Gotta say, I was a little surprised – I figured it would be Youngkin. But that might have been my bias: I thought he was best for the slot. But the decision has been made; the deed is done. No sense arguing about it any longer. This is our team: time to swing in behind it.
Vance does have an “American dream” story – he was born into abject poverty with a really bad family life. He rose above that. Very high above that. Even though standards have been dropped, getting into Yale Law still ain’t easy. So, the guy has some smarts. But he also seems to impress people…from working class to billionaires, people have come into his orbit and all seem willing to help him along to the next goal. To be sure, the billionaires do put a note of suspicion on him – but on the other hand, this guy from nowhere managed to get billionaires to back his dreams. It’s one thing when the scion of a rich family gets aid – that is just one rich stroking another. Putting money into a nobody is a risk – and you only do that if you think its worth it.
His wife is also “American Dream”: born in America of Indian immigrants (but much higher socio-economically than Vance), Usha Vance also has the Yale Law degree; they met in college. So, she’s also got some brains. Vance turns 40 next month so he is the youth and vigor for the team – and as he and his wife have three young children that will also strike a chord in a large segment of the electorate. Small side note and totally irrelevant: I’ve created a witch named Usha in Ghost Tower (Book X); she’s alluded to in Home World (Book IX). She is a horribly bad person but also kinda cool in that she can kill people via flames shooting out of her hands. I just hope that Mrs Vance doesn’t take offense!
Vance represents “Flyover America”. That is his thing – its what he’s for. His Hillbilly Elegy was all about it. Another side note: If Trump/Vance wins then for the first time we’ll have an Executive team made up of two New York Times Bestsellers (Trump for The Art of the Deal). I suspect that Vance was picked at least in part for his ability to connect with the alienated in the Rust Belt. Not GOPers – they’re already in Trump’s corner. I’m talking disaffected Democrats.
Within minutes of the pick the Left was out with a variety of hit pieces – I don’t think they’ve fully settled on whether he’s Worse Than Hitler or Hitler Lite, but that he’s some sort of Hitler is a given. Naturally they’re calling him racist (though with an Indian wife; weird, huh?), sexist, homophobic, fascist and all the rest. That “lowering the tone” speech Biden gave yesterday had about a 12 hour shelf life. But, we all expected that – hate and fear are all the Democrats have.
There were, naturally, the Nattering Nabobs of Negativism on the Right. People who wanted someone else. People who are just looking for a reason to attack Trump. Cowards who think we can’t win. I mostly ignored them. They are the people we used to lose with. Trump/Vance is the future; and that is where I’m looking. Can they lose? Of course they can. Anything is, always, possible. But I’m pretty confident it is Trump/Vance getting sworn in next January. Keep in mind: Trump was winning before the debate. He was winning comfortably after it. After Saturday, I think he’s well nigh unbeatable…certainly unbeatable by a frail, senile old creep. That will be as it will: as I’ve said all along, if we lose in 2024 then we never had a chance to begin with. Might as well joyfully enter the battle.
And I am joyful. Probably more happy than I’ve been about the future of our nation for a long, long while. I think we might have the people to actually get the reform ball rolling. I mean real reform; where things actually change. Not just window dressing on failure. There is much work to do – and much risk. The attempt on Saturday is revealing so much incompetence in the USSS that it is easy to get the feeling that they were intentionally inept. The Democrats have not stopped the incendiary rhetoric – and that will just increase as time goes on. Make no mistake about it: they do want a successful Saturday to happen. They hope that by continually stoking the fires that someone will make their dream come true. But the miracle of Saturday also gives me confidence that, as it always eventually does, right will triumph.
Blogs For Victory 
Mark, I think you’ve put the best possible spin on Trump’s pick of J.D. Vance, but I don’t disagree. I’m just spitballing, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the questions Trump asked prospective running mates was what would you have done if you’d been Vice President on January 6th, 2021, knowing that some of the envelopes contained electoral votes that were prima facie illegitimate, not necessarily because of suspected fraud, but because the state did something unconstitutional. And I wouldn’t be surprised is Vance was the only one who said, he’d tell the electors from those states to stick their ballots where the sun don’t shine.
Could be.
