Firing JD

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

It is no secret that by the end of Trump's presidency he was not pleased with his Vice President.  Mike Pence had openly refused to subvert the Constitution to keep Trump and himself in office, and Trump was offended to the point of encouraging insurrection and throwing food.  Trump had been strong-armed into choosing Pence as his running mate by political operatives who were concerned with capturing the support of conservative Christians.

This time was going to be different.  Trump knew that he had better political instincts that his entourage of political gnats and horseflies who were constantly buzzing around his heavily shellacked head trying to get his attention.  The pests were worried about "balancing" the ticket and choosing someone who would appeal to certain blocks of voters, such as suburban women or minorities, and Trump was looking for the ultimate brown-noser, someone whose loyalty to Trump would be unwavering.

Trump would be totally in charge of this year's vice presidential selection, and his commitment to that notion was strengthened considerably when Joe Biden tanked himself in the June 27th debate in Atlanta.  At that point Trump decided he was invincible, the certain winner in November, and he did not have to worry about pleasing any constituency with his selection.   He was completely free to choose anyone he wanted to be his number two.

Trump announced his selection of Senator JD Vance of Ohio on Monday, July 15th, just as the GOP convention was getting started.  Vance, who eight years earlier had referred to Trump as "reprehensible," "an idiot," "a cynical asshole like Nixon" and "America's Hitler," had morphed into a shameless sycophant whose brown nose was deeply lodged in Trump's adult diaper.  Vance had transformed himself from a seemingly intellectual author with a sociological bent and a unique understanding of Appalachian America to a mini-Trump who  could flawlessly parrot Trump's position on all major issues and seamlessly adopt them as his own.

Vance was an easy choice for Trump.  He was an echo and a reflection of Donald Trump who brought absolutely nothing new to the ticket except for the fact that he was half the age of the elderly head of the ticket.  Trump's voting base was not expanded by adding Vance to the ticket, it was just more of the same.  But that was fine because Trump knew he was going to win - and win big.   Those RINOs who wanted to put a woman or a Black on the ticket could just go pound sand.

That was July 15th - Monday - the day the Trump/Vance ticket was created.  Good times!

Good times for six days.

On Sunday, July 21st in the early afternoon, that sneaky Joe Biden yanked the rug out from under the elderly felon and his hillbilly sidekick by announcing that he, Biden, the man Trump KNEW he could beat, was dropping out of the race and throwing his support to his Vice President, Kamala Harris, to be the new Democratic nominee.  Then Harris, who proved to be far more politically astute than Trump had ever imagined, quickly began garnering support and enthusiasm - and lots and lots of money - for her campaign.

It was a new ballgame.  Suddenly Donald Trump was the old coot in the race, and issues that were especially important to female voters, like abortion, health care, child care, affordable housing, and education were going to be consuming a goodly amount of political oxygen.   JD Vance's positions on the issues didn't broaden Trump's appeal - all Vance amounted to was just more of the same.  He represented nothing but a wasted opportunity.

Yesterday Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York planted his tongue firmly in his cheek and said on "Face the Nation" that Trump's selection of Vance as his running mate was "one of the best things he ever did for Democrats."   Then Schumer "dared" Trump to replace Vance on the ticket "before it is too late."

Senator Schumer is, of course, needling Trump just for the fun of it, but as Vance's oddball positions start coming to light, there are also Republicans expressing buyer's remorse at their party's selection for  the vice presidential spot on the GOP ticket.

Republicans with the ability to count know that their ticket has a very limited appeal with suburban women, and the election will not be won without significant support form that very important group of voters.

Trump might be smart to accept Schumer's dare and fire JD Vance, but he won't.  That would be an admission that he had been wrong, and Trump is never wrong, even when a jury of his peers says otherwise, unanimously, thirty-seven times.

The elderly felon has a problem.

Good.