KURT SCHLICHTER: J.D. Vance Comes Home to the Marine Corps. “Watching the Vice-President work the crowd, including off-script banter and signing a bunch of the Devil Dogs’ covers thrown on stage, is watching a future master learning his art. Republicans, we’ve got somebody special in J.D. Vance. Now, I’ve known that for a long time. I’ve had the chance to talk to him and his wife, and, importantly, my wife had a chance to talk to him and his wife. My wife approves of them, and so do I. We both meet a lot of politicians; a lot of them are nice but unexceptional. Some are stiffs. Not the Vances.”

I agree. I hung out with J.D. a couple of times before he went into politics, and had lunch with him and Usha and their firstborn (then a baby) when they were passing through Knoxville. They’re good people, and super smart. And not fake at all.