J.D. Vance on our Civilizational Crisis

J.D. Vance, venture capitalist and author of Hillbilly Elegy, speaks on the American Dream and our Civilizational Crisis.

J.D. Vance, winner of the 2022 Republican primary for Ohio Senate, discusses his book, Hillbilly Elegy, and its influence on his politics. Growing up in the city of Middletown, Ohio, Vance learned about the impacts of globalist trade policies first-hand as he experienced the impact economic devastation had on his family and community. His once thriving blue-collar community became a case study for the opioid epidemic, cycles of poverty, welfare dependence, and civil and social rot.

In his talk, Vance unpacks the real-world implications of the decisions made by elitist politicians who will never have to live with the consequences of their actions. Vance believes conservative nationalism is the only way to combat this decay. The only way to reinvigorate the middle class—and the very soul of America—is with an American system that prioritizes the health of the family.

In order to achieve that goal and undo decades of social deterioration, conservatives must embrace a new series of policy prescriptions that, while different than those of previous generations, stay true to fundamental principles and cultivate the good life for all Americans. Vance then lays out some of these policy ideas. 

This speech grabbed headlines in the days after Vance delivered it. Watch it now and see why.

This was recorded at ISI’s “The Future of American Political Economy” conference in Alexandria, VA. July 24th 2021.