Dem
51
GOP
49
Someday very soon—and today could well be the day, so as to dominate the weekend news cycle—Donald Trump will announce the name of his running mate. A number of sources have suggested that it's already a done deal, and that Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) will be the pick.
Vance is, to use a technical term, a jerk. His "hillbilly" shtick is as phony as the day is long. He's said a lot of mean-spirited and/or hateful things. And, of course, in the vulgar search for power, he's been all-too-happy to enable the proto-fascism of Donald Trump. This despite Vance's having taken two oaths, one as a Marine, one as a U.S. senator, to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.
This is why there is some small amount of schadenfreude in yesterday's resurfacing of video footage from 2016. Back then, desperate for any attention he could get as he tried to get his political career off the ground, Vance appeared on MSNBC (something he presumably wouldn't do today). And during an interview with Chris Matthews, Vance said he believed the story of Jessica Leeds, who claimed she was groped by Trump. The future senator even added some snark at Trump's expense, remarking: "And at the end of the day, do you believe Donald Trump, who always tells the truth—just kidding—or do you believe that woman on the tape?"
You can't escape your past and, once something is on the Internet, it lives forever. Vance's single-greatest liability, from the standpoint of The Donald, is his past criticism of the Dear Leader. Trump may have been able to grit his teeth and to overlook it, but when he is presented with a fresh reminder just days before the convention, it may be a bridge too far. And if Vance loses out on the #2 slot in that way, then a smattering of schadenfreude immediately becomes a tidal wave of schadenfreude. (Z)