2024-07-26 18:33:17
In a 2021 video, JD Vance singled out Kamala Harris, now a Democratic presidential candidate, among others, when she told Fox News that those who did not have offspring, especially “childless ladies with cats,” were “unfortunate” and does not bring “its contribution” to the country.
The comments sparked a firestorm of condemnation and accusations that the father-of-three represents an out-of-touch and sexist Republican mindset that has no place in the modern age.
“It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told MSNBC, adding, “My God, they’re going after the ‘cat people,’ good luck!”
If Harris, who has two children, defeats former Republican President Donald Trump in November’s election, she will become not only the first female president, but also the first black and Asian, and will face a number of demographic attacks.
While many Republicans point to Harris’ lack of biological children as a problem, her online fan community, KHive, has come to the defense, with memes, outrage and posts of support, including from celebrities, politicians and her own family.
Outraged actress Jennifer Aniston pointed to her own infertility, which she has spoken about before, while comedian and talk show host Whoopi Goldberg asked: “What the hell is going on?”
“Just a basic fact”
A resurfaced video from 2021 shows JD Vance, then a candidate for US Senate from Ohio, telling Fox host Tucker Carlson that the United States is run by “a bunch of childless ladies with cats who are unhappy with their lives and choices, so you want the whole country to be unhappy too.”
“It’s just a basic fact — look at Kamal Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC (left-wing politician, House of Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez-ed.) — the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people who don’t have kids,” JD Vance said. “And what’s the point of us giving our country to people who don’t really contribute to it?”
Buttigieg, who is the US transportation secretary and adopted two children in the same year, told CNN that the comments were poignant given the difficulties of adoption at the time.
“He couldn’t have known that, but maybe that’s why we shouldn’t be talking about other people’s children,” Buttigieg said.
Mr. Harris has two adopted children, Cole and Ella, with her husband, Doug Emhoff, and his first wife. Their mother, Kerstin Emhoff, said in a statement to CNN that the attacks on Harris were “unwarranted.”
“For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been co-parenting with Doug and me,” she said. “I love our blended family and I’m grateful to have her in it.”
Meanwhile, Ella, 25, who K Harris calls ‘Momala’, wrote on Instagram: “I love my three parents.” “How can you be ‘childless’ when you have cute kids like Cole and I.”
“Leaders must have children”
Harris’ supporters were quick to point out that no US president was physically born because they were all men. A few of them also never produced offspring.
One of them is the first American president, George Washington, who, like K. Harris, helped raise his wife’s children from a previous marriage.
Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Republican Sen. John McCain, warned that JD Vance’s comments “trigger women on all sides, including my most conservative Trump-supporting friends.”
The focus on children of politicians comes at a time when reproductive health and access to abortion, issues that Harris advocates for, are at the forefront of this year’s election.
“Political leaders must have children. Of course they should at least be married, Blake Masters, a venture capitalist and former Trump-backed congressional candidate, wrote on X. “If you don’t or can’t own your own household, how can you understand voters with families or govern wisely and with respect for future generations?”
In his 2021 speech, JD Vance went so far as to suggest that people with children should have more votes.
“When you go to the polls as a parent in this country, you should have more power,” he said in quotes reported by the Washington Post. According to him, “if you’re not as invested in the future of this country, then maybe your vote shouldn’t be.”
JD Vance’s campaign later dismissed the comments as a “thought experiment.”
2024-07-26 18:33:17