ORP Communications Director Tricia McLaughlin on Vice President Kamala Harris’s Visit to Cincinnati

COLUMBUS, OH— Ohio Republican Party Communications Director Tricia McLaughlin issued the following statement on Vice President Kamala Harris’s visit to the wrong border:

“It has been 37 days since President Biden tapped Kamala Harris to lead the response to the humanitarian crisis at our nation’s southern border.

“Instead, Vice President Harris is hanging out at the Ohio-Kentucky border trying to sell a $2 trillion ‘infrastructure’ plan, of which just 7 percent goes toward actual infrastructure like roads and bridges.

“If Vice President Kamala Harris would visit the overflowing migrant camps ~1,500 miles south, she would see that, unlike her infrastructure bill, the crisis at the border is no Potemkin village.”

 

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ORP Executive Director Justin Bis Statement on 100 Days Under the Biden-Harris Administration

COLUMBUS, OH— Ohio Republican Party Executive Director Justin Bis issued the following statement on President Biden’s hundredth day in office:

“It took less than 100 days in office for Biden-Harris to bow to the far-left wing of the Democrat party. President Biden and VP Harris are frivolously selling a job-crushing Green New Deal, supporting dangerous efforts to pack the U.S. Supreme Court and dividing the nation by lying about Georgia’s election law.

“Perhaps equally disturbing is the radical, elitist nominees cycled out of Ivy League faculty lounges into policy roles without a lick of on-the-job experience. As a former Associate Director of Presidential Personnel at the White House, I know people are policy.

“It’s disheartening to see out-of-touch ideologues implement policy that is upending the American economy, destroying jobs and further eroding public trust in our democratic institutions. Such divisive picks will only further polarize Americans.”

 

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Chairman Bob Paduchik Statement on President Biden’s Address to Congress

COLUMBUS, OH— Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Paduchik issued the following statement on President Joe Biden’s address to Congress:

“I feel sad for the Ohioans, though there were few, who voted for Joe Biden based on his campaign promise to ‘heal the nation’ with bipartisan cooperation.

“In less than 100 days in office, President Biden and Vice President Harris have done more than just break that promise. They have turned their backs on American workers.

“Tonight President Biden unveiled his $1.8 trillion nanny-state plan, which follows his $2 trillion socialist slush fund masquerading as an ‘infrastructure’ plan and, of course, the $1.9 trillion COVID ‘relief’ plan that gives just 10 percent to public health and relief.

“What do these Biden-Harris policies all have in common?

“They are designed to bribe the American people with their own money. Such irresponsible, superfluous spending will have real-life consequences for working families—they will crush thousands of jobs, shrink the economy, and lower wages.

“For the sake of America’s working men and women, President Biden should make good on his campaign promise and work with Republicans.”

 

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Chairman Bob Paduchik Statement on Tim Ryan’s Bid for U.S. Senate

COLUMBUS, OH— Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Paduchik issued the following statement on Tim Ryan’s announcement he is running for U.S. Senate:

“For years, Tim Ryan has tried to pass himself off as a champion for the working class. Sadly, his support of job killing policies show he is just another fast-talking politician looking for a bigger job.

“Mr. Ryan himself says he is in ‘lockstep’ with progressives on open border policies, supports the job-crushing Green New Deal, and  has been a vocal proponent of the Biden-Harris $2 trillion ‘infrastructure’ plan, of which just 7 percent goes to actual infrastructure.

“Mr. Ryan’s support of radical left-wing policies do not represent the values of Ohio’s working men and women. Ohioans won’t buy this charade.”

 

 

 

 

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Chairman Bob Paduchik Statement on Rep. Steve Stivers Resignation from Congress

COLUMBUS, OH— Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Paduchik issued the following statement on Representative Steve Stivers announcement he is stepping down from Congress:

“For the past decade, Rep. Steve Stivers has been a fighter for working class Ohioans and small businesses, promoting pro-job, pro-growth fiscal policies.

“I have no doubt, as President of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Rep. Stivers will continue to be a champion for Ohio jobs, economic growth, and free enterprise.

“Rep. Stivers has made a positive difference in the lives of Ohioans, and we are grateful for his dedication and service to our great state.”

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Chairman Bob Paduchik Statement on Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley Announcing Gubernatorial Ambitions

COLUMBUS, OH— Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Paduchik issued the following statement on Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley’s running to be the Democratic nominee for governor:

“Under Nan Whaley’s failed leadership, Dayton’s violent crime has spiked, poverty has risen to one of the highest levels in the nation, and incompetent infrastructure management left hundreds of thousands of Daytonians without water for days. Now, Nan Whaley wants a promotion. Ohioans deserve leaders who serve to better our communities, not build their own political resumes.”

