JD Vance's response to hecklers at NLC conference oozes class

Washington, D.C.: When US Vice President J.D. Vance spoke at a National League of Cities event on Monday, March 10, how to deal with hecklers would not have been the foremost thing on his mind, but maybe it should have.

Vance's speech focused on the importance of affordable housing and the Trump administration's efforts to tackle the affordable housing crisis in the country seemed to be going swimmingly; until he mentioned illegal immigration.

"We've [also] unfortunately made it way too easy for people to compete against American citizens for the precious homes in our country," Vance began, revving up for his foray into the immigration minefield. 

Heckles began to emanate from the crowd, at times drowning out the VP. Now, Vance could have ranted and fumed at the unwelcome verbal interruptions, but once again he proved himself to be the astute politician that his supporters have always claimed he is.

Smiling, smirking if you dislike him, Vance measured his tone and addressed one of the hecklers directly: "I see one of our nice representatives out here wants to actually, I guess continue to flood the country with illegal immigrants making your communities unaffordable to citizens. But ma'am, with all respect one of the reasons why we're doing what we're doing [referring to the deportations] is because we want to make it more affordable for Americans to live."

As the clamor grew, Vance struck a conciliatory tone: "And so, while I recognize there's a diversity of opinions here. I also think it's important to be honest about those disagreements and acknowledge those disagreements. I'd say we welcome disagreements. We want to talk about those disagreements. 

"You're going to disagree with some of our policies, and that's OK. Come and tell us when you disagree with our policies and we'll have a conversation about it. Maybe don't shout it in front of 2,000 people. I can't even hear what you're saying."

Vance's invitation to liberals in the audience will surprise many of his critics. But it is the VP's innate ability to deliver a stern message while leaving the door open for discourse and his courting of diametrically opposite views in the quest for common ground that sets him apart from his peers.  

Vance went further when he said, "On this question of immigration we have to recognize that yes, you can disagree with some of the laws that are in place. You can disagree with the enforcement of those laws. You can even vote for people who want to change those laws. But while we have immigration laws on the books, we will enforce them and we expect our local municipalities to help us."

The VP also didn't waste the opportunity to fire a broadside against his favorite whipping boy the United Kingdom, and a politically resurgent Canada. 

"Now, I'll say this. This is actually not just an American problem either," Vance lent in, casting his anti-immigration rhetoric across the US's closest allies.

"If you go to Canada, where because of their laws and regulations they've seen a massive increase in the number of people who have come into their country. You go to the United Kingdom -- across the world -- and you see a very consistent relationship between a massive increase in immigration and a massive increase and housing prices. And we have to be honest about that," Vance said.

And certain members of the audience gave him honesty in return.

Vance also noted the increasing difficulty for middle-class families to purchase homes, reflecting on the contrast between previous generations who could afford homes on a single income and the current struggle of dual-income households.

Vance also hit out at zoning laws. He stated that while the federal government’s role in local zoning was limited, local governments should work alongside the administration to reform these laws and ease the construction of affordable homes. Vance cited Austin, Texas, as a model and praised the city’s efforts to lower housing costs through policy changes.

As the administration continues to push for policy changes, local governments were encouraged to partner in efforts to create more affordable housing opportunities for their residents. “We’ve got to fix this if we actually want these places to be magnets not just for jobs and investment, but also for the dreams of young people,” the official concluded.