Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee for president and the former President of the United States chose Ohio Senator JDVance as his running mate on the first day of the Republican National Convention. Many of you know that I was a strong supporter of Team Byron Donalds. Trump’s selection of JD Vance as his running mate felt anti-climatic. Why him? This is not a lament but a legitimate question.
Byron Donald’s, Tucker Carlson, and JD Vance all standing together.
What a sight pic.twitter.com/9UKFDoCt9E
— Sara Rose 🇺🇸🌹 (@saras76) July 16, 2024
I’m amazed by the number of people outside of Ohio who don’t know who JD Vance is. Vance, who was born James Donald Bowman in 1984, made his debut on the national scene with his 2016 book: “Hillbilly Elegy”: A Memoir about a family and culture in crisis. Ron Howard will direct a film adaptation of “Hillbilly Elegy,” in 2020. It is not a literary or cinematic change, but a way to align with his family. Vance’s parents split when he was young, and Vance knew very little about his biological father. This is how he got his middle name. Vance changed his middle name to David. Vance chose to legally adopt the last name Vance of his grandparents, Jim and Bonnie Vance.
Vance began his story in a region of Kentucky called Appalachia, where he lived in poverty. In Middletown, Ohio his family was able to achieve a middle-class lifestyle. As noted above, Vance’s mother struggled with opioid addiction for most of her life. Vance, along with his sister, was raised primarily by Jim and Bonnie Vance. Vance served in Iraq after enlisting in the Marine Corps. He was able to attend Ohio State University thanks to the GI Bill. He then went to Yale Law School. Vance was a partner at a venture capitalist company in San Francisco, before moving to Ohio and co-founding a few businesses. Vance spoke about moving to Ohio a few months after the publication of “Hillbilly Elegy.” It may even have been an interview with Tucker Carlson when he was still at Fox. He talked about wanting to give his kids a better future and get back to his community.
Vance’s inspiring story of rags to riches, from nothing, is in stark contrast with the billionaire Donald Trump, born into New York royalty. JD Vance is a role model for the working class. They love Donald Trump but can also see themselves in him. His selection as VP will not only increase the working-class vote but also allow him to better communicate with this group about the disenfranchisement they have suffered under the current administration.
Vance was consistent in addressing these concerns before and during the Senate campaign. Dario is an entrepreneur and producer who co-hosts the podcast “The Outlaws Radio Show”. Morrow was born, raised, and lives in Ohio. Morrow invited Vance to his podcast on two occasions. Vance talked about how to energize and revive the working class, regardless of race or ethnicity. He also discussed how the Southern border, unchecked, is destroying America, as well as how corporate businesses and their collusions with China limit freedoms and destroy America’s capacity to create jobs.
JD Vance has been on @TheOutlawsRadio before. Twice. And in his first interview he said encouraging things about building a Black, White and Hispanic working class coalition. I haven’t seen as much follow through on that as I’d like but we’ll see. https://t.co/de4Wp9YvSJ https://t.co/Ul928BW0G6 pic.twitter.com/UkdGpbqXgu
— Darvio Morrow (@DTheKingpin) July 15, 2024
Vance stated in the interview with “The Outlaws Radio Show”, on November 24, 2021 (see snippet above) that he decided to run for Senate after he got tired of complaining. I admire someone willing to put their money where their mouth is. Vance stated, “There is no one standing up for the normal people.” Vance reiterated and elaborated on this sentiment in an interview with 2022 Outlaws at CPAC. “We need to bring in a new generation of people who can fix the problems.”
Vance, like Trump, did not have to give up his comfortable life to deal with D.C.’s mess. He married his law-school sweetheart and the couple has three children. Vance said, “It is worth it if I’m going make a change, and I’ll make a difference if I piss off the right people.”
This line is the most likely reason Vance was chosen as Trump’s running mate.
The fact that Vance was an ardent NeverTrumper in 2016 has been and continues to be a hot topic. It was covered by left-wing publications and political publications, especially after Vance decided he would run for Senate. Josh Mandel, Vance’s rival for the Senate, used these tweets and interviews to attack him. Vance apologized for his past criticisms of Trump in 2021. Trump did not seem to have a problem with Vance’s past views, as he endorsed Vance in his Senate bid.
Vance stated, “Like many others, I criticized Trump in 2016. I ask people not to judge my words in 2016 because I have been very honest about them and regret saying those things. I also regret being wrong. I thought he was an excellent president. I believe he made many good decisions for the people and I also think that he received a great deal of criticism.”
Vance said that he had also been criticized by others for standing up to defend the interests of American voters.
Vance, since then, has been one of Trump’s most vocal fans and has defended MAGA and the GOP nominee quite effectively. He did this in an interview with “ABC News This Week”‘s George Stephanopoulos, aka Mr. “Bimbo Eruption”.
JD Vance’s advocacy and passion for the American working class has earned him the approval of The Teamsters Union President Sean O’Brien. O’Brien was, in a first, given an RNC convention speaking slot. Labor union leaders have shown that they are not on the side of workers, but rather on the side of protecting their positions. O’Brien’s embrace of Vance gives me pause. Teamsters are part of the same Big Labor apparatus that has forced elected officials (mostly Democrats), whom they support, to pass the PRO Act. This act would destroy independent professionals and small businesses. Will Vance’s desire to restore the working class come at the expense of the 64 million independent contractors that simply want to work the way they choose without union interference and restrictions?
At about 6:15 in this interview from today, the head of the Teamsters–one of the loudest #FreelanceBusting voices in America–praises GOP vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance for his position on independent contractors.https://t.co/KFWr9LS3nD
— Kim Kavin (@thekimkavin) July 15, 2024
Vance was also among the Republican Senators who refused Cassidy’s Congressional Review Act. This CRA sought to rescind the U.S. Department of Labor’s final independent contractors rule. It sought to achieve through regulation what Congress failed to do by failing to pass the PRO Act. Vance’s statements, as well as his record, are all we need to know where he stands. It is important to understand how JD Vance, as President of the United States, would govern in light of Trump’s age and the fact that, if he were elected, he could only serve for four years.
All Americans, Democrat or Republican, should pay attention, as the media is already tearing itself apart over this choice.
