HILLBILLY HELLEGY: J.D. Vance and the Discombobulation of the American Political Mythology

The choice of Trump’s running mate proves the old GOP is gone, replaced by a new and more perverse American mythology.

“Trump is America’s Hitler.” J.D. Vance

“HELL: Sen. J.D. Vance attempted to sell his soul to the Devil ‘multiple times,’ but Satan declined to buy it.” Andy Borowitz

“Hillbillies learn from an early age to deal with uncomfortable truths by avoiding them or by pretending better truths exist. This tendency might make for psychological resilience, but it also makes it hard for Appalachians to look at themselves honestly.” J.D. Vance

“The Vance of eight years ago was read with appreciation and gratitude by Trump opponents looking for a window into populism. The Vance of today is despised and feared by many of the same kind of people. His transformation is one of the most striking political stories of the Trump era, and one that’s likely to influence Republican politics even after Trump is gone.” Ross Douthat

“We’ll rail against the way the government has destroyed our health care market in one breath and resist the support offered to the poor and middle class to navigate this brokenness with the other. This is not conservative; it is incoherence masquerading as ideological purity.” J.D. Vance

Imagine my upset this week, when all of my evening TV viewing was usurped on most major channels by the self-congratulatory orgy…