JD’S BS

MANY OF US REMEMBER NIXON. He was a foul-mouthed conniving corrupt president driven to resignation by a sure-thing threat of impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate. We remember Watergate, deception by deception. Even right-thinking Republicans finally had had enough of it.

No distortion of history will change this, whether it comes from Donald J. Trump or from JD Vance.

JD’s BS. The Associated Press reports “Vance, an Admirer of Richard Nixon, Says Watergate Would Be ‘A 12-Hour News Story’ Today,” June 26, 2026: “Vance described his admiration for Nixon during a conversation at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California. Widely expected to be a presidential contender in 2028, Vance spoke at the library while promoting his new book, Communion.”

AP continues, “After talking about the book and his faith journey [he converted to Roman Catholicism in 2019 after early evangelical then atheistic leanings], Vance shifted to Nixon, saying the legacy of the 37th president is ‘enjoying a bit of a renaissance. If Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be like a 12-hour news story. The idea that it would have taken down a presidency is crazy,’ Vance said.”

Not just an “idea,” JD. It’s a fact. 

A Bit of Research on This. In its “Deep State Conspiracy Theory in the United States,” Wikipedia posits, “Proponents argue that a clandestine network of conspirators within the leadership of the financial and industrial sectors exercise power alongside or within the elected government.”

Eisenhower gave warning of this in his comments about the “military-industrial complex.”

Image from National Archives and Records Administration. View All Pages in the National Archives Catalog. View transcript.

The U.S. Versus the Trumpian View. Wikipedia recounts, “Compared with developing governments such as Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey, governmental power structures in the United States are ‘almost entirely transparent.’ According to UCLA School of Law professor Jon D. Michaels, the American ‘deep state’, which is really the ‘American bureaucracy,’ includes federal agencies responsible for regulation, welfare, crime prevention, and defense, and the employees who operate them, fundamentally differs from Trump’s use of the term in five important respects:”

“Not Elitist. In the U.S., bureaucrats come from a diverse range of socio-economic backgrounds, especially when compared to those in the Middle East, and even Western Europe.”

“Not Shadowy. American agencies are generally ‘transparent and accessible,’ in comparison to those of the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.”

“Not Monolithic. The American deep state is ‘internally diverse and fragmented.’ ”

“A Bulwark, Not a Battering Ram. Actions of civil servants in the U.S. are inherently defensive, not proactive.” 

“Not an Extraconstitutional Force. The bureaucracy should be seen as part of the constitutional system of checks and balances in the U.S., which often serves as a final check on presidential or agency overreach.”

A Will Rogers Thought. I am reminded of Will Rogers’ comment about such alleged conspirators: “I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.” 

William Penn Adair Rogers, Cherokee name: ᏫᎵ ᏗᎦᏘᏍᏗ, 1879–1935, American actor and social commentator. Image by Melbourne Spurr—Internet Archive.

Back to JD. AP recounts, “Vance then noted his own similarities with Nixon: ‘Young senator, vice president, writes some bestselling books, is hated by the media,’ he said. ‘It kind of sounds like JD Vance. I’ve always liked Richard Nixon.’ ”

I recall JD and his debunked claims: See “JD Vance Spreads Debunked Claims About Haitian Immigrants Eating Pets,” NPR, September 10, 2024; “Vance Doubles Down on False ‘Pet-Eating’ Claims, BBC, September 15, 2024; and, while you’re at it, “Springfield Pet-Eating Hoax,” Wikipedia. 

Gee, there’s something else JD has in common with Nixon: mendacity. ds

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2026