JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground

HTML

<ul class="Interface" data-role="Container">
    <li class="title">Some title</li>
    <li><article> Message content </article></li>
    <li class="vote controls">
        <button class="up" data-role="VoteUp"> 1 </button>
        <button class="down" data-role="VoteDown"> 0 </button>
    </li>
    <li class="social controls">
        <button class="up" data-role="ReplyButton">Reply</button>
    </li>
    
    <li class=" NESTING HERE ENDS AT LINE_28 ">
        <ul class="Interface" data-role="Container">
            <li class="title">Re: Some title</li>
            <li><article> Another Message content </article></li>
            <li class="vote controls">
                <button class="up" data-role="VoteUp">
                    <i class="fa fa-caret-up"> 1 </i> 
                </button>
                <button class="down" data-role="VoteDown">
                    <i class="fa fa-caret-down"> 0 </i>
                </button>
            </li>
            <li class="social controls">
                <button class="up" data-role="ReplyButton">Reply</button>
            </li>
        </ul>
    </li>

    <li class="Interface SomethingElse">
        <span> Meaningless Heading </span>
        
        <div data-role="SuperContent">
            I could put stuff in here and let the controls
            <span class="controls">Inherit their role <a href="#">Click</a></span>
            <div class="controls" data-role="special">
                <button data-role="Command">or define them</button>
                <button>In different ways</button>
            </div>
        </div>
    </li>
</ul> 
<!-- 
This should work even when '.Interface' is nested in itself:

$('.Interface').each( function(){ $(this).findExcept('.controls','.Interface').on('click',func) );

Sometimes not required when .each is unneeded (in normal chaining), still works with chains.
-->

JavaScript

// Find-like method which masks any descendant
// branches matching the Mask argument.
$.fn.findExclude = function( Selector, Mask, result){

    // Default result to an empty jQuery object if not provided
    result = typeof result !== 'undefined' ?
                result :
                new jQuery();
    
    // Iterate through all children, except those match Mask
    this.children().each(function(){

        thisObject = jQuery( this );
        if( thisObject.is( Selector ) ) 
            result.push( this );

        // Recursively seek children without Mask
        if( !thisObject.is( Mask ) )
            thisObject.findExclude( Selector, Mask, result );
    });

    return result;
}

var Interface=function(Markup)
{
    $elf=this;

    $elf.call=
    {
        init:function(Markup)
        {
            $elf.Interface = Markup;
            $elf.Controls = $(Markup).findExclude('.controls', '.Interface');
            $elf.Controls.on('click mouseenter mouseleave', this.events );
            return $elf;
        },
        
        ReplyButton:function(){    console.log('Reply clicked');  },
        VoteUp:function(){         console.log('Up vote');        },
        VoteDown:function(){       console.log('Down Vote');      },
        
        events:function(e)
        {
            var role = $(e.target).data('role');

            if(e.type == 'click')
            {
                CurrentControl=$(e.target).closest('.controls')[0];
                
                if( typeof $(e.target).data('role') !== 'undefined')
                    role = $(e.target).data('role');
                else
                    role = $(e.target).closest('[data-role]').data('role');

                // Call any defined role action, alternative to switch(role)
                if( $.isFunction( $elf.call[role]) )
                    $elf.call[role](e);

                // No function found matching role name
                else 
                {
                   ...