 

 

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Executive Director Justin Bis Statement on Democrat Legislation to Pack the U.S. Supreme Court

COLUMBUS, OH— Ohio Republican Party Executive Director Justin Bis issued the following statement on Democrat legislation to expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13 justices:

“Today, Democrats reached a new low in their attempts to dismantle the pillars of American democracy and erode public trust in the U.S. Supreme Court.

“The U.S. Supreme Court is, and should be, guided by legal principle, not by partisan politics. This legislation is a Democrat power grab that flies in the face of 152 years of precedent.

“The Ohio Republican Party calls on Representatives Joyce Beatty, Marcy Kaptur, Tim Ryan and Senator Sherrod Brown to disavow this corrosive legislative stunt.

“The highest court in the land is the last place we need political games.

“As Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wisely said, ‘it will be a doomsday for Democracy’ if we expand the courts. And, to borrow from President Biden, it is a “boneheaded idea.”

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Chairman Paduchik Statement on U.S. Appeals Court Upholding Ohio’s Down Syndrome Abortion Law

COLUMBUS, OH— Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Paduchik released the following statement on today’s Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling upholding House Bill 214:

“Today is a victory for Ohioans and our right-to-life community. We are grateful to Governor DeWine, Attorney General Yost and all Republican leaders who valiantly fought, and continue to fight, to protect vulnerable babies with special needs.”

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Recognizing the Second Anniversary of the ‘Heartbeat Bill’

Chairman Paduchik Statement on the Second Anniversary of the ‘Heartbeat Bill’

COLUMBUS, OH— Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Paduchik released the following statement on today’s two-year anniversary of the passage of the “Human Rights and Heartbeat Protection Act” (SB 23), commonly known as the “Heartbeat Bill.”

“Governor DeWine and Ohio Republican legislators have been courageous advocates for the most vulnerable among us, the unborn.

“Thanks to the passage of the Heartbeat Bill, October 2020 saw the lowest number of abortions performed in the state’s history since Roe v. Wade.

“Ohio is blessed to have Republican leaders that are committed to protecting the lives of unborn children.”

 Ohio Value Voters President John Stover Statement:

“It was two years ago on April 11, 2019, that Ohio joined a number of other states with the passage and signing of the Heartbeat bill. Unfortunately, John Kasich had vetoed the bill twice while in office. Ultimately, it was Governor Mike DeWine that signed the bill after passage by the House and Senate.

“The bible states in Proverbs, chapter 6, verse 17 that the LORD hates, “…hands that shed innocent blood.” It is estimated that over 60 million unborn children have been aborted since 1973. Children dying by the hands of abortionist which shed innocent blood.

“We must continue to fight for the rights of unborn children. The right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis Statement:

“Ohio Right to Life is grateful for Governor DeWine’s pro-life leadership. The Heartbeat bill was the first and most important pro-life legislation he signed into law. Governor DeWine campaigned on the heartbeat bill and pledged to sign it when elected. He kept his promise and today Ohio leads the nation with the most life affirming laws and regulations in place.

Women and their children are safer today in the great state of Ohio due to Governor DeWine’s pro-life leadership.”

Center for Christian Virtue President Aaron Baer Statement:

“Every year, 20,000 unborn Ohio children lose their lives in abortion facilities. Yet two years ago, we took a stand to end this atrocity when Governor DeWine signed Senator Roegner and Rep. Hood and Rep. Keller’s Heartbeat Bill. Ohio proved that With God all things are possible, and when our political leaders show courage and compassion we can save women and children from Planned Parenthood’s deadly and dangerous practices.”

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Vivek Ramaswamy: Dear Jon Husted—Don’t Apologize

Modified Version of Op-Ed as Published in the April 4, 2021, Plain Dealer

Last week, in response to former CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield’s statement that he believed that the COVID-19 virus originated in a Wuhan laboratory, Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted tweeted: “So it appears it was the Wuhan Virus after all?” Dr. Tara Smith of Kent State University declared: “Asian-Americans are getting killed because of rhetoric like this. You represent my state. Do better.” The online mob swiftly piled on. Interestingly, most of these critics were not Asian-American themselves.

I worked with the Lieutenant Governor as an advisor on COVID-19 last year. He is no racist. This I shared perhaps the most important advice I’ve given him to date: be empathetic, but don’t apologize.

Why? Because he did nothing wrong. Apologizing would reinforce the false and offensive idea that Asian-Americans are connected to the actions of the Chinese Communist Party. Standing up for Asian-Americans does not require covering up the crimes of a government on the other side of the world.

