17 Comments
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Randy Paulson's avatar

Thanks for the thoughtful article! It was a great read. I also especially liked your phrase “…Trump, who is like the seven deadly sins thrown into a blender and poured into a suit.”

Ken Klippenstein's avatar

glad you liked it randy! and lol'd while writing that

Carol Brownson's avatar

me too! I was going to quote that but you beat me to it. :-)

Kaki Hunter's avatar

Ugh! Vance is a brown noser willing to do or say whatever gets his feet in the door. He was enlisted by the PayPal Mafia (along with DT) from the get go just for this reason. He is a snake slithering through the underbelly of the Elite Beast who I am sure will receive exorbitant dark money to keep towing the American public into whatever direction makes the rich richer with their water guzzling data center oil polluting enterprises and oh yeah, Christian Right values. Don’t fall prey to the snakes that aim to steel everything you hold dear.

Lois's avatar

Thoughtful piece that shows why the Dems' centrism is easily defeated by the Right.

Ken Klippenstein's avatar

thanks Lois!

PK's avatar

Well whatever you can say about JD, he's an opportunist but he's not stupid. Since Rump is trying to blame him for Operation Epic Failure, he's stuck either submitting to that or differentiating himself (and he was reportedly the only Cabinet member who disagreed about attacking Iran although Tulsi Gabbard is said to have denied that Iran had a legitimate nuclear weapons program). If Vance can get his approval ratings up he'll have plenty of financial backing from Peter Thief and the other broligarchs in two years

Laurie Tanenbaum's avatar

I hope that Democrats will be ready to share his history when he peddles himself as the good guy in the room.

Thanks, Ken. I always learn something from your writing.

Ken Klippenstein's avatar

Glad you find it helpful, Laurie.

michael's avatar

They might even sabotage more progressive democratic frontrunners in favor of him or some neoliberal democratic clone of his.

Laurie Tanenbaum's avatar

That's why people have to know their past politics in detail and put that out to the public clearly. The wolves in lambzs clothing will be all over all the elections, everywhere.

michael's avatar

Exactly! We need a transformative vision for the future. Not a return to the "status quo". The status quo sucked and is/was getting worse for so many people. Bring in some democratic socialists! ✊

Todd's avatar

"As Vance himself pointed out multiple times during his media blitz: 'I’m the only person in the cabinet who can’t be fired.'"

True.

But I can also see Trump pulling a Sarah Palin and having pics of Vance centered in crosshairs circulated.

Come to think of it, I can see him calling up Cricket-Killer to have her shoot Vance's dog, too.

Patty Tanji's avatar

Still feels like gas lighting

Michael Wallace's avatar

That compelling pivot may have been the point.

Paul Snyder's avatar

Vance’s next book:

“Scapegoat Elegy”

Edward Truncale's avatar

Distance from the anchor is irrelevant if you are still chained to it as it sinks to the bottom of the sea.