AgGrad99 said:

---

I would very much prefer Rubio as the nomination. He is extremely impressive and would communicate very well to the public. He's come a very long way.

But if Vance is going to run, I'm ok with Vance/Rubio.

Let's say Vance declines to run, and Rubio is the front-runner. I can't see him picking DeSantis as a running mate, since they're both from Florida. But DeSantis as a high-profile cabinet member would be great.

---

I think that Vance communicates to the common person more eloquently than Rubio.

Vance is likely the smartest of the bunch, but he is also the folksiest.

Rubio comes off as bookish smart, Ivy league material. The funny thing is that Vance is the one with the Ivy degree, but he comes off more like your smart uncle that owns a small chain of grocery stores.

I think that Rubio would likely be the best president from a policy and foreign relations / policy standpoint. He knows how to throw the weight of the US government around and still not manage to piss off international politicians.

I think that Vance would be the best president from a leadership / vision and communication standpoint. He is always so clear on his talking points, makes people that don't take him seriously look like absolute fools, and generally strikes at the heart of issues where he is aligned with the American voter. He's just a great politician.

And, DeSantis knows how to wield executive power like Zoro with a lightsaber. When he wants to get something done, it generally gets done.

I think that Vance is the most likely to win the general election, Rubio is likely the most qualified, and DeSantis would do the best job at eliminating corruption. It's hard to lose with any 1 of those three, any 2 would be ideal, and all three is an impossible dream.

I'd agree with a lot of that.

Rubio has been around a bit longer, and might know how to play the game a bit better (esp with regards to foreign policy), based on his previous experience. He's had everything thrown at him, and has impressed every step of the way.

I tend to prefer Rubio, but would be fine with either. I very much like JD as well, and think he's often the smartest guy in the room.

shiftyandquick said:

---

He's a social engineer at this core who is created by and propped up by his billionaire benefactors. There isn't a conservative bone in his body, but you already knew that.

---

Evidence?

Silent For Too Long said:

---

shiftyandquick said:

---

He's a social engineer at this core who is created by and propped up by his billionaire benefactors. There isn't a conservative bone in his body, but you already knew that.

---

Evidence?

---

He's a racist white that married an Indian and changed from Protestant to Catholic, duh!

shiftyandquick said:

---

He's a social engineer at this core who is created by and propped up by his billionaire benefactors. There isn't a conservative bone in his body, but you already knew that.

---

1) He is America First. Very strongly.
2) He is all about secure borders, and supports Homan on deportations.
3) He is anti-fraud. I do think that he could make a dent in the fraud coming out of DC. Especially welfare fraud, but also likely grant money fraud.
4) The only thing I have heard about him and social engineering is related to the Opioid addiction issues in America. Do you think his position on this topic is wrong or somehow heavy handed? I'm trying to pinpoint the policy topics where you might think he is a social engineer, and not finding them.

aggie93 said:

---

If Trump is followed by some combination of Vance/Rubio/DeSantis all working together for 8 years they can truly fix this country. The window is there.

---

Rubio is far superior as a candidate to Vance

13 years older

More eloquent

Latino and speaks Spanish

has actually had EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE

"Enemy of America" according to the fake conservatives here.

LMCane said:

---

aggie93 said:

---

If Trump is followed by some combination of Vance/Rubio/DeSantis all working together for 8 years they can truly fix this country. The window is there.

---

Rubio is far superior as a candidate to Vance

13 years older

More eloquent

Latino and speaks Spanish

has actually had EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE

---

I disagree on the 'more eloquent' part pesonally. JD Vance is very eloquent, but also a savage with a smile on his face. He scores about as close to perfect in this area as one possibly could imo. He would also be about JFK's age is he runs for president. I'd much rather that than 80+. I will admit though, that I am surprised to find out that he would be one of the youngest presidents in our nation's history...for some reason I was assuming that, like the founders, we had had some more in their 30's and low 40's sprinkled in.

But I like Rubio a lot and would gladly vote for him.

BusterAg said:

---

WinTheWholeDamnThing said:

---

I still have my hangups witn Vance. His background is extremely suspect, he is essentially an artifice and creation of Peter Thiel and did a complete 180 on Trump after being a big never Trumper. He is married to an Indian (not a problem in and of itself, BUT)- these lead me to believe he's not going to do much of anything to reverse the H1B abuse and mass immigration.

