The “Give Us Another Chance” Tour Comes to Iowa

JD Vance to Voters – Please Give Us Another Chance

Vice President J.D. Vance is coming to western Iowa Friday with a message for voters that may require a little work from the marketing department. “Give us another chance.” No, really. That was part of the vice president’s pitch this week when he was asked what Republicans should tell voters ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Vance began conventionally enough. He touted tax cuts, immigration enforcement and other Trump administration policies. Then came the interesting part. According to RealClearPolitics, Vance said “There’s a lot of good that’s been done, but there’s a lot of work left to do,” before asking Americans to “give us another chance” or “another couple of years.”

It may not have been intended as a confession. But as campaign slogans go, Give Us Another Chance is a curious choice for the party currently running the federal government.

So, in the spirit of helping, we have condensed the message. We have been in charge, and we have done a lot of things that need fixing. Therefore, we ask that you give us another chance.

The Contractor Is Back

Imagine hiring a contractor to remodel your house. Eighteen months later, the roof leaks. The kitchen faucet runs hot water from both taps. One window has been installed inside-out. There are wires hanging out of the wall, and something in the basement has been making a buzzing noise since Tuesday.

Then the contractor pulls into your driveway. “Good news,” he says. “We’ve done a lot of amazing things.” You point toward the house. “Yes,” he acknowledges. “There’s a lot of work left to do.”

Then he hands you an estimate, saying “give us another couple of years.” That, unintentionally or otherwise, is the peculiar position Vance brings to Council Bluffs.

To be fair, Vance’s actual argument is different. Like Trump, 18 months later with the Republicans in charge of Congress, the Presidency, and the Judiciary, he still blames Biden for the nation’s woes. Vance makes unsubstantiated claims that Republicans inherited problems they are fixing and need additional time to complete the job.

That’s the political argument voters will get to evaluate. But “give us another chance” remains an unusual way to introduce it.

Ashley Has Other Plans

There will also be one conspicuous absence when Vance takes the stage at the Mid-America Center. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ashley Hinson won’t be there.

Her campaign says she has previously scheduled events. The Washington Post reported that her spokesperson declined to identify those events. Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn, meanwhile, is scheduled to attend.

There is no basis for saying Hinson is deliberately avoiding Vance, and her campaign hasn’t said that she is. Still, the timing provides a tidy ending to this story.

The vice president is coming to Iowa to ask voters to give Republicans another chance. But one of the state’s most prominent Republican candidates apparently already had something else on her calendar.

Maybe next time.