Another day, another clip of JD Vance saying something really offensive. This is currently going viral – Vance appeared at a Q&A session with Charlie Kirk and the conversation turned to daycare costs, which have skyrocketed in recent years. Kirk asked Vance, “What can we do about lowering the cost of daycare” with a reference to working families. The first place Vance went was to the unpaid labor of grandparents: “One of the ways you might be able to relieve a little bit of the pressure on people who are paying so much for daycare is maybe make it so… grandma and grandpa wants to help out a little bit more, or maybe there’s an aunt or uncle who wants to help out a little bit more.”
Kirk: What can we do about lowering the cost of daycare? pic.twitter.com/YIS68cXKw4
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 5, 2024
He was asked for a policy proposal on decreasing childcare costs and his first thought is that family members should do unpaid labor. I’m surprised he didn’t mention his belief that a menopausal woman’s “whole purpose” is raising her grandchildren. If you listen to the whole clip, I’m also struck by his disgust for state licensing for daycare centers? Like… state oversight is a good thing. I know that’s a bold statement in Vance’s world, but daycare centers should be licensed and have some regulations so that children are being cared for in a safe environment, and being cared for by people who know what they’re doing? Vance wants children to be raised by unlicensed people with no state or local oversight.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.
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- Milwaukee, WISC – A person takes a photo on their phone as United States Senator JD Vance (Republican of Ohio) is officially nominated for the office of Vice President at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Fiserv Forum. Pictured: JD Vance BACKGRID USA 15 JULY 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Las Vegas, NV – Vice president-elect JD Vance is seen at a rally in Las Vegas, Nevada. JD took the time to even bring up a congressional hopeful Sam Brown onto the stage. Pictured: JD Vance BACKGRID USA 30 JULY 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: ACES / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Las Vegas, NV – Vice president-elect JD Vance is seen at a rally in Las Vegas, Nevada. JD took the time to even bring up a congressional hopeful Sam Brown onto the stage. Pictured: JD Vance BACKGRID USA 30 JULY 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: ACES / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland. Featuring: J.D. Vance Where: National Harbor, Maryland, United States When: 02 Mar 2023 Credit: Ron Sachs/CNP/startraksphoto.com/Cover Images
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- Former US President Donald J Trump makes an early appearance on the first night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Fiserv Forum This is Trump’s first appearance since a rally in Pennsylvania, where he sustained injuries from an alleged bullet grazing his ear. Trump also named United States Senator JD Vance (Republican of Ohio) as his Vice Presidential running mate. Featuring: former US President Donald J Trump, United States Senator J.D. Vance (Republican of Ohio) Where: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States When: 15 Jul 2024 Credit: CNP/INSTARimages
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- VP pick United States Senator JD Vance (Republican of Ohio) holds up an “O” after Former US President Donald J Trump’s speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Fiserv Forum on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Monday night was Trump’s first appearance since a rally in Pennsylvania, where he sustained injuries from an alleged bullet grazing his ear. Trump recounted the story in his speech, and also talked about Biden, immigration, and other topics. Credit: Annabelle Gordon / CNP Featuring: United States Senator JD Vance (Republican of Ohio), Usha Vance Where: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States When: 18 Jul 2024 Credit: CNP/INSTARimages
In this economy? Grandparents are in the workforce, weirdo.
Exactly!
The math ain’t mathin’. At all. Like, you have your first kid at 32 and your 55 year old parents are at least 10 years from retirement?
Women working? Pish-tosh.
The crazy thing is that my own grandmother, who was the much fabled 1950s housewife, became a grandmother four times over in her 50s, but my grandfather was still working full time and she had a ton of responsibilities supporting his career (that required frequent travel and periodic moves) that she could never have raised one of her grandchildren, even if she actually wanted to be a parent again after raising her own children. My grandmother was such a strong voice to make sure all her daughters and granddaughters got educations and could make their own life choices.
