This is an adapted excerpt from the Oct. 2 episode of “Morning Joe.”
On Tuesday night, Sen. JD Vance showed a side of himself that he had not shown before. During the vice presidential debate, Vance tried his best to appear more likable and more agreeable. The people who knew Vance before he decided to become a Trumper had said that he was a nice and charming guy, and he tried to show that on the debate stage.
It’s almost as if Vance realized that when this election ends, he doesn’t want to be completely tied to Donald Trump. While Trump likes going to war nonstop against everybody all the time, you get a sense that Vance knows he still may have a future in politics ahead of him. No matter what happens in November, Vance wants to salvage that political career — even if Trump goes up in flames.
However, Vance threw that all away in the closing minutes of the debate. He was asked directly by Gov. Tim Walz whether Trump lost the 2020 election and refused to answer. It was one of the most clarifying moments in any presidential or vice presidential debate I’ve ever seen.
In that moment, Vance told every viewer watching that if you hate American democracy when things don’t go your way, vote for me. If you hate everything James Madison and Alexander Hamilton put together in the Constitution, vote for me. If you hate the tradition of the peaceful transfer of power that defines and ensures American democracy, vote for me. If you hate U.S. elections unless Trump wins, vote for me.
I am not a Democrat. I’m not a Republican. I’m an independent. I’m one of those people who looks at both sides. People always ask me, why don’t you support the Republicans? Well, Vance answered that question for me on Tuesday. It’s because one side is anti-democratic and the other side is pro-democracy, pro-constitutional republic, pro-James Madison, and pro-checks and balances.
On that debate stage, Vance refused to answer whether he supported the peaceful transfer of power and, as Robert Frost would say, “that has made all the difference.”
Former Rep. Joe Scarborough, R-Fla., is co-host of MS NOW's "Morning Joe" alongside Mika Brzezinski — a show that Time magazine calls "revolutionary." In addition to his career in television, Joe is a two-time New York Times best-selling author. His most recent book is "The Right Path: From Ike to Reagan, How Republicans Once Mastered Politics — and Can Again."
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW.