Staff Reports
Rep. Tim Ryan (Democratic Party of Ohio) and author J.D. Vance are in a dogfight for the Ohio Senate seat that will be vacated by Sen. Rob Portman when he leaves office (R-OH). If the Republicans want to win control of the Senate, they need to keep this seat and win additional ones elsewhere. According to what was stated here and here, Ryan did not do well in any of the previous two debates.
During a town hall on Tuesday hosted by Fox News, it appears that Ryan may have just walked on a large rake.
There were a couple statements that he made that stood out and were problematic for Ryan in more ways than one.
The first question addressed the issue that people not only in Ohio but all over the country were most concerned about, which was rising prices.
"Can you look me in the face and tell me that government expenditures on green energy subsidies through the 'Inflation Reduction Act'…are in any way lessening my burden at the gas station and the grocery store?"
Democrat Tim Ryan: "I could not say that." pic.twitter.com/z0l80u7QT0
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 1, 2022
The audience member questioned whether or not the government's spending on green energy subsidies under the "Inflation Reduction Act" was actually helping them. The response from Ryan was,"I could not say that.
Ryan made the argument that there will be a drop in inflation at some point in the future, but I don't think anyone believed him, and even if they did, it would be of little consolation to Americans who are suffering right now.
Vance did not allow him to get away with it and stated that Biden's spending was directly responsible for inflation. A significant contributor to Biden's expenditures was Ryan.
.@JDVance1: "One of the reasons why we have this terrible inflation is because the Biden administration — backed by [Tim Ryan] — supported A LOT of borrowing and spending, pouring fuel on the fire." pic.twitter.com/oOlYeHnGvC
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 1, 2022
Additionally, Ryan asserted that he had never, "not one time," urged for the defunding of ICE, which sounded a little bit like Bill Clinton denying that he had sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky.
Ohio Democrat Tim Ryan says he “absolutely never called for defunding ICE.”
Except he signed a pledge in 2019 to defund ICE, end ICE detainers, and decrease immigrant detention by 75%. pic.twitter.com/qwEhwAaMAm
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 1, 2022
Nevertheless, the most embarrassing part of the evening for Ryan was when he asserted, incorrectly, that a police officer had been murdered on January 6. Even though he is instantly called out and branded a "liar" by the audience at the town hall, he smiles because he believes that he is correct and that they are wrong. This is the pinnacle of insane thinking.
.@JDVance1: "One of the reasons why we have this terrible inflation is because the Biden administration — backed by [Tim Ryan] — supported A LOT of borrowing and spending, pouring fuel on the fire." pic.twitter.com/oOlYeHnGvC
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 1, 2022
Ryan was adamant that "the video was viewed by all of us." Because no police officers were murdered, there is no video evidence of any of the deaths that were reported. The anchors on Fox requested the crowd to refrain from interrupting him so that he may complete what he was saying. Ryan thought that by saying that he was glad to have this conversation he was in some way enlightening the Fox News audience about something (who knew far more than he did).
The following day, Brian Sicknick passed away due to natural causes, having suffered a stroke. However, for a number of months, the media perpetuated a variety of untrue claims regarding his passing.
Imagine, however, that this man, Tim Ryan, is convinced that he is correct and is smirking at the individuals who are trying to correct him. Why does this guy want to be in the Senate if he is going to lie about such fundamental facts? It's clear that you can't be trusted or deserve to be voted for if you can't even get that straight before trying to smear Vance and other Republicans.
On top of that, a former Democratic lawmaker named Tulsi Gabbard backed Vance for the seat, calling Ryan a "warmonger" and stating that Vance, having served in the Marine Corps, was aware of the costs associated with war.
Tim Ryan represents everything that is wrong with the warmongering Washington Establishment. I’m endorsing @JDVance1 because he knows the cost of war, and that our government exists to serve the people, not the other way around.
— Tulsi Gabbard ? (@TulsiGabbard) November 1, 2022
The average prediction at RealClearPolitics gives Vance a two-point lead over Ryan, with 47.3 percent, compared to 45.3 percent, and I'm willing to guess that this debate did not assist Ryan's chances. It is never a good sign when you are singled out by the people in the audience.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on RedState.