Ba-zing! Exactly Tuesday! They’re there FOREVER when you gut social security you jackasses.
This guys is totally clueless. I don’t understand how he was able to find someone to marry him. This isn’t policy, it’s fantasy.
You got it. All of their policies are fantasies. It started with the trickle down economics fantasy. Then they got rid of public mental health facilities because some fantasy network of clinics would magically appear. Then they cut welfare benefits because charities could handle all of it. Now they have run out of groups to lean on I guess. Now it’s up to extended families to shore things up. Late stage capitalism. Gotta love it!!
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@Tealily
I have thought this so hard, so many times. Who would date, much less marry, this dude?
Someone who truly only cares about accruing power and prestige with MAGA
If your parents are MAGA, tell them “good, so like Vance dictated, take care of my kids. I plan to have a whole football team of them”.
@Flowerlake, I wouldn’t trust my children to be cared for by anyone associated with MAGA. Not even family.
Another reason this policy is stupid. Some people had terrible childhoods who, when they become adults, work hard to create a life for their kids that they themselves didn’t have. And that includes keeping their kids away from their toxic grandparents.
It happened years ago before trump and this MAGA nonsense got into her brain, but my mom was asking me when I wanted to have kids. Even back then I knew I wanted to be childfree (happily sterilized for a year now!) so I told her I would have them if she raised them. I’ve never seen someone back off something so quick lol
What if your grandparents have moved away? Retired to another state or country like my parents did when they retired in Canada and moved to Mexico? What if they have medical issues that prevent them from taking on the tiring work of handling energetic kids? What if they’re working or simply want to enjoy their golden years taking courses, joining social or sports groups? Traveling the world? You are an utter fuckwit JD and once Harris wins the presidency I pray we never have to hear another inane comment out of your mouth ever again.
Because there’s a longer game at play here. They don’t want women to be able to work, have bank accounts, own property, or be able to divorce without the permission of a man. They want to take us back to the 50s. It won’t matter whether there’s childcare or grandparents because the ultimate goal is women at home without any rights.
Or like in the case for my husband and I, my mom died suddenly from a brain aneurysm when my child was 2 1/2 and his mom died of cancer when my child was four. His dad had already died of a heart attack before our son was born. What’s the answer then?
Right? My mom died before my kids were born. My dad lives in assisted living and can’t even take care of himself. My mother-in-law still works. My FIL is retired, but I cannot rely on ONE PERSON who lives 35 minutes away to replace childcare because of how expensive it is. We got by because both my husband and I chose flexible jobs, and we were able to send our kids to preschool, plus SOME help from the one set of grandparents. But so many people do not even have that social net to rely on. It’s just privileged for him to talk like this.
It really sounds like judgement for families having two parents that work. This sounds like he wants the woman to just stay home.
At least he is consistent. He’s also not backtracking on these statements so this is what he believes. I believe his party also wants to raise the retirement age to 70. He also wants people to have kids when they are younger. If that’s so and forgetting about unpaid labor, how is a grandparent going to watch their grandkids? They will still be working! This is why we need more female leaders. This dude doesn’t have a clue.
Don’t pretzel yourself trying to apply logic to his bizarre ideas. Giving then energy legitimizes them, and they don’t deserve it.
Aren’t they all about relaxing labour laws too so kids can get to work, particularly in manual jobs. Working after school means no childcare required then they can leave school at say 14 and work full time. Married at 16 and producing their own kids to keep feeding the machine. Everyone wins!
I do live in Texas – but the requirements to be a daycare worker here are a GED (preferred but not required), clean background check and CPR certification. I sure hope they don’t reduce the requirements further. Clearly this 6 year college degree stuff is BS.
He/his “people” don’t want women to be working outside the home.
I just contributed to paying for my grandkids daycare expenses, which were very high, but I have a job! I’m not quitting my job to take care of kids. That’s not a thing. He is weirdly obsessed with what other people do on a daily basis, and none of this is any of his business.
