It wasn’t just the hypocrisy of using a family member to attack a candidate or nominee for office. That happened with Hegseth and RFK, Jr., and was roundly condemned by Trump and his MAGA faithful. Family is out of bounds, it was screamed. But as happens without shame these days, the tables turned and the script was flipped when Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy created an attack ad featuring his opponent, Amy Acton’s mother.

Under other circumstances, there might have been a fair debate over whether this was a fair attack in the dirty world of politics in the current climate. But these circumstances weren’t “other.” These circumstances were singularly despicable.

The spot from Mr. Ramaswamy’s campaign began circulating on social media this week and airing Thursday on television. In it, Donna Arthur, Dr. Acton’s birth mother, calls her daughter a “liar” and says that she fabricated stories about her difficult childhood.

A grand jury in 1978 indicted Ms. Arthur’s husband — Dr. Acton’s stepfather — on charges of raping Dr. Acton, who was then a child, according to documents provided by the Acton campaign. The mother and daughter both say they have not spoken since that year, when Ms. Arthur lost custody of her daughter.

The stepfather, Cledith Arthur, pleaded not guilty, and then fled the state before trial, according to the court records. He died in Pennsylvania in 2004.

The natural assumption is that a mother would have significant insight into the nature of her child. But the natural assumption fails to take into account that the mother hasn’t had any contact with the child in 50 years, took the side of the stepfather accused of raping the child and fled with the stepfather after his indictment for the rape.

There are other sordid details that reflect poorly on the mother, but really, the foregoing is bad enough to end any debate. The ad was despicable and Ramaswamy is despicable for creating it, airing it and persisting in airing it in a $4 million blitz after everything came to light. While good character is generally no longer a bar to public office, there is a line below which character is so disgraceful as to evoke the condemnation of that handful of allies who still possess a modicum of shame.

That included Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine, as well as its:

…secretary of state; one of its sitting senators, Jon Husted; a former governor, John Kasich; and a former senator, Rob Portman, all of whom have distanced themselves from the ad or called for it to come down. It wasn’t just the establishment: Mr. Ramaswamy’s far-right opponent in the Republican primary for Ohio governor, Casey Putsch, has also slammed the ad.

You’ll never guess who not only didn’t condemn the ad, but thought it was great? Okay, maybe you will.

Mr. Trump unreservedly championed the ad, describing it as “very powerful” and saying that everyone should “listen to the mother of a defective, dishonest, and incapable Candidate.” Insisting that he had never heard of Dr. Acton before, Mr. Trump added: “Who wouldn’t use such an Ad? I would.”

After Gov. DeWine condemned the ad, Trump went after the “RINO,” doubling (tripling?) down in his usual verbose yet incoherent way.

Vivek Ramaswamy put up a very powerful Ad about a mother saying that her daughter, Amy Acton, who is running for Governor of Ohio, is a liar, and much worse. The Press, in a concerted and well coordinated attack, is trying to get Vivek Ramaswamy to “take down the Ad.” Frankly, anybody whose mother spoke about a daughter in that way would normally lead to the daughter being precluded from serving in Office, let alone the Office of Governor. If my mother, the legendary Mary MacLeod Trump, said anything bad about me, the Fake News would play it up. The Dumocrats would be totally supportive, and it would go down as the Ad of the Decade — Maybe the Century! It would win Awards for Excellence in Advertising. But, because Vivek, who will be a GREAT Governor, put it out, the “Artificial” News has teamed up against him in order to damage, demean, and embarrass a Republican who is leading in the Polls. Our RINO Governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine, who I unfortunately helped get elected years ago, when he was losing by 16 points prior to my doing a Rally for him was, as usual, disloyal to the Republican Party. He strongly suggested that Vivek should, “take down the Ad.” He probably wants a Dumocrat to win, and certainly doesn’t want someone who will do a much better job than he is capable of doing. I suggested, on the other hand, that Vivek should keep it up, and let everyone listen to the mother of a defective, dishonest, and incapable Candidate, explain how the daughter is a DISASTER who, uncontrollably, lies, cheats, and steals! I only wish the mothers of my opponents would be so brave as to come forward and explain that their son or daughter is a liar, and much worse. That took a lot of courage to do but, essentially, what she was really doing was saving Ohio from making a truly horrible choice! The Press is trying to convince everyone that this Ad is bad, because it’s so good! Who wouldn’t use such an Ad? I would, it’s called, “hitting pay dirt.” The fact is, Lyin’ Amy Acton, who I’ve never even heard of before, has been lying about Vivek for the entire Campaign. I know the real Vivek, he is a brilliant and outstanding person who will cut Taxes, stop Crime and, MAKE OHIO GREAT AGAIN. He will be a fantastic Governor! President DONALD J. TRUMP

Calling it “pay dirt,” two words that strongly reflect the Trump ethos of getting paid and wallowing in dirt, reflects the depths to which Trump will happily go to accomplish his desired ends. There is nothing too dirty, too ugly, too false, that he won’t push it if he believes it’s good for him.

And what does his vice president have to say about it? 

“I’m a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America,” Mr. Vance told reporters.

We’re all disgusted. Just about different things due to our differences in character.