I’ll tell you one thing: the vice presidential debate will be fun to watch.
I agree about the “best possible spin” but what I really got out of it was Identity Politics. Lots of personality traits and background info but nothing about his actual experience or qualifications. Now, I admit it is possible that he might actually contribute to the campaign. But I keep coming back to my original complaint, which is that we learned just four days ago how quickly we might be required to replace a president, and I for one don’t want that replacement to be someone with a great bio and no actual real-life experience. And I still think Trump screwed the GOP regarding the 2028 campaign. He had a once in a lifetime chance to set up a 12-year dynasty and put the man who truly IS the most qualified, right this minute, to be president in position to not only make his own term the most significantly productive in history but set us up for continuing that into the next 8 years. And I don’t see that happening now. For all his background, I think the Deep State will eat Vance’s lunch because he simply does not know what he is doing, in a disappointing term for Trump because he will have to be doing everything himself.
It is a legitimate concern, of course – Vance doesn’t know the inner workers of the machine and that could handicap him a bit.
I was a little surprised by the Vance pick, but after some light reading, and hearing some commentary about him, I get it. Vance is a political newcomer having been very successful in the private sector, he also has broad appeal from the billionaire donor class to the people in fly over country, he is married to a “woman of color”, AND he has an American story like no other. He is also young with a long future in front of him and could be a GOP standard bearer for a long time.
The single primary thing that I am so pleased about re: Trump is that he brought the backbone back to the GOP. We have fighters now, finally. Vance is one, but so is Hawley, Kennedy, Stefanik, Gaetz, Jordan, Comer, etc. And thanks to Trump, they know how to fight and WIN.
Did you see Trump’s entrance last night? I was astonished – and amazed at some of the speakers.
Some people are complaining about it but I see it as clearly building towards a fall campaign where Trump is trying to get national unity.
I think we’re in for an amazing couple months here.
OTOH – and to Amazona’s concern – the incompetence on Saturday was so bad that one can’t help but think that the Establishment wants Trump dead.
I did see Trump last night and what I saw was a changed man, in some respects, and I think that happens when you realize how close you came to death. Trump has an opportunity now to achieve what Reagan did in 1984 … national unity. I think most Americans are tired of the rancor and insults of the Democrat Party and their agenda of divisiveness and manufactured issues. Americans want their elected representatives to address THEIR needs, and not the needs of foreign countries or illegal immigrants and Trump and Vance will do that. Considering where Vance came from, he definitely understands the plight of low income Americans and the battles they face daily.
If Trump wanted to play the “identity politics” card, he wouldn’t have picked Vance, there were other options. And when anyone says that Vance has no real life experience, they are just unaware of his background. Even though he is young, Vance has a ton of real life experience, and because he is new to politics, he is not owned by anyone.
I think Vance will prove to be a big help to Trump, and I think he will make an excellent VP.
Well, there is “real life experience” and then there is “real life experience relevant to governing”. I don’t think anyone has complained that Vance has ‘no real life experience”. I read Hillbilly Elegy long before he ran for office. I knew about Vance’s “life experience” before most people did, probably long before you did.
I hope Vance is the right choice. I want him to be the right choice. I am just not comfortable yet that he is, and I have a very unhappy sense that DeSantis was not picked, in spite of his vastly superior qualifications and RELEVANT real life experience because Trump could not deal with another alpha male, at least one who has not adequately proved his fealty. It’s a sad commentary that Vance’s main qualification is that he will not compete with Trump. I am so tired of Trump decisions based on ego and am afraid this might be one of them.
“Understanding plight” is not a qualification for leadership or governance. I understand it and am not qualified to be president. That is an emotional appeal, but then we have a vast contingent of Americans who vote on nothing more so it might matter.
I can think of one thing, and one thing only, that might—MIGHT— sway me to a belief he is the right choice, and that goes back to the whole “unifying’ theme. Vance has no baggage. His lack of political experience and history gives the Left very little to hang onto. DeSantis has made enemies, while Vance has just irritated a few people by defending Trump. DeSantis has prevailed over established Leftist icons and giants, and Vance has—well, nothing. DeSantis has been a political warrior, and while successful has created a lot of angst in the Left, while Vance is a blank slate. Attacking Vance will be very tough, because there is simply so little to grasp, and here his lack of experience might be an advantage.
