Sure, he was on the short list, but most pundits put him near the bottom of it. J. D. Vance will be running for Vice President on the Republican ticket, beard, suspected eyeliner, literary ambitions and all.
His book received mixed reviews -- no one said it wasn't well-written, but critics were divided on his self-appointment as the interpreter for a whole region of the country and one he had not, in fact, grown up in. If you want a take on transplanted Appalachian culture, his is as good as any; but there are a lot of transplants who headed to the manpower-hungry industries of what would become the Rust Belt, and a lot of takes on how that worked out.
Senator Vance has issued mixed reviews of his new boss over time, and you can take them as a record of how his thinking has changed; he has moved in an ever more authoritarian direction, following his party's lead, and is very much the darling of the Federalist Society, and of the Heritage Foundation, the latter responsible for the "Project 2025" blueprint for, well, you can go read the thing yourself. It changes the nature of government meddling and nudging, but not the amount of it. And it throws open the door for the types of prejudicial treatment of people that would gladden the heart of the odious Woodrow Wilson. It's not a good look. Polls give Sen. Vance's party a 50/50 chance at implementing it, which is certain to provoke a strong reaction. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump has promised a "bloodbath" if he fails to take the Presidency.
Interesting times, either way.
I hate interesting times.
I think most folks don't realize just how interesting it would be.
ReplyDelete"...there are a lot of transplants who headed to the manpower-hungry industries of what would become the Rust Belt, and a lot of takes on how that worked out."
ReplyDeleteMy grandparents traveled to Akron, OH in the 1920s when Papaw worked for Firestone. One of the side benefits was that Firestone had adult education classed at night for their workers and spouses. That is where my grandparents learned how to read and write. But the pull of the mountains was strong, and they came back after a year.
Also, I thought project 2025 was a product of the Heritage Foundation, not the Federalists.
You always preach about making sure your facts are right. Your last throwaway line about promising a bloodbath is disingenuous at best. Trump promised the current administration’s policies would mean a bloodbath for the auto industry.
ReplyDeleteHe did not promise a general uprising as you infer.
There is much about Trump not to like. We do not need to take words out of context.
Joe
Joe: Mr. Trump's comments were -- as they so often are -- ambiguous. You're putting the best spin on them, but they're open to interpretation.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking in Detroit this past March, he said, "If you’re listening, President Xi — and you and I are friends — but he understands the way I deal. Those big monster car manufacturing plants that you’re building in Mexico right now … you’re going to not hire Americans and you’re going to sell the cars to us, no. We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars if I get elected. Now if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s gonna be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country. That will be the least of it. But they’re not going to sell those cars. They’re building massive factories.” Later, he added, “If this election isn’t won, I’m not sure that you’ll ever have another election in this country.”
Is he talking about car manufacturing or is he talking about what happens if he loses the election, both, or what? It's his usual firehose of threats, fear-mongering and BS.
"Taking his words out of context" suggest there's some clear context to the former President's words, but there rarely is. It's an emotional torrent of glittering generalities, scary notions, half-truths and complete fabrications.
Did he say, "Now if I don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath...," or did he not? He said it; and while a figurative bloodbath certainly isn't as bad as an actual bloodbath, threatening either one is still a threat.
Source material: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-bloodbath-loses-election-2024-rcna143746
(I will correct myself again; Mr. Trump was at a rally in Ohio when he used the term in March, not Michigan. He used the term again in April, referring to the current state of the U. S. border with Mexico -- which is not, in fact, a literal or figurative bloodbath.)
ReplyDeleteMike: you are right, it's the Heritage Foundation. Both it and the Federalist Society are quite fond of Senator Vance, which is not surprising; there's a lot of overlap in goals and membership.
ReplyDeleteI have corrected the post to reflect this.
Not that it's a surprise, but Trump decided against diversifying the ticket. Instead of picking an experienced, moderating influence as a VP, he went with a Trump convert, a true believer. He doubled down. Vance appeals to the voters Trump already has. Like Harris in California, Vance has a mixed record in Ohio, and hasn't really delivered for his constituents.
ReplyDeleteLog and Stork indeed.