The Boundless Ambition of JD Vance

Last night’s vice-presidential debate made one thing clear. If only by default, JD Vance has become the brains of the Republican ticket and likely of the GOP. In ninety short minutes, he did all he had to do and more.

First and foremost, Vance “normalized” Trump better than anyone I’ve ever seen. Using lies, half-truths and endless repetition, he put a faux-rational policy gloss on the three bent pillars of Trump’s campaign: (1) that unlawful immigrants are destroying our society; (2) that Trump’s economic policies are mainstream, “common-sense” and (to the extent actually adopted) are working; and (3) that Kamala Harris is a know-nothing, do-nothing lightweight. Vance even tried to normalize Trump’s proposed massive deportation project by claiming it would start with criminals and maybe just end there.

Second, Vance performed the traditional “attack dog” role of VP wannabes brilliantly. He kept Harris in focus for the entire debate. He mentioned Trump only to respond to criticism and doubt and—once in a while—tout Trump’s alleged “policies” or praise his economic record. Vance blamed Harris for everything bad that had happened or didn’t happen under Joe Biden, completely ignoring John Nance Garner’s sage observation that the office of Vice-President “is not worth a bucket of warm spit.”

Third, Vance exploited Trump’s malignant narcissism as might a professional psychologist. With only weak attempts to cite facts, Vance insisted that Trump’s economy and job creation were the best in one or another impressive time period. Thus Vance brilliantly reinforced his role as Chief Sycophant to the Narcissist in Chief, who was no doubt watching every word on live TV. In my 79 years, I’ve never seen a subordinate pol so outdo Shakespeare’s Iago (whose whispering in Otello’s ear led to the latter’s emotional collapse and downfall) in making himself indispensable to so flawed a boss.

Finally, Vance did something that would have been totally out of character for Trump. Multiple times, especially toward the end of the debate, he morphed smoothly into a lover of country, a practicer of Reason and compromise, and someone willing to work with others for the good of our nation. In this respect, he brilliantly exploited Tim Walz’ well-known virtues, so that often Walz simply had to agree.

Yes, JD Vance lied baldly at times, twisted the truth often, shifted his shape like a science-fiction alien, and excused the inexcusable. But it does no good to hide the truth, especially from ourselves.

Vance’ performance was skilled. His delivery was flawless. In crispness of speech, avoidance of stammering, and clarity in making points (even if based on lies or half-truths), he outdid Walz. Although Walz’ goodness and love of country shone through, Vance sometimes made him seem like a parochial from Minnesota with no business running the whole country. And Vance was a master of mood and tone: at times stern or angry, at times conciliatory, and at times even reasonable and accommodating.

By any measure, Vance “won” the debate, putting his cat ladies and pet-eater lies in the rear-view mirror, at least for the moment. At least he seems to have done so among those who count: those perhaps-mythical voters who still haven’t quite made up their minds. If the debate were a show, Vance could win an Academy Award or an Emmy, or at least a nomination for one. Trump must love that; perhaps he’s even jealous.

Most of all, Vance stuck a huge blow for himself. To the extent Trump’s growing senile dementia allows, Vance made himself indispensable to the GOP campaign and to a possible Trump presidency. In less than two hours, Vance became, in my view, the de-facto leader of the Republican Party.

No one—least of all pathetic, cowardly figures like Mitch McConnell the Senile, Lindsey Graham, or Ted Cruz—had ever done anything of the kind. I would cite “responsible” establishment GOP figures if I could, but most of them have jumped ship, retired, or been “primaried.” Vance is the sole young, wily, embattled warrior standing alone on the field when all others have died, been wounded, or have fled.

So this self-made Yalie has come a long, long way from being the forlorn child of a drug-addled single mother in Appalachia. And his journey has just become a sprint, in the mere two years since his dipped his toe into politics.

What does all this mean? Vance is infinitely smarter and saner than his putative boss. I suppose that’s a good thing. The last thing I want is someone with growing signs of senile dementia, plus longstanding narcissistic insanity, with his finger on The Button. Trump’s state of physical and mental health has so visibly deteriorated in the last year that part of me is glad that Vance will be in the White House if Trump wins—and will undoubtedly have Trump’s ear, at least if anyone can.

It’s possible, if not probable, that Trump, if elected, could die in office or be “Amendment-25’d” for behavior that even the vast ranks of GOP sycophants could not tolerate. In that case Vance, with his supreme ambition, may be an instigator, if not a facilitator, of the ouster.

Vance could well be a much better president than Trump could ever hope to be. But who knows for sure? If Vance rises with Trump’s demise or fall, Vance would be the second-least-experienced president in American history. He would have had two years in the Senate, plus the truncated part of Trump’s second term under his belt, as compared with Trump’s zero years in elective office before his first inauguration.

To me, a much darker implication clouds this relatively sunny picture. Vance’s performance in the debate, and in taking over the GOP if I’m right, will catapult us Americans back four centuries into pre-Enlightenment times.

We will have become a society in which men (so far, no women) become top leaders through flattery, sycophancy, shape-shifting, lying, subtle treachery and bald cunning, as if the Enlightenment had never happened. We will have set the historical clock back four centuries to Shakespeare’s time. Our nation, which once personified the Enlightenment, Democracy and Reason, will have led the way to their demise.

(In my view, direct primary elections are the primary culprit (pardon the pun!). They have replaced the “smoke-filled rooms” in which experienced, wise pols once picked the best among tested leaders to run for office. The self-evident result is that such worthy institutions as Fox and X, which now control the mob, also control who runs in general elections. But that's another story.)

So we live in fateful times. We hold in our hands the fate of our democracy and our nation, the fate of the Western Enlightenment, and (with planetary heating and consequent extreme weather accelerating) the future of our species.

The rational path is to do what we can. That’s why I don’t despair about Vance’s wild ambition, or about the few so-called “undecideds” that he may have attracted to Trump’s cause.

Instead, I worry about the vast ranks of voters who have not been lured to Trump’s cult by Fox, X or other online deluders. I worry about voters who still hanker for Reason, love of country and love of their neighbors (as not coincidentally Jesus advised). Maybe, just maybe, if we can get most of them out to vote we can put JD Vance’s rocket-propelled ambition and Trump’s growing dementia and narcissism all to their just rest.



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