QOTD: Vance's Brand, His Wife And Erika Kirk

The always incisive Amanda Marcotte at Salon.com explores the dynamics surrounding the intimate embrace that white nationalist JD Vance shared with the widow of Charlie Kirk recently, both in relation to Vance's South Asian wife and the MAGA movement's rejection of immigrants of color.  Excerpt below, but her entire article is must reading:

"The fevered rumors have exposed not a secret affair but a political liability: Vance’s marriage is an increasingly poor fit for his political brand, which has become increasingly based on praising the virtues of white supremacy and retrograde gender roles.

In Republican politics, especially in the MAGA era, a politician’s wife is an important part of establishing his reputation as a 'real' man to a base who eschews thinking and nuance in favor of emotional reactions. Vance not only wants to be president, but he also has a well-financed machine backing him, and they will doubtless want a good return on their investment in his future. Based on the xenophobia and anti-South Asian sentiment that courses through the MAGA body politic, the vice president could be better marketed as President Donald Trump‘s successor if he had a wife who looked more like Erika Kirk.

This tension came to a head at the same event where Vance and Kirk shared their infamous hug. During a question-and-answer session, an audience member asked Vance how he navigates being married to Usha, who has not chosen to convert to his Catholic faith but instead maintains her Hindu religious heritage taught by her immigrant parents, while also identifying as agnostic. After triumphantly declaring that their three children are being raised as Christian, Vance admitted he wanted her to convert: 'I believe in the Christian Gospel, and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way.'”  (our emphasis)

Marcotte nails who Vance is further on in her article, and why the unlikely rumors of infidelity persist:

"But the rumors reflect a much deeper reality that people are exactly right to perceive: Vance is a soulless striver who will sell off anything if he thought it would give him more power. We don’t have to ask if he would betray his wife and kids. He does so nearly every day by promoting a vision of America that has no room for them in it."  (our emphasis)

It's always important to remember we're not dealing with decent, normal people here.