In any case, he is the nominee so none of my frustration will matter. And who knows? He is a quick study and might rise to the occasion. I wanted a Vice President DeSantis who could be tasked with cleaning up the Bureaucratic State, but if Vance is given a mentor or two to guide him through the labyrinth of assumptions of legislative powers and legal entanglements he might be effective. It might be enough to just have the #2 slot on the ticket so inoffensive and such a blank slate that he is not a negative.
So I think we will be having a campaign that is basically “Trump and Some Other Guy” and hope (generational reference coming here) that Vance turns out to be more than Trump’s Ed McMahon.
As for your last comment, just what IS “an excellent VP”?
A review of Hillbilly Elegy ends with this commentary on the reviewer’s impression of Vance after reading the book:
If you are curious about the vice presidential-hopeful’s policies, you’ll get a good amount of guidance here. You’ll see where he comes from, what he’s passionate about.
Vance calls for personal accountability, familial accountability and community accountability. He doesn’t think the government can solve all the problems, especially problems that are ingrained on a cultural level. He tells a story about the American Dream, that it’s not something we’re entitled to, it’s something we are meant to chase. Not everyone enters the race in the same place, at the same time. In order to catch it, we need to navigate politics and culture together to achieve a higher goal.
If Vance’s job as VP is promote and advocate for these principals, be a little more of a PR guy than a political leader, it would be wonderful if he could tip the balance in those directions. We can only hope.
amazed at some of the speakers.
I didn’t see it….what about the speakers amazed you? “Good” amazed or “OMG!” amazed?
OF COURSE the Establishment wants Trump dead. They haven’t been shy about admitting it. I think they just thought that once they succeeded they could provide cover, and when the effort failed they not only can’t do that but now face a potential Executive Branch not only able to deal with them but very highly motivated to do so.
Guess we’ll find our more in the next few days. That Vance was a “Never Trump” back in 2016 and actually voted for Hillary is certainly a (BIG) concern. That he is currently a republican and has a 100% record voting for Pro-Life issues (even though he recently made a comment on accepting the abortion pill), is a plus.
His debate against Harris should tell us a lot about his ability to advance the agenda of the right while at the same time properly paint the left. It should shed light on his current ability to handle the spotlight and command authority with facts -or- not.
The Dan Bongino podcast on Rumble tonight will be an hour long interview with Tucker Carlson; main topic of discussion, Trump’s pick of J.D. Vance.
I wondered how long it would take to turn this photo into a meme.
And this one:
I heard her described as Melissa McCarthy’s body double – LOL!
The screw up of USSS just got worse and worse through the day, didn’t it? The only thing they didn’t do was help the shooter up to the rooftop.
Incompetence or malevolence? Immaterial at this point.
But note that nobody is resigning and they’re telling us nothing about an “ongoing investigation” even though the only known suspect is dead. They are going to bury this until after the election…and longer if Biden wins.
Verdict in Bob Menendez Corruption Case Released
The federal jury weighing evidence in the bribery case against Democrat U.S. Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey returned its verdict on Tuesday afternoon: Guilty on all counts.
In total, Menendez now faces up to 200 years in prison based on the maximum sentences assigned to each of the counts on which he was found guilty.
While the outcome of the case is now known, Menendez’s plans regarding his U.S. Senate seat — from which he still has not resigned — remain unclear for now. Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), had refrained from calling for him to step down following the indictment or during the trial.
You can bet the democrats will slow walk this all the way until the end of the year or until they can secure his seat with another democrat. With the current makeup of the US Senate at R – 49, D – 47 I – 4, the loss of this seat could be enough to force a change in control of the Senate. That Menendez is from NJ where D’s outnumber R’s it will be difficult to wrestle a seat from the left, though this kind of conviction could be enough to change voter minds.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/spencerbrown/2024/07/16/the-bob-menendez-verdict-is-in-n2642010?utm_source=breakingemail&utm_medium=email
he “I” are democrats in all but name and outs vote for democrat control of the senate 100% of the time.