True and the scary part is that he’s one heartbeat away from the top of the ticket in a race decided by inches. Thanks to the electoral college we keep having presidents who didn’t win the popular vote AND we have Trump sundowning in front of our eyes.
Between Trump’s “open mic night at the Assisted Living Center”life and Vance’s vision of women as silent unpaid handmaidens this is one f-ked up rollercoaster. Women are dying in hospital parking lots and Vance is smugness personified. He is fine with all of it and more.
Vance doesn’t live in the real world.
I once witnessed a grandmother-to-be in a big box store railing against regulations for infant bedding, saying that the Earth was overpopulated and society should be weeding out the weaker babies who couldn’t breathe through blankets covering their faces. I really hope she wasn’t asked to babysit her grandchild. Also met an uncle who insisted on using Lysol wipes while changing his nephew because “babies are messy.”
You get what you pay for with unlicensed free child care.
Thena, OMG! That’s one scary Grandmother and Uncle. I never had kids, but I’m an Aunt. I had plenty of opportunities to babysit. It wouldn’t occur to me to treat any of my Nieces and Nephews the way these two do.
That’s an entirely different kind of weird.
What if your parents are no longer living? What if you don’t live near any close relatives? And if they are living, they are probably still working. Retirement is expensive.
And licensing also means paying inspectors and holding people to account. We had an awful case here in the UK recently where an infant was left face down on a beanbag and suffocated while at daycare.
In JD’s weird world, slave labor is the solution to all economic problems.
I can’t help it, I love the suspense of hearing about what kind of braindead baloney he going to say or do next. He’s like an AI image with too many fingers come to life. Keep talking JD you’re doing the Lord’s work helping to elect Harris-Walz.
“He’s like an AI image with too many fingers come to life.”
😂🤣💀
That is EXACTLY what he is, and it’s gloriously suspenseful. The Harris/Walz campaign is digging this stuff up at a rate of 2 or 3 times a week at this point! His level of stupidity is almost impressive, right?
Oh, FFS. My parents lived in California. My grandparents lived in Illinois. This is stupid. Plus, my grandparents had seven kids, all of whom married & had kids. How were they supposed to take care of all the grandkids in all the states? Oh, and, you know, actually enjoy their own lives?
My parents live almost two hours away. And even with that – my mom and dad were both still working full time when I had both my kids. My mom retired when my second was about 6 months old, but she retired to have a knee replaced and she wasn’t fully mobile or healthy for months.
I think if I had asked once she was fully retired and healthy she might have done one day a week or something, but that wouldn’t have really saved me on daycare costs. My MIL lives farther away and still works FT and has no plans to retire anytime soon (she’s 62.)
I think the idea of a village is nice – I never had anyone to watch my kids if they were sick the way my grandmother used to watch me, I always had to just take a day off and burn sick time – and we only have fellow teammates to help with shuffling kids to activities and such – but I also dont view it as my parents responsibility to do more than what they do. They moved to where they wanted to retire and that’s their right. (And they do take my kids often for extended weekends, a week in the summer, etc.)
So basically – its not a solution. At all. I dont even know if I want to watch my future grandkids – at least not on a full time basis. And think now of Gen Xers and younger boomers moving into retirement – a lot are still working FT, still trying to save every penny for retirement, etc.
Both my grandmothers retired somewhere in their 50s and both had full pensions and health benefits because of unions where they worked (telephone company for one, fed government for the other). But that feels like a completely different time. People are working later and cant afford to retire to just….provide free daycare for their grandkids.
Ugh. this makes me so mad. There are so many issues with daycare costs (including how little daycare workers are paid, which is frustrating knowing how much the centers cost) and “having the grandparents do it” is not a feasible solution, at all.
He also complained about the supposed six-year certification requirement for daycare workers, which does not exist. He’s a moron.
