The astroturfed Appalachian Spokesperson role he was appointed to in the mid-10s was only ever pretense. More disingenuous than any convenient mischaracterization of his biography, though, is any instance in which we have ever seen Vance lecture about how the “elites of both parties” have left working-class people behind. In reality, he has only ever used his upbringing as an opportunity to exoticize and sell himself to those exact same forces, who could then use him as a mouthpiece for their preferred narratives about the working poor.
His attempts at appearing marginally more pro-union than your typical Republican — which has received breathless coverage from outlets desperate to paint him as a maverick — fly completely out the window when confronted with his run-of-the-mill platform and very limited record in congress. He has not sponsored the PRO Act, which would expand worker protections and employees’ rights to organize and collectively bargain in the workplace, nor has he worked to fortify the National Labor Relations Board against the legal assault from Elon Musk, one of his ticket’s most invested backers. Should Musk succeed in court against the latter, any union contract in the country will be rendered unenforceable. Instead, all say that workers may look to have in their working conditions, their wages and benefits, and even their own safety would be replaced by the demented vision of oligarchs like Vance’s mentor and benefactor Peter Thiel.
Vance is not a hillbilly or a working-class savant, or a disruptive shock to our political system. He’s certainly not anyone the downtrodden should have any faith in. He is not even a meaningful departure from the business interests-first Republican Party. He is merely some dude indebted to venture capital weirdos who would hiss at a poor person if they ever had to see one. His story is not some unique tale of rags-to-riches success or an example of how to live a virtuous life. If there’s anything that’s “one-in-a-million” about Vance’s experience, it’s that most of the millions of people who go through the challenges he faced in his early life do not make the decision to go to work for the people responsible for inflicting those hardships.
Best in Moderation
Article URL : https://www.citybeat.com/news/opinion-jd-vance-has-nothing-to-offer-working-people-17825773