Your fellow journalist on this platform, Jessica Valenti, wrote yesterday about the nyt deceptively editing a quote from Vance to make it sound like doesn’t support a national abortion ban when he absolutely does. He said rape victims shouldn’t be allowed abortion care bc 2 wrongs don’t make a right. As much as I’d love for you to interview Jessica Valenti for the newsletter, I’d love even more if you dove into how misogynistic he is & how much the policies he supports, national abortion ban or getting rid of no fault divorce, will hurt women.
Thank you for this. It should be passed around!! Thank you for your review of Vance's book Hillbilly Elergy. It sounds like Vance is condescending to those from which he arose. The old pick yourself up by your bootstraps argument of the Bush's GOP that used the "Compassionate Conservatism" fraud after "a thousand points of light" the solution to our problems- that led to Trump. The GOP sure knows how to take advantage of ignorance and vulnerability. From what you say, Vance/Trump despise these losers, this working class but use them for their own rise to power. They have thus a sector of this country: the very rich and the (duped) poor. Trump said he loves the uneducated. He uses vulnerability and ignorance to shoot his lies into. And then the abuse of Christianity. After all it's education that would give a path and hope out of despair. But all they, these poor souls, have is junk food to make them happy in the moment, and ultimately sick and wanting healthcare. This message has to get loud..REALLY LOUD
"Already in his supposedly thoughtful, compassionate memoir, Vance was telling right-wing ghouls and wealthy bosses what they wanted to hear. If people don’t take a shitty job, it’s because they lack character, not because owners aren’t paying enough. If people are trapped in generational poverty, it’s because they’re broken and immoral, not because unions and the social safety net have been gutted."
"But as journalist Linda Tirado points out, in her personal experience of poverty, she often found saving to be pointless. The hole was too great to crawl out of, so the logical thing to do was to buy things that made you happy when you had a bit of extra cash and worry about the future later, if at all." ---This is 1000% accurate. As someone who has had to live hand to mouth most of my adult life, this is right on. I work hard, consistently, but with kids and a husband who is too ill to work....I had to manage it all. The hole is too great to crawl out of. Yeah, a Yale guy knows what it's like (roll eyes) 🙄
Vance could also suggest the looming boom in low status, low paying jobs that will open up in the strawberry fields of California, slaughter houses in Iowa, apple orchards in Washington, hospital laundries everywhere and kitchen staffs, again, everywhere after the mass deportation of immigrants now working these jobs. Could John Lennon write “Strawberry Fields for White Folks”?
The idea is to keep the lower classes static in low paying jobs denying them ways to move up. These are the "jobs for Americans'. Immigrants take those jobs and move, or their kids move, from them. This has been the promise of our country. This is Trump/Vance fraud par excellence.
( BTW -The John Lennon song was about his nostalgia for playing in strawberry fields as a child.)
Looking for an antidote to HILLBILLY ELEGY and the posturing of J.D. Vance? I heartily recommend the late Joe Bageant's DEERHUNTING WITH JESUS and RAINBOW PIE. Bageant died in 2011, but I discovered him in the early 2000s when he was contributing to AlterNet and other left-leaning sites and pubs. For several years after he died, his website, with lots of his writing on it, was kept going by supporters, but no longer. His books are still available, though, and here's a good intro to him, his life and his work, from the Columbia Journalism Review: https://www.cjr.org/review/the_cheap_seats.php
This is well written essay that does a good job of explaining the difference between image and reality. You also stated that "Vance pretends to care about the working class of Appalachia, but his tone is one of vindictive condescension." Vindictive condescension is a very apt description of most Republicans and one that most women have encountered from men. As Mary Trump recently pointe out, the Trump-Vance ticket is also the most anti-women ticket we've seen in modern history. Of course, they're both anti-abortion and will follow along with Project 2025's national ban on abortion and eliminating no-fault divorce. Vance has publicly stated that there should be no abortion exceptions if a woman becomes pregnant by rape or incest because it's only an "inconvenience" for the woman; women should stay in abusive marriages for the sake of the children; and something about all the single, crazy Democratic cat ladies ruining everything. Mitch McConnell once famously said the following about Elizabeth Warren, "...nevertheless, she persisted". Do not underestimate the voting power women in this upcoming election. We were pissed off before and we're getting more pissed off every day.
When people feel there is hope for them, maybe they start rallying away from their own despair. This has to come from the top. I fault this current administration but by no means for what they have accomplished and what they push for which is considerable and maybe the most I could wish for given the political situation. But the fact that so many don't recognize what has been done and what would be done for them and the country and are complaining and falling for Trump to me means the Administration has not done anywhere enough to let people know this. It's been nose to the grindstone silence a lot. And so the media gets blamed. I have my complaints about the NYTimes and other media but they go where the news is. The president has a bully pulpit and could and should make news. We used to have rescheduling of TV channels to carry live addresses and press conferences. Biden has been fearful.. and lately hiding. Now he is trying because he has to.
Your fellow journalist on this platform, Jessica Valenti, wrote yesterday about the nyt deceptively editing a quote from Vance to make it sound like doesn’t support a national abortion ban when he absolutely does. He said rape victims shouldn’t be allowed abortion care bc 2 wrongs don’t make a right. As much as I’d love for you to interview Jessica Valenti for the newsletter, I’d love even more if you dove into how misogynistic he is & how much the policies he supports, national abortion ban or getting rid of no fault divorce, will hurt women.
Read about that earlier. The depths to which the NYT will sink continue to amaze me.
They miss trump. They want him back.
And he believes women (or men, as the case may be) should stay in violent marriages because it's better for the children.