I was about to say that too! You don’t need a masters to work at a daycare as a teacher. And the rules and regulations aren’t what is preventing people from working at childcare facilities. It’s the low pay and back breaking work. Taking care of children is not easy despite the fact that he sees mostly women doing it. This is all just more toxic masculinity on parade.
Last week, a toddler fell to her death out a window in the Netherlands. Her grandmother lost sight of her and her window was open. Absolutely awful.
Not all grandparents are (still) fit to watch kids. Not all places are child proof. If JD is advocating for relatives to do this JOB, and let’s be clear that he wants grandparents to WORK (for free), then they should be able to get the same benefits and protections employees enjoy. And they should have the same schooling/ qualifications as someone who works in daycare before they do this as a job.
And obviously, not all grandparents can or want to watch their grandchildren. He can take a long walk off a very short plank with this idea.
Exactly @ML!! I remember not that long ago a viral video showed a grandmother who was taking care of a baby, had taken the baby out of her car and put her in a stroller. The wheels weren’t locked and she was on a slope. When the grandmother turned back towards the car the stroller started rolling towards a very busy main street. The grandmother tried to run to catch the stroller and she fell before reaching the stroller and wasn’t able to get back up. By a miracle a stranger came sprinting out of the video frame and caught up to the stroller *just* before it rolled into traffic!!! It was truly amazing but I was stunned and thought about my mom and how that could have easily been her. Like most seniors she moves slowly and isn’t quick on her feet. My kids are past the stroller phase but it caused me to look at the option of grandparent babysitters in a whole new light. Even in the best case scenario it isn’t always the safest option. And that doesn’t account for toxic/addict/abusive grandparents or grandparents that have health issues or aren’t local. It’s not an option for every parent in the US. His non-answer is a complete copout, a big F-U to anyone who struggles with childcare.
Full circle moment: The childless cat ladies are supposed to help raise their nieces and nephews.
A bit difficult when you live on opposite sides of the country and have a full time job.
This guy has no bottom and scares me because he is intelligent. He is aware of his words and how they land for his cult.
No joke this is literally what my sister is trying to do with me, a childless cat lady. I keep telling her that, sure, I’ll look after your future children from time to time but I’m not a nanny and I’m just not that good with children (even if they weirdly like me).
That was me. When my grandson was born, I lived in New York while they live in California, and I was working full time.
I moved to California two years ago to be near my family, but my grandson doesn’t need a babysitter any more. He’s 15 now.
I bet all you parents out there are feeling pretty dumb right now for not thinking of asking someone to keep your kids for free! This is gonna change everything! [sarcasm]
I was lucky I was able to retire and babysit for my grandkiddos. My girls would never had been able to afford daycare. Not all grandparents want to babysit and that’s okay. We all live different lives. It also helped me because I had just divorced and it kept my mind busy. Now I will be watching my great grandson (due in Jan) because my daughter cannot stop working to do so and my granddaughter cant afford daycare. He needs to just stay out of everyone’s family business. What I want to know is if he and his wife will quit working to watch their grandchildren when the time comes.
“ grandma and grandpa wants to help out a little bit more, or maybe there’s an aunt or uncle who wants to help out a little bit more.”
Oh wait, does he mean that childless aunt he thinks has no value to society? Has he any concept that pretty much everyone has to work to keep a roof over their heads and the bills paid, and he’s suggesting that on top of that they should also subsidize corporate labour and taxation costs by providing free childcare in their off hours. Not only is he offensive but it strikes me that he is unable to connect the economic dots on this one…. So not very bright either. I guess that’s what qualifies him to represent trump.
Dude, just pick a line ! Who is supposed to be taking care of the kids ?! (I love how it’s never the husband/man)
He wants to burden the childless cat ladies he is so jealous of by making them work for free looking after children they didn’t have. I was one of the last of my friends to have kids. I looked after kids now and again. It’s hard work. And I let it be known it wasn’t going to be a daily thing. Not your unpaid nanny.
