JD Vance Claims One of Our Worst Traditions as His Own

Vance and Mamdani are equal citizens under the law, but the vice president seems to believe that his heritage entitles him to speak in ways that Mamdani can’t. There are tiers of belonging, according to Vance, one for those who can trace their lineage to one of the nation’s two founding revolutions and another for those who can’t.

For Vance, this is something close to common sense. And for some Americans it was, before the Civil War.