Vice President J. D. Vance is saying the quiet part out loud, advocating for rethinking what it means to be an American.Now, over the holiday weekend, Vance addressed a friendly audience at the Claremont Institute, a right-wing conservative think tank that has called for the end of birthright citizenship. Now, Vance seemed to call for a vision of citizenship where people whose ancestors have been here longer have more of a claim to be American. Take a listen.I think the people whose ancestors fought in the ...

American Identity & Values - The discussion centers on whether American identity should be based on heritage or values [2] - The core question is whether to redefine American identity based on heritage [2] - The founding fathers rejected the idea of "blood and soil" nationalism, emphasizing equality and values [4] - The Declaration of Independence's principle of equality is a political thesis, not just a slogan [4] Inclusion & Exclusion - Defining American identity solely by agreeing with the Declaration of Independence is both overinclusive and underinclusive [3] - A heritage-based definition of American identity could exclude Mexican-Americans who fought in the US Civil War [2] - A values-based definition could include billions of foreign citizens who agree with the principles of the Declaration of Independence [3] Political Commentary - JD Vance's views are characterized as racist and xenophobic policies [1] - JD Vance's perspective is seen as the opposite of identifying America with the principles of the Declaration of Independence [3] - The speaker asserts that individuals like Alicia and Michael are just as American as JD Vance [5]