I'm with Damon - Trump is a unique threat, and just about anybody else, including J.D. Vance, would be a lesser evil.
* Trump is an authentic nihilist. Vance can pander to nihilists, but it's not who he is.
* Trump is a cult leader. Most of the cultists would not accept Vance as a substitute for their idol - they would not do a coup to keep Vance in office.
* Trump is lazy, stupid, and incompetent. Vance is none of those things, which means he could execute the normal, day-to-day duties of his office - duties Trump often neglected or flubbed. This might make Vance more energetic in undermining democracy, but who can say he would not undergo another chameleon-like transformation once Trump is out of the way?
The only person I can think of who might be as bad as Trump is Tucker Carlson. He can check the nihilist and cult leader boxes. While he is not stupid, I suspect he is lazy - that's probably why he has not seemed interested in running for office, which would require more work than being a Twitter pundit.
Vance is a slick, snake-oil salesman and a fascist. If trump wins and Project 2025 is implemented, it will be Vance implementing it and he could be around for a long time. We must win in November.
I’m Switzerland on this. JD Vance is a mythical creature existing exclusive of any actual human characteristic or emotion.
Would he revert to The Atlantic contributor personality he once had if Trump dropped dead? Maybe. Would he contest a lost election? Possibly, but more likely not. It would be horrifically embarrassing and his wife actually loves him and would counsel against it, I think.
He barely won OH. MAGA don’t believe he’s MAGA enough. Maybe I’m stupid but I think there was an occasional glimmer of true Vulcan mind meld the other night. Vance is not a good person, at all, but even a bad man can be a good father. His love for his wife and family is clear. Same with Tim Walz. I believe that Vance was sincere in his shock and sympathy at the news that Gus
Walz witnessed a shooting.
OTOH, he’s a really bad man, has converted to some weird Catholic sect, and espouses the New Right. I think The Bulwark overvalues his intelligence. He was accepted to Yale Law at least in part due to geography (a big part, I suspect) and was a mediocre student with no real love for the law.
All of that said, I lean toward the idea that no one is worse than Trump.
I'm with Damon - Trump is a unique threat, and just about anybody else, including J.D. Vance, would be a lesser evil.
* Trump is an authentic nihilist. Vance can pander to nihilists, but it's not who he is.
* Trump is a cult leader. Most of the cultists would not accept Vance as a substitute for their idol - they would not do a coup to keep Vance in office.
* Trump is lazy, stupid, and incompetent. Vance is none of those things, which means he could execute the normal, day-to-day duties of his office - duties Trump often neglected or flubbed. This might make Vance more energetic in undermining democracy, but who can say he would not undergo another chameleon-like transformation once Trump is out of the way?
The only person I can think of who might be as bad as Trump is Tucker Carlson. He can check the nihilist and cult leader boxes. While he is not stupid, I suspect he is lazy - that's probably why he has not seemed interested in running for office, which would require more work than being a Twitter pundit.
Vance is a slick, snake-oil salesman and a fascist. If trump wins and Project 2025 is implemented, it will be Vance implementing it and he could be around for a long time. We must win in November.
I’m Switzerland on this. JD Vance is a mythical creature existing exclusive of any actual human characteristic or emotion.
Would he revert to The Atlantic contributor personality he once had if Trump dropped dead? Maybe. Would he contest a lost election? Possibly, but more likely not. It would be horrifically embarrassing and his wife actually loves him and would counsel against it, I think.
He barely won OH. MAGA don’t believe he’s MAGA enough. Maybe I’m stupid but I think there was an occasional glimmer of true Vulcan mind meld the other night. Vance is not a good person, at all, but even a bad man can be a good father. His love for his wife and family is clear. Same with Tim Walz. I believe that Vance was sincere in his shock and sympathy at the news that Gus
Walz witnessed a shooting.
OTOH, he’s a really bad man, has converted to some weird Catholic sect, and espouses the New Right. I think The Bulwark overvalues his intelligence. He was accepted to Yale Law at least in part due to geography (a big part, I suspect) and was a mediocre student with no real love for the law.
All of that said, I lean toward the idea that no one is worse than Trump.