---

1) When did Peter Thiel discover Vance? Before or after Hillbilly Eulogy?

2) What exactly do you dispute about Vance's past? The overall story, that he was mostly raised by his grandmother while his mom was strung out on drugs? Or is there some other minutiae that you are hung up on?

3) He had a throw-away quote about Trump in his book that was satirical. How else was he a Never Trumper? You do know that the courtship between Trump and Vance took quite a while, no?

4) Your comment about Vance and H1B's is racist, and not bound in fact. Do you believe that ALL Indian's are defensive of H1B abuse?

5) Are you aware that Vance has come out very strongly about secure borders, and calls the immigration into Europe from the ME to be a tragedy?

I am most interested in any facts you might have about Vance / Thiel. This is the first I have heard from this connection.

---

1. When did Thiel discover Vance? Before or after Hillbilly Elegy?

Honestly, "discover" is kinda the wrong way to put it.

J. D. Vance actually met Peter Thiel through Yale Law School networks before the book even came out. He was already moving in those elite legal/tech circles. Thiel didn't just read the memoir and go "aha, my guy."

The book blew him up nationally, sure. But the network existed first. Then after it hits? Job at Mithril, launches Narya Capital with Thiel backing, Thiel drops millions into a super PAC to get him elected to the Senate.

2. What exactly do you dispute about his past?

Nobody's saying his childhood wasn't rough or that grandma wasn't real. But the biography? Yeah, it's super carefully packaged.

He was born James Donald Bowman, then became James David Hamel after adoption, then chose J.D. Vance as an adult. Not sketchy, not immoral but when your whole political persona is built on identity storytelling, people notice how that identity evolved.

And the Marines he served honorably, but he was a public affairs/combat correspondent, not infantry or special ops. He deployed to Iraq in a media role. Cool, nothing wrong with that, just don't mythologize it.

The bigger point isn't "was grandma real," it's how the whole arc is curated: Appalachian poverty Marines Ohio State Yale Law Silicon Valley VC establishment GOP aligned Never-Trumper to a suddenly MAGA anti-elite populist champion. That's polished, intentional, and marketed to hit the exact cultural moment.

3). He had a "throw-away" satirical quote about Trump?

Nah, not even close. That's flat-out wrong. Vance was actively criticizing Trump across multiple platforms in 2016, private and public.

For example, he texted a Yale roommate that he went "back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical a**hole like Nixon … or that he's America's Hitler". In public, he said, "I'm a Never Trump guy. I never liked him" and in a New York Times op-ed, "Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation's highest office"

Even on NPR promoting Hillbilly Elegy, he said: "I can't stomach Trump… I think he's noxious and is leading the white working class to a very dark place". And he deleted tweets calling Trump "reprehensible" and "an idiot".

So this wasn't one offhand line it was repeated, serious criticism. And now look at him: full MAGA alignment, praising Trump, and taking the VP slot. That's a pivot, not a throwaway.

4. Your H-1B and marriage comment is racist?

LOL. Nah. He's married to Usha Vance. Totally fine, right? Not the issue.

But when you're talking about someone who could be POTUS, and their spouse operates in elite professional networks connected to India and India under Narendra Modi is a major geopolitical player it's fair to ask about potential conflicts around trade, outsourcing, H-1B visas, strategic stuff.

We do this for spouses with ties to China, Israel, Europe, etc. India isn't magically off-limits.

Same with the H-1B thing tech VCs love "high-skilled" visas. When your biggest political backer is a Silicon Valley billionaire, it's fair to ask if populist immigration rhetoric matches donor interests. That's politics, not racism.

5. Are you aware he's strong on secure borders and Europe immigration?

Yeah, he talks tough on illegal immigration.

But illegal crossings and legal high-skilled visas are different things. Plenty of politicians are hawkish on the southern border while still being friendly to tech/legal immigration pipelines. Saying "he's tough on Europe" doesn't magically cover H-1B policy or donor alignment.


And let's not forget David Frum long before Trump

This part gets missed a lot.

David Frum is a Canadian-American conservative commentator, former George W. Bush speechwriter, senior editor at The Atlantic basically establishment GOP/intellectual elite.

