Vice President JD Vance said the Republican midterm convention is drawing a contrast with Democrats by highlighting statements from figures associated with Democratic campaigns, including claims that the United States “deserved 9/11.”
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
Vice President JD Vance said Republicans are using their midterm convention in Dallas to contrast the Trump administration’s record with positions and rhetoric he characterized as increasingly extreme among Democrats, including statements from people associated with Democratic campaigns about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Vance made the remarks during a Fox News appearance from the Republican gathering in Dallas, where party leaders have sought to make Democratic candidates and their political associations a central issue heading into the November midterm elections. Republicans at the convention have repeatedly sought to portray Democratic candidates as outside the political mainstream.
Vance said President Donald Trump’s convention message served two purposes: reminding voters of policies enacted during the administration and establishing a contrast with Democrats.
“So, I think what the president tried to do tonight very successfully was really two things,” Vance explained. “First of all, you got to talk about all the amazing things that we did over the last couple of years. No taxes on tips, no tax on Social Security, no tax on overtime. That stuff all goes away if the Democrats take control. They also did a really good job of identifying just how crazy the Democrats have become. I mean, really, just using their own words, Sean, this is not actually that — it’s hard to believe the things that they’ve actually said. So tomorrow, we’re commemorating the 25th anniversary of 9/11, or two days from now.”
Vance then shifted specifically to rhetoric involving the Sept. 11 attacks, arguing that Democrats are campaigning alongside people who have made statements blaming the United States for the attacks or saying Americans deserved what happened.
“The Democrats are running around campaigning with people who say that we deserved 9/11. The people who died on that day actually had it coming. You have Democrats going around and saying that they want to abolish the American way of life. You have Democrats going around saying that they want to seize people’s wealth. This is actually not just what Republicans are saying the Democrats believe. This is what Democrats are going around and saying they’re actually running on. It’s scary stuff.”
Vance did not identify specific Democratic candidates or individuals in that portion of the interview.
The remarks came as Republicans increasingly invoked the approaching 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in criticizing some Democratic candidates and their associations. One prominent line of criticism has involved commentator Hasan Piker, who previously made remarks blaming U.S. foreign policy for contributing to the attacks. Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has denounced terrorism and the 9/11 attacks and distanced himself from Piker’s past comments.
Nineteen al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger aircraft on Sept. 11, 2001, crashing two into the World Trade Center in New York and another into the Pentagon. The fourth, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew fought the hijackers. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks.
Vance argued that the broader distinction Republicans want voters to consider goes beyond disagreements over conventional tax, spending or regulatory policies.
“And I really do think the contrast is common sense versus crazy,” Vance added. “Agree with Republicans. Disagree with Republicans. We’re trying to do what’s in the best interest of the people of the United States of America. And Democrats are running on a lot of crazy, crazy stuff.”
The vice president’s comments fit into a broader strategy unfolding at the Dallas convention, where Trump and other Republican leaders have emphasized both the administration’s record and portrayals of Democratic candidates as ideologically extreme. The event was organized as Republicans seek to maintain control of Congress in the November elections.
Vance highlighted tax policy as part of that argument, citing the administration’s elimination of federal income taxes on tips and overtime and its tax treatment of Social Security income. He warned that those policies could be reversed if Democrats gain control of Congress.
But his most pointed argument centered on statements and associations he said reveal a wider ideological divide between the parties.
By invoking the Sept. 11 anniversary, Vance sought to frame that divide around questions of national identity and attitudes toward the United States, arguing that voters should scrutinize not only Democratic candidates’ formal policy positions but also the people with whom they campaign and the statements those figures have made.
His remarks did not establish that the Democratic Party as a whole believes the United States deserved the Sept. 11 attacks, and he did not make that narrower claim. Instead, Vance specifically accused Democrats of “campaigning with people” who have expressed such views, using those associations as part of the Republican case against Democratic candidates ahead of November.
Original article
Comments