Bulwark Takes — Episode Summary

Episode Title: Tim & Sarah React to Vance’s INCREDIBLY Reckless Speech
Date: September 16, 2025
Host: Tim Miller
Co-Host: Sarah Longwell

Brief Overview

Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell from The Bulwark react with deep concern to Vice President J.D. Vance’s recent guest appearance on the Charlie Kirk podcast. In the wake of Kirk’s shocking murder, Vance used the platform not to unite but to inflame, directing blame and policy threats toward the political left, left-leaning donors, and even individual citizens expressing critical views. Tim and Sarah break down why this rhetoric is not only hypocritical but dangerous, departing sharply from the moral leadership expected from America's highest offices.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Vance's Polarizing Rhetoric After Charlie Kirk’s Death

• [02:05] Tim Miller sets the stage: Vance, as Vice President, had a moment to soothe national tensions but instead chose division.

  "Obviously could have been an opportunity and a platform to try to bring the country together... I don't think you'll be surprised to hear he did not do that." (02:08)

• [02:49] J.D. Vance (clip):

  "While our side of the aisle certainly has its crazies, it is a statistical fact that most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the far left."

• [03:02] Tim and Sarah take issue: Vance cited no real statistics and reinforced the myth that political violence is a predominantly left-wing problem.

2. Shifting Blame & Moral Authority

• Sarah [03:10] refutes Vance, drawing a sharp distinction:
  • Historically, right-wing violence, especially since 2015, has been more prevalent.
  • “Anybody of good faith... would acknowledge. We have a political violence problem in America. It is not, it does not belong to one side.” (06:05)
  • Vance and Trump lose moral standing to condemn political violence, given Trump’s incitements during January 6th.

3. The Role of Leadership in Times of Crisis

• Tim [07:00]: Leaders are supposed to cool tension, not inflame it.
  • “Up until Donald Trump was elected... leaders, their job... was to kind of calm the waters. That's not, you know, going to save us from every violent person or whatever, but it's just. It's the responsible thing to do.”
• Sarah [08:46]: No elected Democrats have celebrated Kirk’s death; Vance’s offloading of blame lacks meaningful evidence.

4. Vance Calls for Public Retaliation Against Critics

• [10:40] J.D. Vance (clip):

  "When you see someone celebrating Charlie's murder, call them out in hell. Call their employer. We don't believe in political violence, but we do believe in civility."

• [10:49] Tim Miller:
  • Condemns the Vice President's call for doxxing and professional retaliation against private citizens:

    “The idea... should encourage people to try to dox like random folks... and call their employer and get them fired. That's a crazy way to live in a country, by the way.”

5. Hypocrisy & Policy Threats to Progressive Organizations

• Sarah [12:25]: Argues this is about more than the moment—it’s “pretextual.”
  • Vance’s rhetoric lays the groundwork for attacking and defunding left-leaning non-profits and media by weaponizing the tax code.
• [13:06] J.D. Vance (clip):

  "There is no unity with the people who fund these articles, who pay the salaries of these terrorist sympathizers... Did you know that the George Soros Open Society foundation and the Ford foundation... benefit from generous tax treatment? They are literally subsidized by you and me, the American taxpayer."

• Tim [14:24]: "There is JD Vance directly saying we're gonna go after these left wing nonprofits."

6. Double Standards & Chilling Dissent

• Sarah [16:21]: Refutes the notion that only left-leaning nonprofits work through the tax-exempt system, pointing out how right-wing organizations like Turning Point USA did the same.
  • The administration’s chilling of dissent is asymmetric and fundamentally wrong.
• Tim [18:28]: Points out the asymmetry:

  "...it's fundamentally contrary to what all of them said should happen over the past 10 years with their complaints about cancel culture..."

7. Targeting Journalists and Escalating Harassment

• Tim [20:00]:
  • Criticizes Vance's tendency to single out journalists and articles for targeted harassment campaigns.
• [21:09] J.D. Vance (clip):
  • Vance grossly mischaracterizes and personally attacks Black women leaders, claiming, “you do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously.”
• Sarah [23:42]:
  • The Nation’s article accurately relayed Vance’s words, albeit paraphrased; his remarks were plainly racist.
  • Context: “I think what happens is... when you go though, and then canonize a person in the wake of this murder, have everybody lower flags to half mask, take moments of silence, then, you know, a lot of people are going to say, what is the thing that we are... honoring here?”