Vance wrote for Frum's site, FrumForum.com, under a pseudonym years before Hillbilly Elegy, long before Trump was even a thing. Frum thought he was bright and promising, someone who could help reshape the GOP. He even gave early feedback on drafts of Hillbilly Elegy.

Frum has said about Vance:

"He's a man of extraordinary moral and intellectual flexibility, to put it mildly. He has changed his mind on many issues, and the stories he tells about why he's changed his mind are not true, or at least they don't line up with the dates…"

And:

"He was not in any way the culture warrior that he is today"

So Frum basically saw early on that Vance was highly adaptable to power and influence exactly the opposite of a fixed principle populist. This reinforces the pattern: elite grooming, intellectual endorsements, and now dramatic ideological shifts.

You can support him. But don't act like it's crazy to notice this isn't a grassroots miracle it's a carefully managed, network-driven rise, with multiple ideological pivots along the way.

LMCane said:

---

aggie93 said:

---

If Trump is followed by some combination of Vance/Rubio/DeSantis all working together for 8 years they can truly fix this country. The window is there.

---

Rubio is far superior as a candidate to Vance

13 years older

More eloquent

Latino and speaks Spanish

has actually had EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE

---

Vance is more eloquent, and more approachable.

When Vance talks, it sound like he is talking to his buddies at the bar.

When Rubio talks, it sounds like he is defending a PhD dissertation.

Not that there is anything wrong with Rubio's approach. If there was a sliding scale on communication style in relation to precision in word choice and topic choice, Trump would be on one side of that continuum, and Rubio would be on the other. But, Rubio is just not as relatable. Vance lets you know that you are smart without making you feel like you are dumb. Rubio is not as good as Vance is at that.

1981 Monte Carlo said:

---

[Vance is] savage with a smile

---

This is nice. I'm stealing this one. Very good way to put it.

I would say that Vance is a world champion at Grin F'ing anyone that tries to make him look stupid, but, yours is more polite.

DeSantis is the only one of the 3 who has truly had executive experience. He is by far the best bet we have to actually transform Washington. There is zero doubt he is a true conservative and committed to the cause. He actually left Washington D.C.

After DeSantis it's Rubio.

boulderaggie said:

---

He's going to give them "VD" - Vance Derangement!

---

Can trump's closest friend give them meds for that?

Rubio, Vance, DeSantis is the start of a pretty strong bench. All three infinite times better than anyone the demarxist party can put forth.

deddog said:

---

Released a day or two after JD highlights the stupidity of democrat darling AOC. Co-incidence? I think not.

---

Politico has not power to sway anyone, its no better than CNN/MSNBC

aginresearch said:

---

DeSantis is the only one of the 3 who has truly had executive experience. He is by far the best bet we have to actually transform Washington. There is zero doubt he is a true conservative and committed to the cause. He actually left Washington D.C.

After DeSantis it's Rubio.

---

It is incorrect to say that Rubio doesn't have any executive experience.

Vance is even more of a grifter and fraud than Trump. Take one look at his history and you'll see what I mean. Nothing positive will be accomplished if he gets elected.

Quote:

---

You can support him. But don't act like it's crazy to notice this isn't a grassroots miracle it's a carefully managed, network-driven rise, with multiple ideological pivots along the way.

---

You weren't replying to me...but allow me to chime in.

Like I said, even though I have a small reservation or two...I very much like Vance.

But the old saying, 'you make your own luck' rings true with JD. Did he leverage the connections he made with in Yale? Of course he did. And he was smart for doing so. He worked extremely hard to put himself in that position, and like he says in his book, he realized quickly that people didn't attend Yale for the education, but for the connections.

He's levered those well in his career. That's admirable, not disqualifying.

I'm also not going to fault the guy for pivoting. Does that mean he flip-flops? Maybe. But I've pivoted on various positions the past 20 years, based on new experiences/education.

It reminds me of Joe Rogan. He was 100% in favor of UBI, until he saw how useless people became during Covid and how little they wanted to work. Now...to me, that was obvious, and I didn't need Covid to point that out. But it took the pandemic for Rogan to pivot from his previous opinion.

Perhaps JD going from Poverty, to the Military, to an elected position provided him a new perspective about things he'd not realized in the past?

Or maybe he's just smart and realized pivoting on an inconsequential position might benefit him. What changed in the world, because he now likes Trump, versus disliking him? Nothing...other than the opportunity he now has. I dont fault a guy for that.

