7.15.24 - J.D. Vance VP Pick
Feels like Washington has actually turned a page today and that the old Republican Party is actually gone.
Some observations: (1) Trump didn't go for the sycophantic vibe of Scott or the weaker personality of Rubio (2) out of all of the picks I feel that Vance doesn't do much for him as far as expanding demographic appeal (3) Trump picked a "rising star" type figure who, out of all of the veep picks, feels like a protege (4) this suggests, against my better judgement, that him and his team actually believe in something and building something that will outlast them politically, the other picks would have been more strategic but not have sent a message ideologically.
Is this a good thing? For the first time since maybe the Taft/Roosevelt/Wilson race, there is no party which is a true standard bearer of businesses interests, like the New Freedom vs. New Nationalism era, we're really just working with different strains of populism. I guess it means that the American politics may finally be leaving Gilded Age 2.0 and into Progressive Era 2.0. Seems to rhyme nicely with the past.
But I guess it's still bad because Trump is a uniquely dangerous person. Will have to see.