If you are looking for a talented statesman with a good political imagination and a strong record, you should read the Washington Post and MSNBC, perhaps tune into CNN for a while, and see who they are afraid of. Right now, the obvious answer is Trump. But, at least when it comes to potential running mates for the Republican ticket, the big spooky name is J.D. Vance, which should tell you that he is the perfect choice to be Trump’s vice presidential nominee.
Yet it is not just the mainstream media that is afraid of Vance. It is also the establishment Republican donor class, who have voiced serious concern over what his promotion to the vice presidency would mean, ideologically, for the future of the party. Why, then, are they so afraid? The short answer is that they fear him for many of the same reasons they once feared Trump. Hence, he is arguably the most suitable option to be the former president’s running mate.
Vance, who has served as the junior senator from Ohio for the last two years, is a self-styled man of the New Right. In terms of policy, he has consistently sided with the so-called populist faction of the Republican Party, supporting working-class American families and upholding an “America first” agenda abroad. For instance, Vance has not only been a staunch advocate for steel workers in the U.S., but he has also been a leading voice against further U.S. funding of the war in Ukraine.
Moreover, Vance’s intellectual prowess is likewise noteworthy. A graduate from Yale Law School, he has demonstrated great erudition without simultaneously appearing detached from the concerns of ordinary Americans. He is friends with renowned academics like Dr. Chad C. Pecknold of the Catholic University of America and Dr. Patrick Deneen of the University of Notre Dame, both of whom have done much to articulate the intellectual foundations for what Deneen calls “common-good conservatism.” That is, a conservatism rooted in the pursuit of virtue, as opposed to the relativism that reigns in a majority of our institutions, and promotes communitarianism as a healthy corrective to the many ills of American individualism. (READ MORE: Vice President J.D. Vance)
The practical implications of this seemingly new kind of conservatism, which is really a return to a tradition that predates liberalism itself, can be seen all throughout Vance’s political action in the past two years. In his recent speech at the National Conservatism conference, for example, Vance decried the widely accepted notion that “America is an idea.” He said: “America is not just an idea, though we were founded on great ideas. America is a nation. It is a group of people with a common history and a common future.”
Furthermore, in a recent interview with postliberal columnist Sohrab Ahmari, Vance explained that “in most areas, Biden fundamentally sees the role of the United States as to work toward the liberal international order, the rules-based American order, and to use American power to enforce that order.” The problem with this view, said Vance, is that it fails to prioritize the welfare of Americans who are themselves struggling economically, socially, and even spiritually. “Yes,” he said, “we have some obligation to the world at large, but we owe a more pressing obligation to people in our community.” Hence, Vance’s alternative view is aligned with Trump’s, which he described as a “skepticism toward intervention overseas, combined with an extremely aggressive posture when you do intervene.”
Vance seems to understand the concerns of working-class Americans, not merely as the result of theoretical pondering, but most especially because he is himself a son of rural Appalachia, and is therefore familiar with the struggles of those whom Trump has rightfully called “the forgotten men and women of our country.” The story of Vance’s upbringing is documented in his inspiring autobiography, Hillbilly Elegy, which was adapted into a film by the same name, starring Glenn Close and Amy Adams. Both the book and the film capture the hardships of rural America, offering insights into the importance of family for overcoming such hardships, while leaving room for criticism of the broader political and socio-economic realities that are at the root of those problems. Thus, the elevation of Vance to the vice presidency would be an apt response to the call for better elites.
Perhaps the only potential downside to having Vance as Trump’s running mate is his disappointingly permissive stance on abortion. Specifically, his recent assertion of wanting to keep abortion pills available has raised eyebrows among conservatives, many of whom are quite fond of his other policy proposals. But, when it comes to political expediency, the harsh reality is that abortion does not seem to be a winning issue for Republicans, which is arguably why both Trump and Vance have aimed for a seemingly moderate position on the matter. This does not mean, however, that a Trump–Vance administration will do the same. With the right people in their team, and the right advisers, they could be — and, in Trump’s case, continue to be — champions for the pro-life movement.
In any case, Trump’s selection of Vance is not only ideal, but also likely. Don Jr., who has been a vocal supporter of Vance, is reportedly set to introduce Trump’s running mate at the Republican National Convention later today. Additionally, Trump himself has been quite clear that he will select someone who is loyal and, most importantly, could replace him if tragedy were to befall him. This latter consideration could not be more relevant now, just two days after the former president’s assassination attempt.
For this and all the aforementioned reasons, Vance is certainly the best alternative for the Trump ticket. Now is not the time for superficial moderation, or identity politics. It is time for an “America first,” common-good conservatism to revitalize the institutions and social fabric of our once-great nation.
