He hated Trump, but JD Vance really owes him now.

Vance first rose to public recognition in 2016 with his book, “Hillbilly Elegy.” The story of his life in Appalachia became a hit after it was picked up by the conservative press.

Then Ron Howard made a movie of it, and Vance was all over the place.

Now the book has zoomed back to number 1 on amazon following his anointment as Trump’s pick for vice president. Until yesterday it was completely off any charts, no one had thought of it or bought it in years.

Amazing.

“Hillbilly Elegy” was a hit some quarters, but reviled by many critics. (The movie was, too.)

Vance is accused by many reviewers — even reviewing the book today — of throwing the people of Appalachia under the bus to promote his agenda. He’s also accused of only spending summers there, and not knowing what he’s talking about.

But the book is back now. Expect to hear the people he wrote about speak up soon, and not in a good way.

J.D. Vance rose to fame as the author of the much maligned “Hillbilly Elegy.”

First it was a book in 2016, then “Hillbilly” became a Ron Howard movie for Netflix.

Now Vance, who successfully ran for the US Senate off the book and movie’s successes, to be his vice presidential running mate.

If Vance became president of the United States somehow, even the people who like him now will regret it.

When the movie came out, Vance was assailed as a fraud who turned his family and friends into stereotypes. The movie was panned on Rotten Tomatoes, and has a 25% rotten rating.

The book, despite Vance’s nonstop publicity, is low on the Amazon lists in both paperback and hardcover. The paperback is number 743,587. So far no one’s rushed to buy it now that Vance could be eligible to destroy the country. Let’s see what happens.

Here’s an excellent review of “Hillbilly Elegy” from a Kentucky website. Vance is portrayed in all the criticism of his book as an opportunist who threw everyone he knew under the bus. Now he’s got a chance to back the bus back over us.

More to come…

I’m the guy JD Vance sent the “America’s Hitler” text to in 2016. He was my roommate in law school.

Obviously he’s a sellout, but the bigger deal is he’s angry and vindictive. The perfect fit for Trump’s revenge.

JD’s rise is a triumph for angry jerks everywhere.

— Josh McLaurin (@JoshMcLaurinGA) July 15, 2024