When I had my kid I noticed a lot of the moms would set up “playdates” at my house and never or rarely reciprocate my kid going to their house. Everyone is looking to take advantage. I cut that off real quick. Again, not your unpaid nanny. Also, who the hell tries to take advantage of a single parent like this when you have your husband, your mom, your nanny, etc. to help you. WTF. Kick rocks. I set up a rule that if you kid is at my house twice and mine isn’t at your house once after that, we’re busy. You’d be amazed how many times I had to implement this rule. I ended up with a good group of moms who RECIPROCATED. It was a fair arrangement that allowed me to run errands or get my hair done without dragging a 6 year old.
Vance is an idiot. Grandparents are at work. And when and if they finally do get to retire in this economy, they should enjoy their lives. I personally wouldn’t want aging parents to keep up with a toddler.
My brother lives in Florida. My mother lives in NY. Fiancee’s parents live in Texas. That’s a helluva commute for some free child care.
I’m hoping this wakes up some older, white women. MAGA expects you to drop what you’re doing, quit your job and move where your kid is so you can do nothing but watch grandbabies all day.
One set of grandparents lived in France so that was out the window for my family. My other grandparents did live nearby and did watch me and my sister occasionally if one of us got sick or maybe if we had an impromptu snow day. They didn’t do it a lot that I remember but enough that I was always kind of bored at their house because as nice as they were, there wasn’t a whole lot to do over there.
Grandparents watching their grandkids isn’t always an option for all families. Some families live far away, some grandparents aren’t able to due to health, some are sadly already deceased, some may be estranged. There’s so many factors to this. I wonder if JD Vance’s parents helped out with his own kids?
I doubt it. We do, know, though, that his own grandparents raised him — or helped to raise him in significant ways — including taking him into their home. I wonder if and how he ever thanked them for what surely was a sacrifice.
Vance also mentioned aunts and uncles pitching in to help. Funny, though, that he hasn’t illustrated any of his comments with stories about how he takes care of nieces and nephews to help out any siblings or siblings-in-law.
Vance also left out the reciprocity piece. I do know a family where the Mom took care of most of her grandchildren and even a few great grandchildren. When she got older and needed support, her children and grandchildren took care of her. If Vance is going to run his mouth about grandparents providing childcare, I hope he also talks about the plan to take care of the grandparents once they’ve used their time, money, and heath helping to raise their grandkids.
To add though, we also know that Vance’s mother-in-law took a year off from work to care for their oldest child, and his wife quit her job as soon as Vance’s VP role was announced. Most of us don’t have it like that.
I think he’s bitter that (he wrote in Hillbilly Elegy) his mom didn’t take care of him, and grateful that his grandparents did. And, because he is who he is and didn’t get therapy, that plays out as a hatred for women who don’t mother their children the way he thinks they should, and as an entitled assumption that grandparents are able to, and must, take care of their grandkids.
If he’s had any therapy, he should demand his money back.
What is he even doing at Turning Point Action? WHY is he talking to Charlie Kirk of all people? Y’all need SWING votes, dumbass. Ain’t no sane person listening to Charlie Kirk.
I mean, putting aside the utter inanity of Vance’s remarks, what is the strategy here? Is he trying to win — at all?
Nah. The base is all he and Trump have, so he’s got to keep them fired up. Their internals must have been disastrous since early August.
I don’t think this is tactical, like his disdain/enthusiasm for Trump was/is. The misogyny and weirdness about mothers is bred in the bone. He’s not doing it for votes. It’s who he is.
But I agree that any campaign staffers who think JD appearing on Charlie Kirk will somehow help Trump, seem unclear on the assignment.
