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Notes -
Is that what he said? From the same speech:
I actually think he's saying the exact opposite of what you claim: the ADL (they wouldn't be my first example, but whatever) are the one's who brand people unAmerican if they don't comport to the ADL's definition of who an American is. Based on the bolded sentence, it seems like he wants to hold everyone to the same standard, not give preferential treatment.
I think you're hyper-focused on this sentence
but charitably, one thing that Vance may mean is that branding others as unAmerican for the beliefs they hold is itself unAmerican. And yes, I think he also means that people with deep ancestral roots in this country – people whose ancestors died fighting for this country – have a special right to call themselves American. That's...reasonable. It's a standard used by people in literally every country in the world. It's natural to feel a connection to a nation if you can trace your ancestry back hundreds of years. Vance is implicitly signaling to the audience that they shouldn't be ashamed of these feelings, but he's also saying immigrants are welcome to the American project if they "feel a sense of gratitude" towards the country. I get that's too far for the left, but I don't think it's unreasonable, and I think a great many immigrants share Vance's sentiment.
Look, I'm more on your side here. I'm a bit nervous about some of the ideas of the Online Right, Dissident Right, whatever you want to call them. But Trump and Vance are not the Dissident Right; not even close, at least not in any meaningful way. Vance's wife and children are Indian. That matters. I believe Vance sees his wife and children as American as he sees himself and therefore he has no intention of pursuing policies that disenfranchise or otherwise hurt non-white (that is what you're hinting at, despite never using the word "white") American citizens.
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