When looking at polls on the upcoming election trying to determine where things stand (not that I give much credence to polls in general and certainly not this far out), those working with Bidum have to be concerned about this;
When talking about the USSS…
Similar concerns have long been conveyed by independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who lost his father and uncle to political assassinations but has nonetheless been refused any Secret Service detail while polling close to 10% in some surveys.
If even Kennedy is polling at a little less than 10%, I’m guessing the majority of those will be coming from the left’s base which spells absolute disaster for Bidum. When you add recent events; the debate between Trump & Bidum, the assassination attempt, the RNC convention, the internal democrat turmoil attempting to get Bidum to resign, the fact that nearly everyone is against Harris sitting in the big chair, a lack of any true leadership within the DNC, the disastrous woke policies & lifestyles the left is trying to shove down everyone’s throats… it would take something of epic proportions to change the dynamics of the strong movement towards Trump. However, I’m of the belief the left will attempt near ANYTHING to force such an event.
While many on the left have begun to resign that they’re stuck with Bidum through the elections, their concern now goes to the down-line voting trying to hold the Senate and/or regain the House. I still fully expect they will continue in their attempt at voter fraud, though with more watchful eyes along with “some” changed legislation, it will be more difficult.
When including the recent announcements of the Florida case against Trump being tossed, the Georgia case being at least temporally suspended, and the possibility of the NY cases being heard and dismissed by either the Appeals court or Supreme court, I can see the level of despair & anger increase on the fringe left. We will see if they’re so entrenched in their determination to retain some level of government control that they will resort to absolute mayhem on the streets when losses reach “unacceptable” levels. I pray to God that we are sparred from such far-reaching disaster, as we were this past Saturday. I don’t think they fully understand the ramifications, nor do I think they currently care.
I am so tired of Trump decisions based on ego and am afraid this might be one of them.
I don’t agree with that. I don’t think it’s possible to build a billion dollar resort business by only hiring people who feed your ego. Trump has hired thousands of executives over the years and I am quite sure they were hired because Trump thought they would be a strong asset to the company. I think Trump sees that in Vance … a highly successful attorney and businessman at the young age of 39. I hope he does well and I think he will. And an excellent VP is simply someone who excels at their assigned tasks, just like the POTUS. When Kamala was appointed “border czar”, that was her moment to prove she is an excellent VP, and we all know how that turned out.
I think Vance could do an excellent job of streamlining the agencies and making them less partisan, more efficient, and more focused on their Constitutional roles. If he gets that job done, he will be an excellent VP
The agencies don’t need to be “streamlined” they need to be gutted, stripped of the legislative powers they have assumed and taken back to their original charters. This is going to be a complicated job, as currently so many of the agency head jobs are legally protected. Trump has to start the job by rescinding every single “regulation” imposed without the participation or even oversight of Congress, while whoever is given the job of weeding out the activists is going to have to navigate some legal minefields. With Trump rescinding regulations, Congress slashing budgets and Trump moving agencies out of the Beltway a lot of this can be accomplished through attrition but there has to be a laser-like focus on every agency, every rule it has passed, every regulation it has imposed and every political action it has taken.
https://youtu.be/Wk4fjH_XZ1g?si=U8GIhXZ_qmNLm3mS
Vance handles himself quite well
He did, but MAN, what a smug bitch. I wouldn’t have been nearly so civil with her.
Another good piece that puts the Vance pick in perspective.
LOL. Caitlyn Collins is an easy to despise propagandist
Vance’s biggest endorsement is the people who hate him, by far.
I watch most of tonight’s speeches – some powerful stuff. And everyone was at the top of their game. DeSantis has never been noted as a great speaker but he did very well. As did Haley and Huckabee-Sanders. Rubio was probably the weakest of the Big Names but even he was pretty good. Meanwhile, the Regular Folks speeches were of a high order. Very moving – and an unanswerable argument.
Laura Trump went low end on the clothing but very high end on the appeal – someone on X noted just how very good she looked and it occurred to me that the physical contrast between the two Conventions is going to be astonishing. Our people just look better, happier, more energetic. Can you imagine the hacks, has-beens and loons the Democrats are going to drag out? And then cap it off with a speech by Biden???? It is going to be a visual disaster.
