Do we think Vance is stupid enough to not understand that NATO primarily benefits the US?

Right, regardless of any broader foreign policy view, Vance should at least understand it in purely cynical terms for bargaining leverage.

But I think blindly grappling toward tariffs and no NATO is part of the instinct for attacking liberalism and neoliberalism in a big hot tangled mess of reactionary instincts rather than an intentional road to a different vision.

This is completely insane revisionist history. The TPP was in fact ripe for ratification, with full support of American ratification from its international partners, but was logjammed in the United States due to a Republican Senate.

The reformed TPP is similar to the original one and only exists to work around the loss of U.S. as a participant. And the U.S. never rejoined. There’s a grain of truth to the thing about farmers, at least, but good gravy, this is otherwise pretty nuts.