Fin: J.D. Vance’s ‘Garden State’ blog

Plus: Pete Rose documented, Aaron Sorkin’s politics fantasies, in praise of fake filming notices and the rest of this week’s notes column.

After a presidential election that was, until recently, contested between two people who are almost old enough to be my grandparents, Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance is, at 39, the first person ever on a presidential ticket who’s younger than me. 

Therefore, Vance has suffered something that long looked like a potential nightmare for people of my generation: His old Blogspot blog has resurfaced. 

Yes, Vance had a blog back in 2010 called “The Ruminations of J.D. Hamel,” going by the last name he used then. It’s very familiar to those who remember that particular era, from the template to the style. 

And yes, he had a movie take. Specifically about the 2004 film Garden State, one of those movies that I thought was all deep and profound back then but am sort of afraid to revisit now (its 20th anniversary is a few days away, for what it’s worth). Here’s J.D.: 

“I couldn't watch Garden State because New Jersey’s landscape is so much like Ohio’s, the music is so relevant to my life right now, and the story of a guy returning home, realizing that home isn’t what it used to be, etc. made me want to tear up,” Vance wrote. “The comment he makes about about [sic] realizing that the place he grew up isn’t really home anymore, and his theory that people settle down because when you lose your home you want to make a new one really resonates with me right now, and I’m sure it does with some of you too.”

I’m sure he also had a crush on Natalie Portman back then. Then again, didn’t everybody?

We’re used to embarrassing old tweets of politicians resurfacing and other weird old writings. Old Tinder and Grindr stuff, I’m sure, is the next frontier. But for some reason, there hasn’t been enough dragging out of vintage Blogspot posts. 

It’s not the most embarrassing stuff Vance has said and done in the past, although I will say the couch thing is a bit unfair—go after the guy for stuff he really said since there’s plenty of it. 

Most politicians had blogs back then, although most were probably arguing for (or against) the Iraq War. There was also something called the New York City Blogger Scene, circa about 2002-2004, which boasted many now-famous people in various fields; I’m surprised it hasn’t gotten a book-length oral history by now.