I still have to agree with Amazona that Trump missed an opportunity to have DeSantis on the ticket. His speech last night was Presidential and i wish he was next in line, but as it is, it’s Vance and I want to give him a shot.
And you’re absolutely right about the contrast between the two parties … or visions shall we say. MAGA is fun, optimistic, healthy, attractive, and NORMAL. The Democrats are the exact opposite in every category. I watched a bit of Biden’s speech to the NAACP in Vegas and all he does is yell and scowl. Democrats are negative, angry, and ugly
What are the claimed reasons for hating Vance? As I said, he’s pretty untouchable, the advantage of being the new guy in town, with a limited voting record and little public exposure. I think I remember him asking a few questions in a hearing.
She has certainly mastered the tactic of hearing something explained and denied a dozen times and then saying “so you agree (to what you have been denying) and quickly moving on.
The question I kept coming back to was “a coup against….?????” A coup is a takeover of a government, usually by violent means (though the #RESIST movement by the Left when Trump took office was an effort to mount a soft coup, a nonviolent insurrection designed to assume the powers of the government) so if a man is already president, already running the nation, what exactly would a “coup” look like?
On the other hand, a sitting US President might decide to support a coup on another government in another country.
Smug is certainly the right word for this woman, along with arrogant. Take arrogant, supercilious and smug and you have a real ASS.
LOL.
On another note, I like Matt Gaetz a lot, I think he’s tough, sharp, and a real weapon against the Left, BUT his obsession with Kevin McCarthy precludes him from going any further up the ranks. He should retire and start a podcast … all about McCarthy lol
chris@reddooraz.com
Jeanne Pirro – Trump was shot. No cities were burned, no businesses were burned, not looting occurred, – the Republican people came together, they cheered and understood the message.
I heard this comment and thought it was spot on. Such a contrast on how MAGA handles adversity versus how the Left handles it … or doesn’t
This is pretty funny, a rewrite of “Many Men”
I am so out of touch that I have no idea what Many Men is, but I did hear Clay travis refer to it today too.
I had to look it up, not being a fan of rap. The original lyrics are typically incoherent and filthy, but the Trump version is pretty funny
Several Previously Unreported Major RNC Security Incidents Raise Safety Concerns
We knew there would be more violence against Trump & supporters (you know – us domestic terrorists) but only wondered what form it would take and when it would occur. Not sure we expected it to happen so quick after the assassination attempt but we’re dealing with deranged people here.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/spencerbrown/2024/07/16/previously-unreported-rnc-security-incidents-raise-concerns-about-convention-safety-n2642045
I too watched some of the speakers. While there is much overlap in the message, only a delusional person or someone with ulterior motives could argue against what was being said. Huckabee-Sanders was certainly on her game
I don’t know what happened to Democrats in the last 8 years. Trump broke them, and now they are just angry husks of human beings, who should never be allowed to govern anything
https://twitter.com/realJamesKlug/status/1813026191408046287?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1813026191408046287%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticle-13640165%2FLiberals-wild-conspiracy-theories-trump-assassination.html.
It’s what happens when you let ideology based on political beliefs get replaced with ideology based on identity. You can argue political beliefs, if they are really about POLITICS. That is, you can argue in favor of or against having the federal government take on the role of solving peoples’ problems for them. The argument might be contentious, but it is about IDEAS. What the Left has succeeded in doing is replacing ideas with feelings, and that means a disagreement is not abstract but personal. Then the Left has proceeded to thoroughly demonize its opposition, making the Left self-righteous and self-defined as not just the arbiter of morality but the sole defender of morality. Lost in this fetid swamp of assumed occupation of the Higher Moral Ground is an objective analysis of what the Left has defined as “moral”—killing babies, maiming children, sexualizing children, abandoning the rule of law, abuse of power–because the focus is always on the Invented Other, defined as “evil”.
And once you accept the identity of All That Is Good, and the concept that the Invented Other is, simply, Evil, well then anything goes.
anything goes.
And that describes, in two words, exactly where we are as a country.
Looks like it’s going to be a contest as to which was more incompetent WRT the Trump assassination attempt, the Secret Service or the news media’s reporting of it.
