Trump's scary VP

“Most striking thing I heard from Trump allies yesterday was the second-guessing of JD Vance—a selection, they acknowledged, that was [born] of cockiness, meant to run up margins with the base in a blowout rather than persuade swing voters in a nail-biter,” Atlantic staff writer Tim Alberta, who had written the piece about the panicking Trump campaign, posted on X (formerly Twitter).

  New Republic

That doesn't seem like a very smart thing to do. I'm not sure that was the aim. I think it's more likely it was Trump's decision at the urging of Don Jr, Elon Musk, and Peter Theil. But I do expect Trump might be fuming about it now that Musk has backed out of his claim to be giving Trump $45 million a month.

Beshear and Vance are from neighboring states, and their sparring centered on who is a real representative of Appalachia, a geographic area centered on the Appalachian Mountains that is a focus of much political and cultural history and mythmaking.

Asked on MSNBC whether he’s open to being Harris’s running mate, the Kentucky governor suggested he’d “at least listen” to such a call — then went to bat.

“I want the American people to know what a Kentuckian is and what they look like, because let me just tell you that JD Vance ain’t from here,” Beshear told the network.

Vance responded by calling it “very weird” for Beshear to critique his origin story, Politico reported, claiming the Democrat “inherited the governorship from his father.”

[...]

In a statement to The Hill, Vance spokesperson Taylor Van Kirk stressed that Vance “grew up spending his summers in Appalachia and came from a poor family” while arguing Beshear “grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth thanks to his politician/lawyer daddy.”

The back-and-forth comes as Beshear is seen as one of the top candidates for VP, along with Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D) and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), with advocates pointing to the fact that he represents a state that voted overwhelmingly for Trump in both 2016 and 2020 as a core reason to choose him.

  The Hill

I worry about taking anyone away from a Democratic elected position that would have to be replaced by a vote. Pete Buttigieg wouldn't create that problem. Whoever she chooses for her running mate, I hope Kamala does it soon so they, too, can get out on the road campaigning.

This New Republic article gives a good synopsis of the wrangling regarding VP picks and Biden's surprising the Trump campaign by dropping out of the race, and their panic over it. Check it out.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.