Dispatches Mailbag: JD Vance, The Future of the Democrats, Tech Fascism, and More
I take a while to answer YOUR questions and get into a whole, whole lot of stuff.
Some housekeeping: starting next week I’ll be taking a stretch of time off (roughly ten days) to rest up, heal, put some things in order, and get ready for the homestretch of this exhausting election. I’ll try and schedule a couple of posts or podcasts or something special for that stretch. Thank you for your patience, your support, and your kindness. Politics are not fun, save for a moment here and there. If there’s anything I’ve tried to communicate here, it’s that this is a struggle for power that, if won, could result in the kind of future and the kind of lives we deserve. As I detailed in my last article, do not lose sight of that or give in to convenient outlets. Demand better. Work for better. And, while you do it, please prioritize your own mental health and well-being. Moments of enthusiasm and hope are good and can fuel the struggle, but if we’re not careful, they can be co-opted and give way to worsening misery.
In the meantime, over at The Muckrake Podcast, you can find recent interviews and conversations I’ve had with Karl Folk, Jake Rockatansky of The QAA Podcast, and Sarah Kendzior. These run the gamut from the threat of tech fascism (more on that in this mailbag), conspiracy theories, and the state of play in our present circumstances. I hope you enjoy them and find the information relevant and actionable.
Thank you, as always, for the questions. And your support. It’s been a weird stretch here lately. The whipsawing from angst to hope is one thing, but it also sets off a good amount of harassment and stalking from the Right. You help though. You truly, truly do.
Okay, onto the mailbag. Today we’re getting into whether Donald Trump will dump JD Vance as his runningmate, the future of the Democratic Party, what life under Tech Fascism would look and feel like, and my personal experience covering all of this over the years.
Stephen: First of all, I absolutely LOVE how much you hate JD Vance. That creep deserves everything he’s getting and hearing someone communicate an accurate critique of his vileness is so refreshing. I keep hearing people talk about how unpopular he is and how he’s hurting Trump’s Campaign, but do you really think there’s any chance he’ll ditch Vance before November?
Well, JD Vance is a huge piece of shit. There’s no way around it, no sugarcoating the fact. Since 2016 I knew who this guy was and the way he courted favor with white liberals looking to cement their hatred of working class people made it very, very apparent who he was and what he was capable of doing. So. There we are.
But, no, I don’t think Trump will dump Vance. The urge to believe he will is centered, I believe, on the way we unconsciously try and order politics and political happenings to our own understanding of the world and to support our own notions. We love when “bad” people turn on each other. Whether it’s in comic books, professional wrestling, or popular culture, we’re always teased with the danger of awful individuals teaming up (think the Sinister Six in Spider-Man) and then falling apart because their own immorality and brokenness supercedes common cause. We look at Vance and think, even Trump has to see how disgusting this guy is. On top of that, think of all the catharsis whenever Trump would turn on somebody like Jeff Sessions or John Bolton or any of his 2016 primary opponents. It’s fun to see the bad guys fight amongst themselves.
The truth is a little more complicated. The tech fascists bought the future of MAGA from Trump at a discount and that’s what matters to him. It should remind us, and this is something we should never, ever forget, that for all of the danger and threat Trump represents, he is cheap, rubbishy, and serves as a willing, stupid puppet for a wealth class that keeps him going by handing him their castoff pennies. He has no shame. No compunction about who he is or what any choice he’s ever made says about him or his worldview.
On top of that, Trump doesn’t particularly care about polls or popularity or even really winning an election. 2020 was a preview of what we’re about to experience and, in the push to “Stop the Steal,” Trump’s cronies took the opportunity to get inside the apparatus, including actual voting machines, and see what kind of election-fixing the system itself would stand or stand against. So, when he and the people around him look at the actual presidential election, they’re not considering it like you or me or anyone who’s really come before. The plan is to take this thing by hook or by crook, and Vance’s deserved unpopularity isn’t so much a drag to them as something to be proud of and revel in.
Also, just a reminder that JD Vance is a huge, huge piece of shit.