Vance was NOT the preferred pick of the neocon wing of the party, nor of the traditional GOP big business wing, who would have rather had Rubio and Burgum, respectively. Vance's political ideology seems to be a combination of populist MAGA and neoreactionary thought. While Trump's politics seem driven mostly by instinct and a sincere desire to restore American greatness, Vance appears decidedly more calculated and thoughtful, with ideas to reshape the structure of American government. He strikes me as an extremely intelligent and ambitious guy from humble origins who initially aspired to a career in the intellectual elite, but who found himself repulsed once he arrived there, and experienced a genuine revolution in his thinking when he was exposed to neoreactionary thought online over the past decade.
It was these ideas that allowed him to marry the traditional values of his roots with a sophisticated intellectual and political framework that he'd previously only thought existed within the establishment. But he discovered an alternative, one that is increasingly shared by a burgeoning counter-elite in Silicon Valley (Thiel, Musk, etc...). This is important, because political revolutions have never been successful from the ground up. Overthrowing the dominant ideology of the existing elites and their power structures can only be achieved with the participation of counter-elites. Whereas Trump is an elite who speaks to the people, Vance is a man of the people who speaks to the elite. He has a great deal of potential to utilize the MAGA movement and its vast energy (much of which is currently and unfortunately locked into a cult of personality centered on Trump) to actually begin accomplishing long term political reforms.
This is not to say that Vance is a sure thing, by any means. Despite having now been hand picked as Trump's political heir, he may not turn out to be "the guy" who not only picks up the MAGA banner, but runs farther with it than Trump did. But if that guy does exist, he would have to resemble J.D. Vance closely in terms of his background and ideology. It's ultimately a bit of a dice roll, but Trump is a risk taker, and Vance was definitely his best bet. Hopefully for all of us, Trump's lucky streak continues in his choice of running mate and political heir, and Vance does not disappoint.
