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.

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[–] 167 points 1 week ago (10 children)

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.

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  • [–] 134 points 1 week ago (2 children)

    We're talking about people who chose to be Ramaswamy staffers, they have neither morals nor courage.

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  • [–] 73 points 1 week ago* (3 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 63 points 1 week ago (3 children)

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

    It’s already marked.

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  • [–] 53 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    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.

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  • [–] 39 points 1 week ago* (1 child)

    They "want to quit" but have not. They aren't quitting, they're taking the money and riding it out until the election is over, just like they would have if he hadn't run that gross ad.

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  • [–] 37 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    Anybody willing to tell their child that they are lying about their sexual abuse can get fucked. I'm so thankful people believed me about mine. I'd be so much more fucked up if they didn't.

    And whoever thought this was okay to shoot and release as an ad are shit human beings. Nobody deserves to have their trauma aired on tv bcz they tried to run for public office, especially something so personal and humiliating.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 week ago

    I saw the ad, but I forgot most of it immediately... and I don't want to revisit it. so forgive me if that last line isn't quite correct.

    Political ads:

    ✅️> Here's what I want to do

    ✅️> Here's what I believe

    ➖️> My opponent said or did something I think you'll disagree with

    ❌️> My opponent alleges they were assaulted, but I don't think they were so they are a liar

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  • [–] 35 points 1 week ago (6 children)

    they have considered resigning

    And I've considered being a millionaire. Shit or get off the pot, spineless pricks.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 week ago (5 children)

    So... Are you a millionaire yet?

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  • [–] 6 points 1 week ago (4 children)

    Nah, not done considerin' yet.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)
  • [–] 27 points 1 week ago

    when you are too low even for the minions that work for you…

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  • [–] 25 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (6 children)

    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 have said anything for very little money.

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  • [–] 18 points 1 week ago (5 children)

    Don’t forget that she was also in trouble for killing kittens!

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  • [–] 10 points 1 week ago (4 children)

    Quick, someone appoint her to head the DHS!

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  • [–] 3 points 1 week ago (3 children)

    Now hold on a second. Did she eat any of the kittens or cut off their penises? If not, she's not quite DHS material for this administration.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

    That's HHS (Health and Human Services). She fits perfectly succeeding Kristi Noem, the dog killer, in Department of Homeland Security. Understandable, with how many departments have oddly specific scenarios involving animals.

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  • [–] 23 points 1 week ago

    Considered? A week out?

    Cowards.

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  • [–] 20 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    Don't think about resigning, fucking resign.

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  • [–] 17 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 week 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.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 week ago

    When they don't actually resign, remember how much integrity is worth to Republicans...

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  • [–] 12 points 1 week ago
    [–] 10 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    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.

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  • [–] 9 points 1 week ago (2 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago (1 child)

    shout out for bringing up nopixel I’ve been watching it like crazy lately. Only real ones understand. Bogg Dann music is some of the funniest shit I’ve ever heard

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  • [–] 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

    The funniest part is I'm not the one who watches it, my wife is. Most of it is just background noise to me, but she'll poke me to pay attention when they get something really rediculous setup (like the staged assassination plot. Listening to Chatterbox and Vivek planning it was honestly funnier than the staged assassination attempt itself!)

    But yeah honestly I find the pacing of live streams to be too slow for me, I just can't pay attention for that long without anything meaningful happening, then suddenly I've missed something massive in the 1-2 hour long conversation I tuned out. But having my wife who finds it's perfect second screen content for her ADHD to poke me when I need to pay attention or summarize some of the long meandering conversations between characters (seriously I can never tell when it's an important conversation or not!) it's almost like I'm a viewer

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  • [–] 9 points 1 week ago (1 child)
  • [–] 7 points 1 week ago

    "according to Zeteo"

    "according to Zeteo"

    "according to Zeteo"

    "according to Zeteo"

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  • "Self-inflicted wound in private", damn that's a rough description coming from your own team.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    Hopefully we'll never hear about this guy again after the elections. Although on a positive note, he has an excellent tooth-whitener regimen.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 week ago*

    Nothing but losers, who double down on being losers rather than choose to be best.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 week ago

    now staff want to resign days before election

    lol, lmao even...

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