Exchange of the Day

Former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) was interviewed by Anita Chabria for the Los Angeles Times:

CHABRIA: So Tim, you spent a long time campaigning against J.D. Vance. Is he weird?

RYAN: Oh, there’s no doubt. There’s no doubt. He’s a weird guy. I know that he’s got probably a lot of trauma and that stuff but he’s very uncomfortable in his own skin and I think a very insecure guy. And not to play barstool psychologist, I think he just wants to control his outer world. He wants a Caesar to come in and take over the country. Trump is really vehicle for him, through a strongman, to gain some stability.

CHABRIA: Do you think that message resonates more for your constituency in the Midwest? Why do you think it’s caught on so much, as opposed to, you know, a “threat to democracy”?

RYAN: Well, it’s less scary. When you scare people into the mode of like, ‘Oh, shit,” then you get in the fight-or-flight mode and you’re not engaging your brain in the way you think, the way you need to.
 
And nobody wants to be more scared than they already are. We’re scared about climate, scared about democracy, scared about the economy. I mean, there’s only so much that people will pay attention to if you’re just going to try to freak them out.

The weird thing, on the other hand, has a different entry point in your brain. Like, I think J.D. wears mascara. I’ve seen him, and I’m like, huh. But I’ve never said it publicly, because I’m like, is that mascara, is it? I mean, I’ve seen it on my wife, but, you know. You kind of doubt yourself because it’s so weird.