# Senate candidate Josh Mandel campaign stunt backfires badly **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 21, 2021, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-candidate-josh-mandel-campaign-stunt-backfires-badly/949259 "2021-08-21T03:15:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-candidate-josh-mandel-campaign-stunt-backfires-badly/949259/1 "2021-08-21T03:15:12Z")
[https://twitter.com/joshmandelohio/status/1428784031638949899?s=21](https://twitter.com/joshmandelohio/status/1428784031638949899?s=21) Josh Mandel is a Republican running for Senate in Ohio to replace retiring Senator Rob Portman He posted a maskless selfie next to a server (also maskless) at a brewpub and tweeted that he was proud of her for showing up to work even though she was sick because the restaurant was short staffed. Naturally, social media exploded in a negative way and he did tag the brewpub on Twitter. The brewpub did delete their Twitter although they’re getting overwhelmed with negative comments on other social media sites. He has very likely cost the sick employee her job as well as put a big black eye on the local business. I assume he has lost himself some votes. > **[Social media reacts strongly after Mandel highlights worker at Perrysburg...](https://www.wtol.com/article/news/politics/state-politics/josh-mandel-praises-ill-employee-for-coming-to-work-at-perrysburg-restaurant/512-0f41f1d2-c037-4ea5-afb4-023003dc2321)** > > Inside the Five released a statement saying it's 'disappointing' a worker came in feeling ill and sent her home, saying it has health and safety protocols in place. ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-candidate-josh-mandel-campaign-stunt-backfires-badly/949259/2 "2021-08-21T04:22:14Z")
I find it completely amazing a candidate for statewide office did not anticipate how this would play out. I am constantly around those who view the world just as he does – that for example gutting it out when you feel like staying home is an example of “overcoming” due to good ol’ American can do attitude. But they are people who can barely buy dog food and fuel up their vehicle without help. It is one thing if you pull yourself out of the rack to go to the boiler room by yourself to be sure the entire building has heat during a blizzard; it is quite another for someone with respiratory illness to serve others food during an uptick in the midst of a pandemic. Amazing lack of insight. The epitome of a craftsman who only owns one tool, a hammer, and how that craftsman solves all problems – by hitting it hard. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-candidate-josh-mandel-campaign-stunt-backfires-badly/949259/3 "2021-08-21T05:06:21Z")
Mandel is clearly a tone deaf idiot. This either means he will obviously lose the GOP primary in Ohio for the Senate or he has a future as a GOP nominee for President. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-candidate-josh-mandel-campaign-stunt-backfires-badly/949259/4 "2021-08-21T05:42:04Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > This either means he will obviously lose the GOP primary in Ohio for the Senate or he has a future as a GOP nominee for President. And he’s running against JD Vance, Ohio has some awful choices. Edit: Mandel doubled down, claiming the brewpub gave in to the ‘woke mob’ [https://twitter.com/joshmandelohio/status/1428930069389615104?s=21](https://twitter.com/joshmandelohio/status/1428930069389615104?s=21) ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-candidate-josh-mandel-campaign-stunt-backfires-badly/949259/5 "2021-08-21T07:12:15Z")
I love this turnaround because it neatly demonstrates how Republicans really feel about “free enterprise” and the “getting the government out of the free market” – i.e. private businesses should be venerated as long as they do things that are palatable to Republicans. If a business makes a decision perfectly in line with their economic interests like responding to customer concerns about a sick employee, they’re “giving into a woke mob.” ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-candidate-josh-mandel-campaign-stunt-backfires-badly/949259/6 "2021-08-21T08:12:10Z")
Josh Mandel has been a total asshole since he entered politics, and probably well before that. If he’s going down in flames right now, so much for the better. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-candidate-josh-mandel-campaign-stunt-backfires-badly/949259/7 "2021-08-21T10:52:21Z")
I’m going to coin the term “Josh Mandel Stupid” to mean a special kind of stupid. Related to this, a family here in Ontario knowingly sent their sick child to daycare. At least 19 Pediatric Covid cases later, the family was fined for their actions. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-candidate-josh-mandel-campaign-stunt-backfires-badly/949259/8 "2021-08-21T19:21:32Z")
Now he triples down, he’s at another diner today and maskless with another server. Yes, after knowingly being in close contact with a sick person yesterday. [https://twitter.com/joshmandelohio/status/1429097971082268672?s=21](https://twitter.com/joshmandelohio/status/1429097971082268672?s=21) ---
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-candidate-josh-mandel-campaign-stunt-backfires-badly/949259/9 "2021-08-21T20:23:27Z")
I hope he left her a big tip. But, probably not because grunt work is its own reward for the proles, right? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-candidate-josh-mandel-campaign-stunt-backfires-badly/949259/10 "2021-08-21T23:06:46Z")
On a similar note, You Tube is chock full of videos of and about Marjorie Taylor Greene’s recent visit to the Iowa State Fair. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-candidate-josh-mandel-campaign-stunt-backfires-badly/949259/11 "2021-08-23T00:34:32Z")
Did she win a red ribbon? 🎀 ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-candidate-josh-mandel-campaign-stunt-backfires-badly/949259/12 "2021-08-23T00:38:15Z")
What a knob.