Whether or not the virus escaped from a lab – an increasingly plausible theory worthy of investigation – we should recall that the viral outbreak spread fastest in its early days because of the CCP’s decision to silence its own people. Studies estimate that the total number of coronavirus cases globally could have been reduced by 95% if the original local outbreak had been recognized and addressed more quickly in Wuhan. Unfortunately, this was directly impeded by the Chinese government, which tried to conceal the existence of the virus and reprimanded physicians who alerted colleagues, ordering them to cease testing and destroy samples.

Even after videos leaked online and it became impossible for China to keep the outbreak a secret, China still denied the existence of human-to-human transmission as late as January and withheld viral genetic sequences from the global community beyond internationally mandated timelines, delaying the development of vaccines and therapeutics. Brave Chinese citizens who criticized their government for its mistakes have been jailed, silenced, or “disappeared.” While we often ignore the behavior of dictators when our own lives are unaffected, in this case the consequences were all too real: an injustice somewhere became a pandemic everywhere.

To wit, the very same thing happened almost exactly two decades ago. Communist authorities tried to cover up the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic too. It was only after several high-profile deaths in Hong Kong that outspoken scientists there uncovered the existence of the SARS virus and reported it to the World Health Organization in March 2003. It was not until April 2003, when a Chinese whistle blower revealed the true numbers of SARS infections in Beijing, that Communist authorities owned up to the full extent of the outbreak and mobilized resources to quell it. SARS ended up infecting thousands of people from 29 countries before it was stopped. This time we were less lucky. Turning this topic into a taboo makes it more likely that history will repeat itself.

The World Health Organization has tried its best to please Beijing, inventing nomenclature to purposefully obfuscate the origin of these viruses. MERS, an older corona virus, stands for “Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome.” Ebola is the name of a river in the Congo where it originated. The Zika virus was named after a forest in Uganda. Marburg virus is named after a town in Germany. Scientists routinely refer to the “UK variant” or “South African variant” of COVID-19 itself. But curiously, Wuhan and China are off limits. But to reference either China or Wuhan in connection with this virus has somehow become verboten: the sensitivities of an autocratic regime have taken precedence over an honest accounting of what went wrong.

Here’s why: the CCP has successfully weaponized the parallel pandemic of wokeness by using the threat of “racism” against the United States to evade accountability for its own actions. In recent years, the Chinese government has detained more than a million Uighurs in concentration camps and has reached its long arms to violate basic freedoms in previously autonomous territories like Hong Kong. Two years ago, when Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted from his personal account in support of Hong Kong, saying “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong,” the Chinese consulate denounced Morey. More surprisingly and disgracefully, fellow Ohioan LeBron James threw his weight behind the effort to demonize Morey, even as Mr. James vocally continued to criticize alleged racial injustices in America while lavishing praise on movements like Black Lives Matter.

Wittingly or not, public figures like Mr. James have become mere pawns in the CCP’s geopolitical game. Last year, when European officials criticized Xi Jinping for China’s treatment of the Uighurs, Mr. Jinping smoothly pivoted to pointing out how the BLM movement shows the U.S. is no better. Last month in Alaska, Yang Jiechi, China’s top diplomat, falsely claimed that black Americans were being “slaughtered,” and disingenuously stated “we hope that the United States will do better on human rights.” By drawing a false moral equivalence with the United States, the CCP uses wokeness as a tool to erode our greatest geopolitical asset of all: America’s moral standing on the global stage. Now they’re using that same tool to deflect accountability for the origin of COVID-19.

Speaking as an Asian-American, I find it more racist is to conflate the feelings of all Japanese-Americans, Korean-Americans, and Chinese-Americans by claiming that any criticism of the CCP is harmful to that entire polyglot group of diverse immigrants than it is to simply hold the CCP accountable for its actions. Of course, rising anti-Asian violence is a problem and must be addressed. But our ability to tell the difference between innocent Asian-American citizens and a corrupt foreign government is part of what defines us as Americans.

During World War II, we wrongly conflated the allegiance of patriotic Japanese-Americans at home with the actions of the Japanese emperor. We should avoid making the same mistake twice: criticizing the CCP should be entirely separate from our attitudes towards our fellow Asian-Americans.

The spread of woke culture is no longer just a cultural nuisance. It’s a societal infection that even the best of science won’t be able to cure. It’s a dangerous geopolitical weapon used by foreign powers against America in a broader conflict on the global stage. The battle lines of that war reached Ohio this week. It will take leaders like Mr. Husted to make sure that we hold the line, rather than to meekly apologize for no wrong at all. No doubt that will involve some personal sacrifice for leaders like him, but if he holds his ground then he will have earned his stripes as a true public servant.

Vivek Ramaswamy is an entrepreneur and author of the forthcoming book “Woke, Inc.” He is a native of Cincinnati and the son of Indian immigrants.