probably more Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and other people who have a grasp of the English language who can read what he said without any misinterpretation.
It is flat out mean.
Welker asked if he regretted making the comment.
“Look, I regret certainly that a lot of people took it the wrong way, and I certainly regret that the DNC and Kamala Harris lied about it.”
What’s the lie, Vance? Didn’t you say these women are miserable with their lives because of choices they’ve made? What choices might they be? That they, for whatever reason, didn’t have children? What about all of the women who for medical reasons are childless? They need to be characterized by a smarmy politician who wants to “represent them”?
Welker pressed him again about whether he has any regret.
“Look, Kristen, I’m going to say things from time to time that people would disagree with. I’m a real person. I’m going to make jokes.”
And there it is: “I’m going to make jokes.”
In other words, he can say things that are mean, despicable and otherwise beneath someone who wants to be the person who is a heartbeat away from the presidency who can sluff off any decency by saying it was just a joke.
That’s the sort of dodge most people left behind when they graduated high school.
Then The New York Times reported August 31 on another Vance attack on women.
In 2007 there was a teen beauty pageant. A young woman was asked a question and she totally flubbed it to a painfully embarrassing degree.
A video of it went viral. The young woman became depressed and considered suicide.
Presumably, as those things go, its virality had a half-life of days, to be replaced by some other epic fail.
But Vance, having spent time in Silicon Valley, proved himself not merely a tech bro but a bro bro and pulled it out from the pits of the internet and posted it on X prior to Kamala Harris’ CNN interview. It was captioned: “BREAKING: I have gotten ahold of the full Kamala Harris CNN interview.”
That’s right Vance, the man who seems exceedingly concerned about family values when it comes to things like procreation and what books should and shouldn’t be read in schools, shamed a person who was then a teenager, to make fun of a political opponent. Epic, bro.
And Donald Trump Jr. chimed in by posting “This is total Fake News from JD. We all know that Kamala isn’t that articulate.”
Again, victimize a young woman for some laffs.
Has he listened to one of his father’s public presentations lately?
According to Times, when Vance was asked if he had been aware of the fact that the young woman in the post had considered suicide he answered he hadn’t. And he said, “My heart goes out to her, and I hope that she’s doing well.”
A bit of contrition.
Then he was asked to apologize.
Oh, but the decent thing would be far too much for the man who wants “represent everyone.”
He is quoted:
“Politics has gotten way too lame,” he said, adding, “I’m not going to apologize for posting a joke, but I wish the best for Caitlin.”
Did Caitlin consider this to be a joke?
Is his approach to politics one where he is cruel and then just passes it off as a joke?
Vance told Kristen Welker that he was raised by two grandparents who “believed in some fundamental American values.”
Those values probably don’t include spite, meanness, callousness, and brutishness.
And they probably wouldn’t find these so-called “jokes” funny.
American leaders shouldn’t make fun of other Americans.
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Reader Comments on the Right
Editors:
Stephen Macaulay’s “Warm Spit & Standards” happened to trigger thoughts of Harry Truman as VP under President Franklin Roosevelt. Having recently read about Truman, it was surprising to me that he only had two in-person meetings with life-long philanderer FDR before the president died in the presence of his mistress (Eleanor’s social secretary). It just goes to show the significance of the passage of time in how history records American presidents, and footnotes their vice presidents. Perhaps little has really changed when it comes to presidents, politics and the power hungry?
--Rich Corbett
Countdown to Debate -- One week from now, Tuesday, September 10, ex-President Donald J. Trump debates Vice President Kamala Harris for 90 minutes beginning 9 pm Eastern/6 pm Pacific time, on ABC TV. There will be no studio audience and microphones will be shut off when it is the other candidate's turn to speak. Look for center-column analysis here on Wednesday, September 11 and send us your comments on the debate.
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