I look at him in a very different light than a guy like Vivek. He has pivoted on his entire belief system, and has been an extreme opportunist around every corner. Guys like him, I cannot abide.

Politico used to be my go to for political content and they went off the rails. Worst offense was going back and changing past articles during the 2024 election concerning Kamala's immigration role. They went back and changed years old articles that called her the immigration czar. Then they posted an article criticizing republicans for "claiming" she was Biden's immigration czar. Absolute trash. Won't clicking anything they write.

BusterAg said:

---

aginresearch said:

---

DeSantis is the only one of the 3 who has truly had executive experience. He is by far the best bet we have to actually transform Washington. There is zero doubt he is a true conservative and committed to the cause. He actually left Washington D.C.

After DeSantis it's Rubio.

---

It is incorrect to say that Rubio doesn't have any executive experience.

---

Exactly.

I'd argue Rubio is much more qualified. Especially when it comes to the inner workings of Washington and International Relations.

DeSantis as head of the DOJ would be fantastic though.

boulderaggie said:

---

Same. He's basically Trump without the negatives that give folks TDS.

---

Give them time, they'll find something.

If he's the nominee, the libs will convince themselves that they really miss Trump

Desperation makes for stinky cologne

THE DEMOCRATS ARE NEVER RECOVERING FROM THIS! THEIR APPROVAL RATING NOW SITS AT -55 PTS WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!!! pic.twitter.com/WKOu7uju0s

— Just Jen R𝕏 🫡🇺🇸 (@JustJenRX) February 17, 2026

it's crazy how the low IQ ritaarded useful idiots lap up the reddit narratives about Vance being bankrolled by san francisco billionaires to keep crypto, online gambling, and ai deregulated and funnel government contracts to palantir these ritaards are probably the same ones who make fun of conservatives as conspiracy theorists when they question the 2020 election results or the covid vaccine efficacy.

While I think being SecState is impressive it is not the same as making all the executive decisions for a state. DeSantis has been the Chief Executive of Florida. Rubio not so much.

This is not a shot at Rubio it's just flat out reality. Governors historically make much better Presidents. Plus we already know how DeSantis makes decisions in the single most pivotal moment of all our lives, during COVID. He made the important decisions impacting liberty and freedom that most of the rest of world's politicians were too spineless to make. He chose wisely. Neither Rubio nor Vance had to make those decisions.

captkirk said:

---

THE DEMOCRATS ARE NEVER RECOVERING FROM THIS! THEIR APPROVAL RATING NOW SITS AT -55 PTS WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!!!

---

That guy underestimates the stupidity of those who might tend towards the left.

It only takes one emotional issue to fan the flames of the left's feels.

oh no said:

---

it's crazy how the low IQ ritaarded useful idiots lap up the reddit narratives about Vance being bankrolled by san francisco billionaires to keep crypto, online gambling, and ai deregulated and funnel government contracts to palantir these ritaards are probably the same ones who make fun of conservatives as conspiracy theorists when they question the 2020 election results or the covid vaccine efficacy.

---

You're the useful idiot if you think Vance having basically his entire political career bankrolled by Peter Thiel is a "conspiracy theory" and not just an undeniable fact. I laid it out to you in my post above, you are the one buying into a carefully crafted persona and image hook line and sinker like many folks on here.

Wow, so you just ignored the entirety of my post and decided to grab the very last line like that somehow counts as a response? That's some next-level selective reading congratulations on missing everything I actually laid out.

Let's clear it up.

First off, Vance didn't just "pivot because life gave him perspective." He hated his upbringing. He's admitted it himself ashamed of Appalachia, ashamed of his family, desperate to escape into Yale, the Ivy League, the elites. Now suddenly he's "the voice of the working class"? That's not genuine; that's a carefully crafted political image.

Yeah, he leveraged his Yale connections. Big deal. But this wasn't just "smart networking." He met Thiel, got mentorship, VC jobs, funding, and millions thrown at his political career. That's elite sponsorship, not just working hard. Add in David Frum grooming him as a conservative intellectual before Trump was even a thing, and suddenly it's clear this is a decades-long plan to climb the ladder.