Last weekend I was at my nephew’s second birthday party while visiting relatives in California. My mother agreed to babysit my nephew until he turned two so they can save up some money so her can go to nursery school. My mother was sick this summer so his other grandmother came from Hawaii to help babysit him. At the party another grandmother of one of my nephew’s playmates who is also helping out with babysitting was just told by her daughter that she is pregnant again and was hoping her mother could help out again. All three women were discussing that they wanted to be grandmothers not nannies at this point in their lives. My mother has to drive half an hour each way in heavy California traffic, my brother does not compensate her on her time or gas money, he doesn’t even provide her a meal while there (he used to be a chef) and complains if she can’t come because of a doctor’s appointment or has to be somewhere else. She and her husband can’t go on vacation and do the traveling they wanted to do in their retirement and now my brother is asking her to do it for another six months complaining that nursery school is expensive (they had two years to save up but her was too busy buying toys for himself). My mother is 76 and just had a summer of bad health, this is not a sustainable childcare plan and she deserves to have a happy retirement. She loves her grandson and takes care of him because she wants to make sure he is safe and happy. I told my brother and sister-in-law they needed to look around for preschools early and they just started and are surprised that there are waiting lists. The other grandmother in Hawaii has other grandchildren she helps take care of. I feel bad for my mother as taking care of young children requires a lot of stamina and good health. I feel my brother takes advantage of her free services, this is not a plan!!
Frankly, your Mom and her husband need to just plan a trip and then inform your brother and his wife so they can plan accordingly. They should not be putting their lives on hold indefinitely because your brother is selfish.
I agree. We usually do a big trip once a year on their bucket list but we haven’t been able to do it for the last two years because they don’t have a Plan B in place for childcare. She seems over it now. Their son’s childcare should NOT be her responsibility.
When my mom retired, she made it very clear that she intended to enjoy her retirement and was not going to be a full time babysitter. I didn’t blame her a bit.
When my kids were in college I said “Nobody’s having babies until I retire” because I would love to do that for them. And I just retired and only have grand puppies 🤣
I’m cool with it though.
We do care for a great niece on Saturdays while her mom is working, often getting held over for double shifts. There is a lot of juggling to do with other relatives and friends if we want to go out dancing in the evening.
I think more workplaces should provide daycare.
You know that what he really wanted to say is that there shouldn’t be daycare because mother’s shouldn’t work.
oh snap! just wrote a longer version of what you said, below. ITA.
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I’m 58 and I have one child who’s in his 30’s the other two are early 20’s. I have made it clear for years that I am not going to watch children full time. I’ve been raising kids since I was 20yrs old. I’ve gone to school, raising kids. I’ve worked raising kids. I’ve gone to school and worked while raising kids. I’m not going to retire and raise kids. I I don’t mind being the granny who does, restaurants, zoos, museums, shows whatever in that range, but I’m going to be busy enjoying whatever time I have left. That enjoyment doesn’t include being a full time nanny for my grandkids. So dear JD, most grandparents are still working and there are many of us who have no desire to have granny day care, leave us alone. Leave women alone!
JD’s idiotic suggestion would have worked before Industrial Revolution, when multi-generation households were common especially on farms. Some cultures still encourage & expect elderly parents to move in with their offspring, but by then the kids (3rd generation) are probably at least mid-teens & don’t need day care.
He’s trying to take us back there.
What if grandparents and retired aunties/uncles live in different states? When my baby was born, one set of grandparents lived in the South, the other in the Midwest, while we were on the West Coast. And all the aunties and uncles, including the greats and grands, lived in four different states and countries. So even if there were those who may have been called on to help, geographically it wasn’t possible.
His whole deal is that women should marry rich men and not work for pay. Their main job is to be mothers and raise children. The costs and burdens of child care should be borne entirely by women. Men and governments shouldn’t help.
Yeah of COURSE that’s not an option for nearly all women in this economy (including JD’s wife!). But holding women to this impossible standard helps Republicans feel righteous about punishing women who don’t, won’t, or can’t live as they say women should.
This is so enraging. Grandparents are not babysitters. If they can and want to help, then great. But it should not be an expectation. Vance is not okay. This man cannot and should not be vp bc trump is old and light. It make it. He cannot be close to the presidency.
If Shady Vance doesn’t get his head out of his azz, he’s gonna suffocate.