I’ve moved to the leadership making the ROE for the USSS so bad that it gave every opportunity for the shooter. Incompetence is always there – we’re humans. But this total failure is not natural incompetence. It is created.
It looks like the Dems have solved the Biden dilemma of “do we have to kick him out or will he slink off in defeat” because he seems to have contracted that new strain of Covid—-Covid JIT (Just in Time).
Too funny!
Rather convenient – but, also, who is still testing for that?
Is this his off ramp? I guess we’ll find out – but there was a poll out for MI-07, a swing district Biden won by 0.5% in 2020 and I think it was something like Trump +5. That is why the Democrats are in a funk…they realize that Joe is toast, but he’s now starting to draw down ballot Democrats with him.
Since I made it up (JIT) I doubt that anyone is testing for it…yet.
He might be looking for an off ramp that will let him—-in his delusional mind—save face and still drop out. We know there is no face to save but he doesn’t. Kind of funny, though, that after all his lies about the effectiveness of the “vaccine” he might have to depend on getting the disease it was alleged to prevent.
Biden’s “symptoms” are: “upper respiratory symptoms, to include rhinorhea (runny nose) and non-productive cough, with general malaise.” In other words, a mild cold.
But it turns out THIS is the reason he hasn’t been showing a lot of vitality lately.
Vaxx history:
Biden Covid shot history. They work great!
First Dose: December 21, 2020 (Pfizer)
Second Dose: January 11, 2021 (Pfizer)
First Booster: September 27, 2021 (Pfizer)
Second Booster: March 30, 2022 (Pfizer)
Updated Booster: October 25, 2022 (Pfizer Bivalent)
2023 Booster: September 23, 2023 (Pfizer updated booster)
Maybe one this year—no one knows.
Mandating COVID shots ‘one of the greatest mistakes,’ former CDC chief says
In a Senate hearing July 11, ex-CDC Director Robert Redfield said mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are ‘toxic’ and should not have been mandated. He also called for a pause on gain-of-function research.
No Sh*t Sherlock. Now that there’s been a high level of compliance and financial benefits already gained, we can publicly state what most of the world already knows. Does formal recognition of the CDC’s “mistake” mean they will now be personally responsible for the horrific tragedies? Didn’t think so. Think that massive blunder of a lifetime will alter such astronomical FORCED decisions going forward. I highly doubt it. And isn’t gain-of-function already supposed to be illegal? But now you’re calling for a pause? These deceitful admissions are nothing but an attempt to whitewash a pile of lies, but what else is new in leftist government news? Well for one, the person (currently) holding the position of President of the United States is fully caught up in his mRNA intake. Guess it didn’t help him either… unless it’s just another excuse to get out of the heat.
Does anyone else wonder how people can rationalize their continued support for these never-ending lies?
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/mandating-covid-shots-one-of-the-greatest-mistakes-former-cdc-chief-says/?utm_source=daily-usa-2024-07-18&utm_medium=email
Let’s not forget that the CDC did not mandate those shots—Biden did, via Executive Order, if he even bothered to be that official. And it was his administration that allowed the drug to continue as experimental, thereby remaining free of liability for damages. Then there are the media, who carried water for the drug companies and administration and continually lied to the public about the drugs, about their effectiveness and their lack of danger to those taking them.
I could see a barrage of lawsuits, against every company that required the shots for people to be able to keep their jobs. In general I am against using lawsuits to accomplish other goals, but in our current society they seem like the best way to get peoples’ attention.
(For example, I think every legislature or governor or secretary of state or whoever is charged with “certifying” vote counts in elections should be sued if they certify vote tallies proven to be substantially inaccurate, for any reason.)
And in the wonderful land of socialized medicine, Canada still mandates the jab which has created a BIG hole in healthcare providers, which in turn created a situation where millions are without a family doctor. I guess the revolts will only happen when the left pushes too far, too fast. But to be fair, this shortage has also affected most other nations including the US, however the mandate in the US is experiencing pushback at many levels including the courts. Think the CDC will abstain from adding the jab to the list of childhood vaccines?
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/2-5-million-in-ontario-dont-have-family-doctor-as-covid-mandates-for-health-workers-remain/?utm_source=digest-catholic-2024-07-17&utm_medium=email