8. Reminder of Former Moral Stance: Hypocrisy Laid Bare

• [28:15] Sarah introduces a 2017 Vance clip:
  • Vance then called for moral leadership after the Charlottesville march, demanding that presidents name and denounce right-wing violence.
• [29:50] Tim Miller:

  “There it is. Moral leadership. Moral leadership. He knew that's what was required then. Don't think we're seeing it now.”

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Anybody of good faith... would acknowledge. We have a political violence problem in America. It is not, it does not belong to one side.”
  — Sarah Longwell (06:05)
• “It would have been unthinkable... for [Al Gore]... to go on the news in the 90s after the Oklahoma City bombing or after Columbine and say... ‘the fucking Republican lunatics’... That just would have been unthinkable.”
  — Tim Miller (07:00)
• "The idea... should encourage people to try to dox like random folks... and call their employer and get them fired. That's a crazy way to live in a country."
  — Tim Miller (10:49)
• “That's not what you're talking about here. You're talking about investigating. This is that, this is, this is the main point. They. And he talks about this. The building blocks. Right. Of, you know, you get that he's thinking, he's trying to say that there's the shooter at the tippy top and below it are sort of the... Democratic operators and the politicians. And as though, as though this and then down below is the funders. And that's the key. They want to use this pretextually to go after the people who fund political projects that are coded as left wing.”
  — Sarah Longwell (16:21)
• “It is all it is a camp, it was a campaign of retribution and revenge that he's essentially announcing on this podcast platform...”
  — Tim Miller (18:28)
• “I think if Barack Obama after Trayvon Martin was shot was like, if you see anybody say something bad about Trayvon Martin or defend George Zimmerman, you should call their boss and have them fired. I mean like literally. That would still be on the Sean Hannity show every night right now, 15 years later.”
  — Tim Miller (19:53)
• "He says specifically there that he lists Joy Reid, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Michelle Obama, all black women and says they don't have the brain processing power to be taken seriously and that a white. That they stole a white person's job."
  — Tim Miller (23:11)
• "This idea that people have to misquote Charlie Kirk in order to make him have bad opinions... that's not something that can be criticized in this moment is crazy."
  — Sarah Longwell (24:20)
• "The Vice President needs to be the fucking Vice president in these moments, right? Not just any other replacement level podcaster trying to get clicks and ratings and inflame tensions..."
  — Tim Miller (27:21)
• "If I was President Trump in this situation, I'd be spiking the football, because this is one of the things that really unites the entire country. Racism is bad. Nazism is bad. We fought a war to defeat Nazism. And the President should not just be... There's a sense in which he's a little ambivalent or a little bit too cautious about coming out and criticizing this stuff. It's not just about him using the right words, but he's got to come out with the right tone and really stridently condemn this stuff."
  — J.D. Vance (2017, clip) (28:27)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:00 — Show start; Tim and Sarah react to Vance’s approach after Kirk’s murder
• 02:49 — Vance’s core assertion: political violence problem is mainly on the left
• 03:10 - 07:00 — Sarah’s substantive rebuttal and historical context of political violence
• 10:40 — Vance encourages listeners to dox and get critics fired
• 13:06 — Vance targets donors/foundations and threatens using the tax code
• 16:21 — Sarah details the dangers of pretextual crackdowns on left-wing funding
• 18:28 — Tim frames Vance’s actions as a campaign of political revenge
• 21:09 — Vance’s attacks on Black women leaders; racism discussed
• 28:15 — Retrospective: Vance in 2017 calls for moral leadership post-Charlottesville

Memorable Moments

• Sarah’s passionate, detailed history lesson on political violence, and how Trump's presidency marked a break from calming leadership, is a key moment (03:10 - 07:00).
• Tim’s incredulous tone as he compares current attacks on dissent (“calling employers”) to the very cancel culture the right previously complained about (10:49-12:25).
• The contrast with 2017-J.D. Vance delivers a stinging demonstration of hypocrisy—the same person then urged moral leadership and unity, now stokes division (28:27).

Final Takeaways

• Miller and Longwell argue Vance’s speech is not just reckless but part of an ongoing effort to weaponize tragedy for broader political, social, and financial retribution against the left.
• They underscore the importance of true moral leadership—particularly for those in the highest offices—especially in moments of national tragedy.
• The hypocrisy of Vance’s approach is laid bare through his own past words, reminding listeners how far public standards for leadership have fallen in recent years.