Over the weekend, the Washington Post published a “hit piece” on the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate entitled, “Leaked Memo Shows J.D. Vance’s Anti-Woke Ideology on Foreign Affairs.” Vance’s iconic response to X was, “They got me.”
The article claims that Vance was successful in blocking dozens of diplomatic postings in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.
Vance’s Response on Social Media
Vance retweeted the article, ostensibly proudly taking credit for the claims in the article that he held up diplomatic appointments due to concerns about gender policies. Many of his supporters chimed in on the social media thread, applauding him for his actions and pointing out the irony that the intention of the reporters backfired.
Political Ideologies in the Current Climate
The interaction and subsequent comments on social media indicate the extremities of political ideology present in the current climate.
The Washington Post’s Assumptions
The question is why the Washington Post believed that the supposed “expose” would shock and horrify any partisans of either party– New York Times reporter Lydia Moynihan pointed out, “I don’t think this is the bombshell report that will alienate independents the Washington Post thinks it is.”
Vance’s Perception Among Supporters
The article painted Vance as extreme and an “anti-woke warrior,” which marks him with a badge of honor amongst a large portion of the voting MAGA crowd.
Vance’s Methods Described
In the Washington Post article, John Hudson described Vance’s methods to root out diplomatic nominees who advocated for and promoted a liberal gender ideology.
Vance’s Screening Questions
According to the article, Vance would administer questionnaires to diplomatic nominees that included questions about whether the potential ambassador would increase the number of gender-neutral bathrooms in U.S. embassies, push for increased access to “gender dysphoria and gender transition care,” and whether they would fly the “Progress flag” during regional LGBTQ Pride celebrations.”
Impact of Vance’s Screening
According to the Washington Post article, based on the questionnaire answers, Vance would delay nominees’ advancement to the coveted State Department posts. Hudson wrote that Vance had a reputation for being “the single biggest obstacle to confirming career ambassadors in the Senate.”
Diplomatic Reactions
A former U.S. Ambassador to Panama, Barbara Stephenson, commented to the Washington Post reporter that such questionnaires “put career diplomats in a bind to be asked to go on the record commending how they would support policies that are favored by the current Administration but may not be by the next.”
Specific Questions on Screening
Another specific question on Vance’s screening included, “Where, if anywhere, do you believe it is not appropriate to ‘celebrate and prominently support local and regional Pride celebrations?'”
Contextual Explanation by Vance
Vance included explanations regarding how Ambassadors represent the United States amidst cultures that are conservatively Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, and Christian and that care must be taken in this context to respect local cultural values while at the same time standing up for fundamental human rights and freedoms, such as by opposing laws permitting or ordering the killing of minority groups.
Public Support and Commentary
Some of the notable public commentators who responded to Vance’s “They got me” comment include Miles Cheong, a conservative journalist who responded, “The Washington Post didn’t have to sell J.D. Vance to me like this because I already liked him before they got these leaked memos showing how truly based he is.”
Conservative Business owner Steve Ferguson wrote on X, “Another great reason you should be Vice President!”
Democratic Effort to Show Republican Extremism on Social Issues
The effort to characterize Vance as an “anti-woke” liberal extremist is an effort by Democrats to reveal the extreme positions held by members of the Republican party, adding to Vance’s conservative record on abortion which outpaces Trump’s expressed political preferences.
Efforts to Bring Independents and Moderates into Democratic Camp
In doing so, Democrats hope to court the independents and moderates of the party back to the Democratic camp.
