I am not from Appalachia but know many who are from that area (eastern Ky) and have never heard them speak positively of JD Vance. That may change now, as many are also Trump voters. Having said that, I know more than a few that took exception to Hillbilly Elegy. I haven't seen the move, nor read the book, but one person from that area thought it was mocking the stereotype rather than taking an honest look at it. It doesn't put Appalachia in a positive light light, and doesn't pretend to. He doesn't do anything to help the area or shed any light on the many positives of the area and culture.
My take on Vance is that he's a coastal elitists idea of what a White Working Class-whisperer should be. He played that role brilliantly.
"Islamist"... is this a thing now? Does anyone use "Christianist" to describe a country full of Eric Rudolphs and James Kopps?
the small clip I saw on the convention yesterday on NZ news showed Tucker sitting two seats away from the orange fascist. I know that isn't directly related to what you are saying, I just found it interesting that he got such a prominent position in the "royal box".
Here's a pretty good argument about why Trumps appeal to the white working and out-of-working classes in America is understandable, but ultimately dangerous. From 2016. The great tragedy is that many of the problems Trump identifies are real, and so many of the hurts he exploits demand serious thought and measured action—from governments, yes, but also from community leaders and individuals. Yet so long as people rely on that quick high, so long as wolves point their fingers at everyone but themselves, the nation delays a necessary reckoning. There is no self-reflection in the midst of a false euphoria. Trump is cultural heroin. He makes some feel better for a bit. But he cannot fix what ails them, and one day they’ll realize it. I’m not sure when or how that realization arrives: maybe in a few months, when Trump loses the election; maybe in a few years, when his supporters realize that even with a President Trump, their homes and families are still domestic war zones, their newspapers’ obituaries continue to fill with the names of people who died too soon, and their faith in the American Dream continues to falter. But it will come, and when it does, I hope Americans cast their gaze to those with the most power to address so many of these problems: each other. And then, perhaps the nation will trade the quick high of “Make America Great Again” for real medicine. This strikes me as a pretty decent analysis. Blaming others for your problems is appealing. But immigrants and liberals aren't making a series of bad decisions that have rendered your communities unstable and overwhelmed by an epidemic of "shit life syndrome." The same author said to Terry Gross, on NPR's Fresh Air progam that "But I think that I'm going to vote third party because I can’t stomach Trump. I think that he’s noxious and is leading the white working class to a very dark place." That author is 100% right, IMO. Unfortunately, that author is J.D. Vance. https://www.thebulwark.com/p/jd-vance-wants-to-take-america-to
That very dark place is exactly where uneducated whites want to go.Theyll come out on the other side either dead,mixed beyond recognition,or maybe, just maybe, standing alone on top of a pile of smoking ruins. Vance perhaps came to that realization on some diner tour in Ohio and said "F it,let it burn."
I think that's a main difference between Republicans and Democrats, at least those recognized as leaders in the Trump party. Democrats want leadership and power to pass legislation, do whatever they want. Republicans want power and money, and will ride whatever train they think will get them there.
Ole J.D. gonna hafta dumb down his talk. Trump and most of his followers probably think DeBaathification has something to with the water pressure in the shower head. .
Vance is a disciple of Thiel - that's the Natcon world where all that stuff comes from. PSA were noting yesterday that Vance can give a more policy centric articulation of MAGA compared to Trump's insane rantings. But it isn't really MAGA. This is what these Natcon clowns have been on about for ages and now they have their guy. It's basically a form of American fascism
I'm sure that Putin and Xi are delighted by Trump's choice. It signals that Trump is going to play the isolationist theme, and it plays into their hand.