OP, Have you watched Vance in any long form interviews?

Check out his you tube with Theo Von. You may not like his politics, but he communicates in a way that is down to earth while still sounding intelligent and knowledgeable about topics.

The most liked comment on the Vance-Theo Von podcast is something like “this is the most normal sounding political guy ever. Dems say he is weird?”

Obviously his message is better received by Vons young male audience than OP who is most likely an UMC / coastal elite middle-aged woman.

But it illustrates the fact that people think the mainstream news is lying to them. Vance is very clearly intelligent and an excellent communicator, even if you hate his political positions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The tide is changing. Not sure if a preference cascade is happening, but the Dem stranglehold on discourse is weakening every day.

Vance may be the guy in 2028. His fortune will depend on how well Trump 47 does, and that's an open question.

Yep. People got the impression of Vance as “creepy” because that was the party line pushed by left wing activists (inc. those employed in media). Once moderate people had a chance to hear him talk directly (e.g., on Rogan) they got a different impression. And yeah everyone likes a winner.

There has been a preference cascade as fewer and fewer people trust (or even listen to) legacy media. The lack of trust is ultimately caused by a culture of media “spin.” It’s been angle first, truth second for too long.

How to regain the trust of the center once it’s lost? I dunno. Not my problem.

Very good comments. The center is growing and the whack jobs on the fringes are less relevant. The issue dems have is their fringe has enjoyed a loud pulpit for a long time. People are waking up. But like you say, not our problem. Can't believe I'm saying this but they might actually want to start listening to someone like Fetterman.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't changed my mind about him
He is worse than trump because he is articulate and doesn't say crazy things.

And this is why he will do better than Trump and why he is such and issue for Dems. He has the working class Rust Belt roots to win Blue Wall votes and his Yale pedigree, POC lawyer wife, and less offensive / polished delivery will win him a lot more voters than Trump in places like Loudoun County and Montgomery County PA. He’ll do as good, if not better, than Trump with working class voters and definitely better than Trump in the UMC suburbs.

He has to deliver on the economy to win those voters. There is no reason to think that any of Trump's policies will do so. The 2028 election will not resemble the 2024 election, the same way the 2024 election did not resemble the 2020 election. It swings back and forth.

Anonymous wrote:They are already working on his 2028 campaign.

We could all hope. Not like the dems are going to have a viable candidate in four years.

Anonymous wrote:I haven't changed my mind about him
He is worse than trump because he is articulate and doesn't say crazy things.

And this is why he will do better than Trump and why he is such and issue for Dems. He has the working class Rust Belt roots to win Blue Wall votes and his Yale pedigree, POC lawyer wife, and less offensive / polished delivery will win him a lot more voters than Trump in places like Loudoun County and Montgomery County PA. He’ll do as good, if not better, than Trump with working class voters and definitely better than Trump in the UMC suburbs.

Anonymous wrote:I haven't changed my mind about him
He is worse than trump because he is articulate and doesn't say crazy things.

Sure. But “worse” in this sentence just means “a more formidable opponent to my preferred candidate.”

I started watching that interview posted on page 1 before I had to stop for a meeting.

Honestly - what I saw so far in that interview was he came across as someone who's articulate, intelligent. I want to hear the rest of the interview to see what else he has to say.

Granted, Vance is not an awesome candidate like Pete “paternity leave” Buttigieg, but he will do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m from where he’s from and totally understood his book. It was 100% accurate. I liked him after that — he’s obviously very smart. But once he lost the courage in his convictions, he lost me. But I don’t hate him. When you compare him to other young Republicans, ie Gaetz, I’ll take Vance.

This. Which Vance is the real Vance, the one who wrote his book or the one today? Who knows? I don't.

People can add to their foundational upbringing without losing who they are. This should not have to be explained to a rational adult.

So you don't know either. Got it.

Anonymous wrote:The tide is changing. Not sure if a preference cascade is happening, but the Dem stranglehold on discourse is weakening every day.

Vance may be the guy in 2028. His fortune will depend on how well Trump 47 does, and that's an open question.

Yep. People got the impression of Vance as “creepy” because that was the party line pushed by left wing activists (inc. those employed in media). Once moderate people had a chance to hear him talk directly (e.g., on Rogan) they got a different impression. And yeah everyone likes a winner.

There has been a preference cascade as fewer and fewer people trust (or even listen to) legacy media. The lack of trust is ultimately caused by a culture of media “spin.” It’s been angle first, truth second for too long.

How to regain the trust of the center once it’s lost? I dunno. Not my problem.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m from where he’s from and totally understood his book. It was 100% accurate. I liked him after that — he’s obviously very smart. But once he lost the courage in his convictions, he lost me. But I don’t hate him. When you compare him to other young Republicans, ie Gaetz, I’ll take Vance.

This. Which Vance is the real Vance, the one who wrote his book or the one today? Who knows? I don't.

People can add to their foundational upbringing without losing who they are. This should not have to be explained to a rational adult.

They are already working on his 2028 campaign.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Now that the libs know he has momentum for 2028, they’re going to start targeting him

He has NO momentum. He's been sidelined by Trump. His campaign "rallies" were embarrassing and didn't remotely tap into Trump's energy. What we're seeing is a small segment of posters here starting to look ahead to 2028 and portray him as the next great candidate. He's not.

Even Trump's rallies were embarassing by that metric. The playing field has changed and you guys are using the old playbook.

If Vance is going to be the nominee, he's going to be playing defense against his inevitable terrible economy record. But hey, if they somehow defy all odds and deliver on the economy (lowering prices from where they are now, more jobs, etc.), by all means...

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone’s opinion of Vance changed since the election? Republicans are very energized right now and Democrats are feeling the opposite, so it makes sense that there would be more pro Vance chatter.

Changed for the better. Thought he was an awful pick. Wanted Haley, Tulsi, or Scott. Good with it now.

Anonymous wrote:I’m from where he’s from and totally understood his book. It was 100% accurate. I liked him after that — he’s obviously very smart. But once he lost the courage in his convictions, he lost me. But I don’t hate him. When you compare him to other young Republicans, ie Gaetz, I’ll take Vance.

This. Which Vance is the real Vance, the one who wrote his book or the one today? Who knows? I don't.