JD Vance Takes the Spotlight – But Someone Else Goes for the Stoplight

For the heartland, the sadness and solemnity of 9/11 were embraced as a call for everyone to remain vigilant and do better. Even more flags were hung, and anthems blasted from sound systems throughout the region. But that hardly stopped the talk about politics, politicians, and the insanity those individuals seemed possessed by. That’s just daily business. A different kind of crazy is popping up in the city by the Bay. Folks also appreciated Vice President JD Vance politely coming to the aid of one Hispanic heckler at the RNC’s dog-and-pony show in Houston. And sadly – or not – some Hollywood folks have become disillusioned with their former political party of choice.

A New Sport

People in the heartland don’t exactly hide their eccentrics from public view. They’re either released after dark or stationed on the front porch, where neighbors can stop by and conduct a little community gossip. The magnetic pull to share every detail is strong. Still, we don’t often catch anyone trying to dismantle a traffic light. That’s a whole different species of fish. So why are some folks suddenly obsessed with this super post-Civil War technology?

Was it the changing of the colors? That might annoy anyone. But why was a San Francisco man caught shimmying up a pole to access a traffic light barefoot? Officially documented police statements or major news coverage regarding this specific incident are light on details, which is why people are still talking. No answers make for a great conspiracy conversation.

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A lot of confusion from the folks who live with common sense, like Bartlett, TN, gal Nancy Finefield Darling, who did not get an answer to her question: “But why the street lights?”

Some folks blamed it on a tragic mental break but still found the humor, like Chad Lalande in Lafayette, LA, who offered: “Demons are outta there now.”

Kentucky man Darrell Bush finds the positive note – his mama taught him some southern man manners: “I like the traffic light better without the shroud that he kicked off.”

The unnamed man was talked down safely, though the location of 16th and Mission Streets features ongoing city safety and traffic management deployments.

Oh, Democratic Party, So Sad

Somehow, it keeps getting harder for the real Democratic Party to keep friends and influence people. It seems some of the behind-the-scenes Hollywood bougies are saying no this election cycle. That means no money, no speechwriting, no emo commercials, and no filter. It was the deep insider factor making the candidates sound somewhat American and tactful. It was these same people who handled the backdoor media and attempted to give a boost in stage presence for Kamala Harris after Joe Biden’s decline – and don’t forget the money.

This trend of big-money supporters leaving has been plaguing the party for a couple of years, but it’s quite the quiet exodus. Not now. Novelist and screenwriter Gregg Hurwitz, one of those bougie insiders, has publicly bowed out. “The Democratic Party right now is torn in a couple directions, and some of those directions I’m no longer willing to work for or countenance, and so I’m a lot more sparing about it,” Hurwitz said.

Hurwitz is not alone: Marshall Herskovitz, who wrote for the TV shows Thirtysomething and My So-Called Life, has also clocked out of politics. He said, sulkily, that he will “no longer try to work within the apparatus of the party, which is what I did in 2018, 2020, ’22, making commercials and doing position papers that they could use or not use, that sort of thing.”

Well, and another thing: Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) really angered the golden Idol after being privy to a focus-group-type of briefing that Hollywood insiders like Hurwitz were offering the party. “Let’s just say that when I got briefed on the results of these sessions, they were not things that we ran and shared with our candidates because they just weren’t relevant,” Pelosi's office told the press.

Is it due to the inability to find a qualified candidate? A spurned and absent Hollywood maybe could’ve fixed Elizabeth Warren’s “kind of man” Graham Platner, who showed off his Nazi tat, was an alleged wife-beater, and reportedly faked the oyster-farmer shtick. The shelf life of Warren’s statement will outlive the hidden Twinkie stash in many a MAHA household. Was dissing Hollywood such a good move? Nope.

Addicted to Love

Hollywood will not be able to write a script for when AI takes over the world because AI is already dropping Hollywood actors and writers like hot potatoes. Even the above two guys with good street creds are no longer needed. So, where are these people going to land? Can you imagine the job interview first with AI before anyone sees a Hollywood superstar waiting uncomfortably in the unemployment line for the one janitorial job?

Right now, the jobs that cannot be replaced by AI are plumbers and electricians, HVAC professionals, carpenters and construction workers, nurses, and surgeons. These folks will be just fine – for a while, at least.

Jeri Harwell, who lives in the blue enclave of Tucson, AZ, had a thought: “Hollywood has lost its sheen. You think you are so special and that your voice should be louder than ours – that is why your movies don't sell out, your self-adoration at your awards shows are not watched and why no one cares what you think.”

One might see Marshall Herskovitz, who claimed his former ideal political party was “ossified,” applying for a new position. But with what qualifications? Oh, well, he said “ossified,” I mean, jeez, buddy. That’s big talk for the unemployment line, Marshall. Maybe use “paralyzed” instead as you play Wordle waiting for your turn.

JD Vance Goes All Polite MAGA Presidential

Most people did not stay tuned to their devices to watch the GOP “halfway there” convention. A couple of speakers did go viral, but no more than JD Vance, who, appearing fit and robust, offered to help a protester. It warmed the cockles of a few folks when the Veep addressed a heckler: “Well, my friend, if you love Mexico so much, get your a– over there. I’ll buy you the plane ticket.”

Dialing down the name-calling, Vance seems to have found a way to lint-roll the orange – allegedly Cheeto dust – spruce up the suit, and stick his place in line without the present president.

To be fair, the GOP’s midterm did better than the DNC’s. As heartlander Ken Tucker of Lake Jackson, TX, put it: “How many were at the Democrat’s [sic] midterm convention? Oh, wait.”

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Editor's Note: From the Back Forty is Liberty Nation's longest running and most popular weekly column.