Ben Rhodes

It's not a creed.

It's not the Declaration of Independence.

And if there's always been one argument that says we are this kind of blood and soil nationalist entity or we are this kind of more progressive – and I don't mean in a left-wing sense, but I mean we expand rights to more people.

We want to live up to the meaning of equality in the Declaration of Independence.

We want to perfect our union over time.

Like if that's the argument, Vance is taking the most retrograde version of it.

And it's pretty extreme because –

He says we're a particular place, but he's standing in San Diego.

This country was founded in fucking Philadelphia with 13 colonies along the East Coast.

So, you know, Mr. High School Debater winning the debate like is proving the point that we are not a particular place or else we wouldn't be in San Diego, right?

Or he says we're a particular people.

We're not a particular people.

Like just go outside and look around.

Even if people have been here for generations, they came here from everywhere or a particular way of life.

Tim, do you have the same way of life as J.D.

Vance?

I hope not.

And which is great, which is what I love about America.

That's the awesome thing about it.

If they were all like us, then that'd be boring, right?