Nice laying out the logic behind the tragic.
Thank you.
A neighbor offered that Trump always picks vice presidents with one syllable last names.
Not to be upstaged.
They tend to rhyme somewhat, too.
He needed to change out only two letters on his old signs.
No one says it better than Trae Crowder. Please watch. This is very personal for him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eMMZksZSL8&t=1s
Thank you. He’s good!
Thank you for this. It should be passed around!! Thank you for your review of Vance's book Hillbilly Elergy. It sounds like Vance is condescending to those from which he arose. The old pick yourself up by your bootstraps argument of the Bush's GOP that used the "Compassionate Conservatism" fraud after "a thousand points of light" the solution to our problems- that led to Trump. The GOP sure knows how to take advantage of ignorance and vulnerability. From what you say, Vance/Trump despise these losers, this working class but use them for their own rise to power. They have thus a sector of this country: the very rich and the (duped) poor. Trump said he loves the uneducated. He uses vulnerability and ignorance to shoot his lies into. And then the abuse of Christianity. After all it's education that would give a path and hope out of despair. But all they, these poor souls, have is junk food to make them happy in the moment, and ultimately sick and wanting healthcare. This message has to get loud..REALLY LOUD
Sorry I keep editing this... I am done ( I think)
No story about Vance should leave out Peter Thiel. He’s the only reason we even know who Vance is. And the only reason he’s VP.
Yup. Vance's magical hillbilly bootstraps and $15 MILLION from Thiel got him where he is today.
"Already in his supposedly thoughtful, compassionate memoir, Vance was telling right-wing ghouls and wealthy bosses what they wanted to hear. If people don’t take a shitty job, it’s because they lack character, not because owners aren’t paying enough. If people are trapped in generational poverty, it’s because they’re broken and immoral, not because unions and the social safety net have been gutted."
Great point here.
"But as journalist Linda Tirado points out, in her personal experience of poverty, she often found saving to be pointless. The hole was too great to crawl out of, so the logical thing to do was to buy things that made you happy when you had a bit of extra cash and worry about the future later, if at all." ---This is 1000% accurate. As someone who has had to live hand to mouth most of my adult life, this is right on. I work hard, consistently, but with kids and a husband who is too ill to work....I had to manage it all. The hole is too great to crawl out of. Yeah, a Yale guy knows what it's like (roll eyes) 🙄
"We purchase homes we don't need..."
So-called hillbillies are purchasing multiple homes? I think he's lying.
Vance could also suggest the looming boom in low status, low paying jobs that will open up in the strawberry fields of California, slaughter houses in Iowa, apple orchards in Washington, hospital laundries everywhere and kitchen staffs, again, everywhere after the mass deportation of immigrants now working these jobs. Could John Lennon write “Strawberry Fields for White Folks”?
The idea is to keep the lower classes static in low paying jobs denying them ways to move up. These are the "jobs for Americans'. Immigrants take those jobs and move, or their kids move, from them. This has been the promise of our country. This is Trump/Vance fraud par excellence.
( BTW -The John Lennon song was about his nostalgia for playing in strawberry fields as a child.)
RE Lennon: one line really describes 90% of MAGA adherents: “Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see”.
Looking for an antidote to HILLBILLY ELEGY and the posturing of J.D. Vance? I heartily recommend the late Joe Bageant's DEERHUNTING WITH JESUS and RAINBOW PIE. Bageant died in 2011, but I discovered him in the early 2000s when he was contributing to AlterNet and other left-leaning sites and pubs. For several years after he died, his website, with lots of his writing on it, was kept going by supporters, but no longer. His books are still available, though, and here's a good intro to him, his life and his work, from the Columbia Journalism Review: https://www.cjr.org/review/the_cheap_seats.php
Is Vance and his family prepared to live under a microscope for a while?
Oh wait, never mind. Silly me. The press will give him a pass on digging into his personal life.
Thanks for laying all this out. It's scary Vance would be one big Mac away from the presidency.
This is well written essay that does a good job of explaining the difference between image and reality. You also stated that "Vance pretends to care about the working class of Appalachia, but his tone is one of vindictive condescension." Vindictive condescension is a very apt description of most Republicans and one that most women have encountered from men. As Mary Trump recently pointe out, the Trump-Vance ticket is also the most anti-women ticket we've seen in modern history. Of course, they're both anti-abortion and will follow along with Project 2025's national ban on abortion and eliminating no-fault divorce. Vance has publicly stated that there should be no abortion exceptions if a woman becomes pregnant by rape or incest because it's only an "inconvenience" for the woman; women should stay in abusive marriages for the sake of the children; and something about all the single, crazy Democratic cat ladies ruining everything. Mitch McConnell once famously said the following about Elizabeth Warren, "...nevertheless, she persisted". Do not underestimate the voting power women in this upcoming election. We were pissed off before and we're getting more pissed off every day.
When people feel there is hope for them, maybe they start rallying away from their own despair. This has to come from the top. I fault this current administration but by no means for what they have accomplished and what they push for which is considerable and maybe the most I could wish for given the political situation. But the fact that so many don't recognize what has been done and what would be done for them and the country and are complaining and falling for Trump to me means the Administration has not done anywhere enough to let people know this. It's been nose to the grindstone silence a lot. And so the media gets blamed. I have my complaints about the NYTimes and other media but they go where the news is. The president has a bully pulpit and could and should make news. We used to have rescheduling of TV channels to carry live addresses and press conferences. Biden has been fearful.. and lately hiding. Now he is trying because he has to.
So much history and analysis. Thank you…will except to my inquiring R friends 🙂
Excerpt *