As I was reading a column from my colleague-once-removed Guy Benson, I thought again about how right I was to praise Donald Trump’s selection of J.D. Vance immediately.
You surely recall the moaning and whining coming from the Republican bedwetters after the pick. Democrats immediately attacked Vance, and as a consequence, the Senator’s favorability ratings dropped like a stone into a deep lake.
Democrats chose to attack Vance as a “weird” guy who had sex with a couch because, well, it is perfectly normal for the candidates of a major political party to run on these bizarre, made-up claims.
Tim Walz says he can’t wait to debate JD Vance “if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up.”
He then says “These guys are creepy and yes, just weird as hell.” pic.twitter.com/NErHdoUifR
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 6, 2024
The Democrats went all-in on attacking Vance, and at first, it worked. Since most Americans knew nothing about him the Democrats rushed to define him and made a significant impression.
JD Vance was the first VP nominee to have a negative net favorability coming out of his party’s convention… It’s only gotten worse for him.
Given how Vance has dominated news cycles, it is, at this point, the worst VP pick since Eagleton in 1972… pic.twitter.com/GVanVIyHO6
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) August 1, 2024
However–and giving the lie to the Harris campaign’s claim that she didn’t have enough time to introduce herself to the American people–the real J.D. Vance persona reversed the initial impression. After what appeared to be a disastrous rollout, Vance not only recovered but ended the election campaign with the highest approval rating of the four candidates.
He did it without the benefit of hundreds of millions in ads nor the kind of positive Pravda media coverage from which Harris and Walz benefited.
He did it because he was a great candidate and a great choice by Trump. In fact, I strongly believe that he, incredibly, added to Trump’s victory, which may be a first for a Vice Presidential candidate. Vice Presidential candidates are usually placeholders, not vote getters.
How it started / How it’s going for JD Vance. He entered the race with the worst favorability ratings of any VP pick in the modern polling era. He ended the campaign as the *only* candidate on either major ticket with a *positive* favorability score among the electorate.… pic.twitter.com/hFxg5V6bOU
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) November 13, 2024
As Benson points out, one of the startling things about a New York Times focus group of young undecided voters, many cited J.D. Vance as a reason for voting for Trump–as did more than half of the group. The Trump/Vance ticket was perfectly balanced, attracting the old Trump coalition and expanding on it.
Here’s a sample:
“I can’t believe it, but I did end up voting for Donald Trump,” said Abigail, a 23-year-old Virginian who backed Mr. Biden last time. She felt Mr. Trump was a strong leader, liked his choice of JD Vance and felt Democrats made assumptions based on gender.
And:
I shocked myself and voted for Trump. No one tell my family. I was so impressed by JD Vance, the way he carried himself and how normal he appeared.
I voted for Donald Trump. Like Abigail, I was really impressed with JD Vance, especially during the V.P. debate.
Think about that and marinate in the irony. J.D. Vance, who had been defined as weird, misogynistic, and extreme, won over Gen Z voters by being who he really is without pretense.
This gets me to my real point, which is not that J.D. Vance is great, although I still revel in the fact that I have been proven right. Vance proves that Republican worries that a candidate will get criticized for being honest are wholly misplaced. Rather than running away from their opinions or worrying too much about offending voters, Republicans should just be honest and forget the potential criticisms that will be leveled at them.
The fact is that Democrats and the Pravda media will say anything they want about you, true or false. They spouted nothing but lies all campaign, so there is no point trying to sand off the edges. Trump proves that, as does Vance.
There is no way to avoid the incoming fire, so run toward it and not away. Prove your genuineness, say what you think and, most importantly, why you think it, and then you will win or lose based on what you say and not what the critics do.
Granted, Vance is more talented than most, but the truth is that his strategy of being himself and not a plastic doll shaped to look good to voters works.
Republicans need to learn this lesson.
