J.D. Vance and a Burial Plot
From the Desk of: Steve Elliott, Grassfire
If you missed J.D. Vance's speech last night, or you missed the central message of that speech, please keep reading.
Because the Vice Presidential nominee for the Republican Party hinged his entire speech on... a burial plot.
Yes, a burial plot.
I've never heard something quite like it, especially from a 39-year-old who is the first Millennial on a presidential ticket.
+ + Talking about death...
We don't talk much about death in America, and we certainly don't talk about burial plots! More than half of Americans are now cremated, which is a profound shift from just one generation ago.
I'm not writing today against cremation. I'm writing to hopefully help you understand what J.D. Vance was talking about and why his message is extremely important for our nation right now.
Here's my synopsis....
Vance was saying that while life is about ideas and ideals, the deeper reality of those ideas and ideals are always expressed by physical realities. There is a physical reality to our lives that actually communicates what our ideals are!
Which is why he built his speech around his family burial plot in Kentucky, where he, one day, will be the seventh generation in his family to be laid to rest there. He brought the burial plot into the story of his engagement. He shared his deep connection to his Kentucky roots. And he closed by placing his final resting place in that same family burial grounds deep in the heart of Kentucky and deep in the heart of America.
So we have the first Millennial candidate on a presidential ticket framing WHO HE IS by WHERE HE WILL BE PHYSICALLY BURIED.
+ + Physical reality of ideas...
Vance is saying that his life isn't just a bunch of ideas. His life, and ultimately his death, is PHYSICALLY connected to the land of his forebears. "America First" isn't just an idea, it's a physical reality for Americans who love this country and are physically connected to this land.
I understand the political ramifications of selecting Vance. He's young (a demographic that Trump is already making inroads into). He connects with the Rust Belt and can help Trump breach the Democrat "Blue Wall" in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. After all, no matter what else happens, the election will likely come down to these states.
But there's much more here. The forerunner of the next generation of America First leaders was expressing that these aren't just ideas. They are his physical reality.
My book, 21 Years Of Trump, argues that Donald Trump's hegemony (his dominance) over American politics will last at least 21 years. Those 21 years run through his successor's eight years as President.
If Trump is elected, and if Vance carries this "burial plot" sentiment with him, I may have underestimated the length of Trump hegemony!
I encourage you to watch Vance's entire speech, or at least this short clip featuring his "burial plot" theme.
And I urge you to put your stake in the ground. Let your faith and your beliefs shine through in the physical reality of your life until your final breath, until your burial plot.
May God bless America!
Steve Elliott, Grassfire
P.S. If you haven't done so already, I encourage you to request my book 21 Years Of Trump. It's probably the most important book I've ever written, and it takes the same long-lens view of these battles for the soul of our nation that Vance expressed in his speech. We'll send it to you for ANY AMOUNT (even $5 or $10). Go here:
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