JONATHAN TURLEY: NY Times columnist mocks JD Vance’s mother’s drug addiction

In the age of rage, it is often difficult to stand out from the crowd, with so many people pandering to perpetual rage. but, New York Times Columnist Jamila Bui has found a way to win the race to the bottom. In a post on Bluesky, Bowie mocked Maternal addiction From the Vice President J.D. VanceSaying that she had to sell her son because of drugs.

Bowie used Bluesky — a digital safe zone for intolerance of views on the left — to post one of his most reprehensible attacks on Vance. Bowie wrote that “this is an evil man who knows he’s evil and does it anyway.” This is hardly noticeable on today’s scale of anger. However, he then decided to use the painful addiction history of Vance’s mother, Beverly Aikins, against her son: “No wonder his mother tried to sell him for Percocet. I can’t imagine a parent who wouldn’t sell a little JD for Percocet if they knew he was going to turn out like this.”

Vance wrote his best-selling memoir, “hillbilly elegy,“ About his difficult childhood with a mother who became addicted to painkillers and eventually found herself stealing medications from her patients. It was a tragic account of how addiction tore their family apart, but it was also a story of redemption: “I knew a mother could love her son despite the grip of addiction. I knew my family loved me, even when they were struggling to take care of themselves.”

J.D. Vance had to be sold by his mother for drugs, says New York Times columnist

In April of last year, Vance celebrated his mother’s decade of sobriety.

Vice President J.D. Vance celebrates his mother Beverly Aikins’ sobriety on Friday, April 4, 2025, at the White House. (White House Press Office)

As I discuss in my new book, ““Anger and republicanism” is a common element in past radical movements Stripping political opponents of their humanity. By calling others “Gestapo,” “fascists,” or “Nazis,” you get a certain license to say and do things you would never say or do. By stripping them of their humanity and any right to empathy, you are free to cast off the shackles of decency and civility.

Anger itself is a kind of drug. It’s addictive, and although they would never admit it, many people enjoy it.

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Bowie displays a blatant lack of self-awareness in his hateful posts, protesting that “this is an evil man who knows he’s evil and does it anyway.” It’s the ultimate example of conversion. A self-description that is projected onto someone who hates it.

Anger itself is a kind of drug. It’s addictive, and although they would never admit it, many people enjoy it.

In his New York Times bio, Bowie insists that “I come from a left-leaning social democratic perspective, but I strive for honesty, fairness, and good faith in my writing.” “I adhere to the same strict ethical standards as all Times journalists,” he adds.

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If using Vance’s tragic childhood and his mother’s addiction as an example of “fairness and good faith” in The New York Times is a frightening prospect.

As I discuss in my new book, Anger and the Republic, a common element among past extremist movements is the dehumanization of political opponents. By calling others “Gestapo,” “fascists,” or “Nazis,” you get a certain license to say and do things you would never say or do. (Federal National Council)

In his book, Vance notes that children from broken and poor families often lose hope, as he did: “Psychologists call it ‘learned helplessness’ when a person believes, as I did during my youth, that the choices I made had no effect on the outcomes of my life.”

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He has found that choices are important in shaping your life. We all make choices like these, as Bowie did when he became another voice of anger, and as The New York Times did when it chose to amplify his voice.

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh (R) administers the vice presidential oath to J.D. Vance (2-L) as Vance’s mother, Beverly Aikins (3-R) and US President Joe Biden (2-R) look on during an inauguration ceremony in the rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (Sean Theo/Reuters)

It is the same choice the Times made to ban a U.S. senator and fire editors for exposing readers to alternative viewpoints while publishing those who call for repression or justify political violence. To the obvious satisfaction of its readers, the newspaper now deploys outrage to feed the national addiction.

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In the end, Vance and his mother overcame far greater challenges than either this evil writer or the more hateful columnist Bluesky. Out of adversity, they found strength and connection that inspired so many who suffer from such addiction and poverty.

It is clear who the “villain” is in these posts. It may be unintentionally enlightening and self-deprecating. As Victor Hugo observed, “The wicked envy and hate, it is their way of admiring.”

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