I have finally figured out what it is about JD Vance; ie, how to describe him:
He’s a old-fashioned flim-flam man.
He’s out there in his jalopy, traveling the byways of America with a suitcase full of snake oil & overpriced decorator Bibles.
I mean, imagine Vance in the lead role in The Music Man. He’d be an absolute natural - as long as he bribed someone to pull the fire alarm before the big redemption sequence & happy ending.