I attended the Tuesday rally for the Republican ticket’s number two, Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH), in South Philadelphia, with both the Tim Walz VP pick and the accusation that Senator Vance is “weird” fresh in my mind. I’ve followed Vance’s career for years; before he announced his run for the U.S. Senate in 2021 I had already read Hillbilly Elegy, quickly realizing that Vance was both extremely talented and had tapped into some key cultural issues in American life. Until Tuesday, I had only read his works and seen his policy work in the Senate. I had never heard him speak in person. For all I knew, perhaps he was an “online intellectual” kind of guy who was a little weird in person.

Vance’s speech, the people he brought on stage and asked to speak, everything about the event was as normal and wholesome as I would expect from the Catholic convert, family man, and American Dream success story who wrote Hillbilly Elegy. Vance came off as energetic, authentic, smart, and confident. He knows how to work a crowd. Nothing about his speech was fringe or weird: he spoke, based both on personal experience and policy expertise, on the central issues plaguing this country and its citizens: rampant crime, unsafe neighborhoods, and a flood of lethal fentanyl pouring over our southern border and killing our people. 

The rally took place in a small arena that filled to capacity with something like 500-1,000 people (an intimate affair compared to a Trump rally, but less chaotic and more air-conditioned, so more my style). It attracted a surprising number of extremely enthusiastic black Trump/Vance supporters from the Philadelphia area. One wonders how much longer the tired refrain - that of racism or white Christian nationalism or whatever - can drone on when the GOP seems to be drawing more diverse crowds by the day. 

Vance invited two local supporters to take the microphone and share the effects of the open border, the resulting fentanyl crisis, and the generally lawless Philly streets on their lives and loved ones. Vance listened to these folks, gave them a platform, and shared some of his very similar experiences as a child in Ohio. He comes off as real and genuine: he knows what is plaguing America, he experienced it himself, and he has good ideas about what can be done about it. 

Vance also took (apparently unvetted) questions from reporters after his speech. While some were a bit aggressive, Vance fielded them personally and responded with grace, frankness, and humor. Yes, he poked at the “fake news” a bit and expressed hope that there were at least a few real, good reporters among the bunch. But he answered what was asked, didn’t dodge questions, and stayed on message. When the event ended, Vance stayed longer than I expected to shake hands and take selfies with attendees. He was clearly engaged, managing to listen to people, smile, respond, and have actual human interactions even in the midst of the noise and clamor. The whole affair was very impressive; nothing weird to behold.

There was one thing that could definitely be said to be “weird” about this Vance event, though: the handful of protestors outside the event. It wasn’t just their inappropriate attire or shrieking voices. It was the baffling content of their supposed protests. One held a sign making vulgar claims about the genitalia of people who support Trump and Vance. Another screamed at attendees while holding a sign saying something about JD Vance’s couch not giving consent (a bizarre statement based on a fake Tweet that went viral last month - I won’t cite it so please don’t read about it). The unanimous response to these people by the attendees leaving the event? What a bunch of weirdos! The irony was not lost on the crowd, as they headed back from this normal Vance event to their normal jobs and normal lives: there is certainly a weird movement in modern American politics, and it has nothing to do with J.D. Vance.

So which is the weird ticket in the 2024 election? Is it really Trump-Vance? Is it weird to support candidates who want to focus on securing the southern border, getting out of disastrous foreign conflicts that do not further the national interest, enforcing laws so that crime is under control and city streets are safe? Is it weird that these candidates talk about God, about the importance of strong families, about reshoring industry to America and ensuring Americans have good jobs once again? None of the “weird” accusations really hit home. 

But Harris-Walz, and the current Democratic party today? Those who demanded that we wear masks and stand six feet apart for years without evidence that this was helping fight the spread of COVID, who support chemical and surgical castration of gender-confused children, who have unbelievably rallied around Hamas? As Vance told reporters, the Walz choice reveals how Harris will govern: “When given an opportunity, she will bend the knee to the most radical elements of her party . . .  That’s exactly what she did here. That’s what she’s going to keep on doing as president.”