And the Trump pivot? Massive. Anti-Trump in 2016 calling him unfit, saying he couldn't stomach him, even making private comparisons to Hitler to full MAGA cheerleader today. That's not perspective from life experience. That's opportunism perfectly timed to gain power and influence.

The populist persona? Total packaging. The guy spent his whole life chasing elite status, and now he's selling a "man of the people" narrative to win votes. Marines, poverty, Yale, Silicon Valley, Senate everything's curated to tell the story that sells, not the story he lived.

So no, this isn't some relatable "pivoted like anyone might." It's decades of opportunism and image management. And yeah, that's exactly why people like Vivek you call out for opportunism? Vance is in the same league maybe even harder to stomach because he's wrapped it in Ivy League polish and a working-class facade.

Colonel Kurtz said:

---

Vance is even more of a grifter and fraud than Trump. Take one look at his history and you'll see what I mean. Nothing positive will be accomplished if he gets elected.

---

1) Wrote a bestselling book that made Oprah's book club.

2) Pointed out that rural white America was a forgotten class about the same time that Trump realized it.

3) Changed the conversation about prescription opioids in the US.

4) Excellent pedigree. Paid for his college education using the GI bill after honorable service.

5) Makes stupid people look stupid when they say stupid things.

He's barely 40, that is a pretty great list.

How is he:

1) A grifter?

2) A fraud?

BusterAg said:

---

aggie93 said:

---

If Trump is followed by some combination of Vance/Rubio/DeSantis all working together for 8 years they can truly fix this country. The window is there.

---

How in the world do we get all 3 of these guys in the White House at the same time?

It's too much to ask, but would be awesome.

---

Rubio VP or SOS
DeSantis VP or SOS or Attorney General

I fail to see why having Theil back him is disqualifying. Nearly every politician has been 'bankrolled' by someone, some entity or industry. People are using that to connect dots that aren't there.

And carefully crafted persona and image? I mean...that describes 99.9999% of politicians.

aginresearch said:

---

While I think being SecState is impressive it is not the same as making all the executive decisions for a state. DeSantis has been the Chief Executive of Florida. Rubio not so much.

This is not a shot at Rubio it's just flat out reality. Governors historically make much better Presidents. Plus we already know how DeSantis makes decisions in the single most pivotal moment of all our lives, during COVID. He made the important decisions impacting liberty and freedom that most of the rest of world's politicians were too spineless to make. He chose wisely. Neither Rubio nor Vance had to make those decisions.

---

DeSantis is the only one with chief executive experience. I will give you that. But, if you are an NFL team, who do you want for the next head coach? The best college football head coach or one of the best NFL offensive coordinators? Arguments can be made for either.

Same thing with Rubio vs DeSantis. You can say that DeSantis has no federal executive experience, which would also be true. Neither has served as POTUS before, but SoS and state governor are both stepping stones to POTUS.

Quote:

---

Wow, so you just ignored the entirety of my post and decided to grab the very last line like that somehow counts as a response? That's some next-level selective reading congratulations on missing everything I actually laid out.

---

What? No.

I literally replied to your 'entire' post...I just didnt want to quote the entire thing on the thread, for the sake of others.

Simmer down. We're just discussing our impressions of someone neither you or I know. No need to get worked up or take offense.

WinTheWholeDamnThing said:

---

oh no said:

---

it's crazy how the low IQ ritaarded useful idiots lap up the reddit narratives about Vance being bankrolled by san francisco billionaires to keep crypto, online gambling, and ai deregulated and funnel government contracts to palantir these ritaards are probably the same ones who make fun of conservatives as conspiracy theorists when they question the 2020 election results or the covid vaccine efficacy.

---

You're the useful idiot if you think Vance having basically his entire political career bankrolled by Peter Thiel is a "conspiracy theory" and not just an undeniable fact. I laid it out to you in my post above, you are the one buying into a carefully crafted persona and image hook line and sinker like many folks on here.

---

Did Thiel discover Vance before or after Hillbilly Elegy?

I guess Peter Thiel is to conservative capitalists what George Soros is to anarchist communists?

If Theil and Vance were buddies, Theil hired him at one of his companies, then mentored him when he started his first company, and later made large campaign donations when he ran for senate, does that mean Vance is a grifter created by the powers that be? Or does it mean that Peter Theil is a smart capitalist and he backs smart capitalists?