A congressman running for U.S. Senate in Ohio is facing friendly fire from his own party over an April ad that Democrats say is fueling anti-Asian hatred.
“Tim Ryan should know better. His ‘us versus China’ ad promotes hatred of Asian Americans,” says a headline in Monday’s Akron Beacon Journal.
The opinion piece, penned by Brant T. Lee, accuses Representative Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) of failing to demonstrate how his policies will stop China from taking American jobs or address the humanitarian crises there.
“It does not explain how you will support American workers,” the author says. “It does not distinguish you from Republicans. All it does is channel anger and resentment. It promotes hatred. I thought Democrats were better than that.”
The far-left has often argued that anti-China rhetoric, which is mostly discussed in the context of manufacturing jobs being shipped overseas, has led to a rise in crime against Asians, though there is no proof of a causal relationship.
The ad in question depicts Ryan talking to workers, and noting that “China is out-manufacturing us left and right.”
“It’s us vs. China. China is out-manufacturing us left and right and it’s time we fight back. We’ve got to go allin, and it starts by investing in Ohio workers,” he captioned a tweet linking to the ad. “We won’t back down from this fight. Never bet against Ohio.”
It’s us vs. China.
China is out-manufacturing us left and right and it’s time we fight back. We’ve got to go all in and it starts by investing in Ohio workers.
We won’t back down from this fight. Never bet against Ohio. pic.twitter.com/TVa2qPiQOy
— Tim Ryan (@TimRyan) March 29, 2022
“It is us versus China, and instead of taking them on, Washington is wasting its time on stupid fights,” Ryan says in the ad. “They promised us higher wages, and lower prices, and instead we got pink slips and, now, price increases.
At the time of its release, a group called Asian American Midwest Progressives wrote a letter to Ryan demanding that he nix the ad.
We’ve written an open letter to US Senate candidate @TimRyan about his One Word ad that puts AAPI lives in danger. Nearly 200 Ohio AAPI leaders and supporters are demanding him to #DropOneWordAd. Tell @TimRyan to #DropOneWordAd by signing onto our letter: https://t.co/OJmW9LlW1F https://t.co/MNnWXuLyEF
— Asian American Midwest Progressives (@AAMProgressives) April 14, 2022
“We strongly resonate with the desire to meet the urgent needs of working Ohioans and change the priorities of the U.S. Senate, and we understand legitimate criticisms of the Chinese government are valid and necessary,” that letter said. “However, the decision to stoke fear and anger against an inflated China threat is dangerous and unacceptable — and a losing strategy for Democrats campaigning for Ohio’s U.S. Senate seat. Playing to right-wing nationalism and fanning anti-China hate will come at a cost at the ballot box in November, while writing off the fastest growing ethnic group in the state as acceptable collateral damage.”
Ryan is the Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate in Ohio, and will take on populist Republican J.D. Vance, who has stuck a Donald Trump-esque tone on American economic policies, also promising to end the offshoring of American jobs.
Ohio is one of the hardest-hit states by manufacturing job losses.
Ryan’s campaign did not return a Monday comment request.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tim Ryan” by Tim Ryan.
