In 1886, William Graham Sumner, a renaissance man of the social sciences, formerly taught at Yale, produced a work named, “The Forgotten Man.” This piece gave insight into how the American government was moving toward aiding large corporations and concurrently leaving the middle class behind.
In today's age, the concept of the working class has accelerated at rates we cannot fairly measure. However, the principle that Sumner describes shows solutions in holding the government accountable for their self-interests instead of the common concern.
At the most recent RNC convention, former president Donald Trump introduced his vice presidential nominee for the upcoming election. His name goes by J.D. Vance — a high-achieving young Ohio Senator.
For people not so heavily involved in the political scene, J.D. Vance does not hold a national household name. If you ask a colleague who is not from Ohio, “Hey have you heard of J.D. Vance?” He'll most likely shake his head and perhaps not follow up with interest in knowing his biography.
The question now is: Why did Trump choose the 39-year-old senator from Ohio for the second hardest job in the country? He has only secured his senator seat in 2022, and by overlooking his history it seems that he just started in the political scene. It is fair to question this pick since the stakes are quite high in this election.
I believe J.D. Vance is not only who we need as the future vice president, but he is also capable of repairing the trust the American people have in their government. J.D. has not forgotten the forgotten man, he reinforces our memory that the disappearance of the middle class is strongly relevant. He will be a significant figure in diminishing the issues Sumner so eloquently expressed over a century ago during the Gilded Age.
During his speech at the RNC convention, he tackled the history of misfortune that the working class has endured due to the democratic legislation that affected American-based factories and household affordability rates. The general media uses mislabeling terms such as “privileged” when in fact these communities Vance describes have severely been damaged due to an influx of illegal migration and ‘sweetheart’ trade deals that have Chinese products coming into the United States, wavering domestic production of similar products.
The crowd at the RNC convention grew fond of Vance. They cheered his name, they became emotional when they heard the challenges his mother faced with drug addiction and promised he would celebrate her 10-year sobriety at the White House. These are personal stories Americans experience but do not have a microphone or large platform to share. J.D. Vance knows this and uses his voice to describe those issues many Americans share.
While Donald Trump could’ve chosen a more household name GOP candidate, it would not strategically align with the set in motion to win the election. For proper explanation, Vance is a senator in a prominent swing state and has relative influence in states Trump needs to win to secure his presidential seat. Trump has already secured the Latino vote in Florida.
Another keynote I want to highlight is Trump’s affinity toward Yale law graduates. Notable hires from President Trump such as John Eastman, James Ho, Andrew Giuliani and current Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Yale Law School presents a conservative character towards judicial review, moreover, is less controversial while also maintaining prestige than its counterparts such as Harvard.
J.D. Vance hits the nail in every aspect I can imagine for a potential vice president — his story as a common American to prestige status, his involvement in the United States military as a Marine and his encompassing mission to recover the American dream. I was pleasantly surprised to learn about J.D. Vance and I am looking forward to knowing him more. Vance said it nicely, “The RNC could have been a night of mourning but instead is a night of celebration.”
I am grateful for Trump’s safety and hope to have a dignifying election process.
Abraham Hilu is a UF political science senior.
