Harris selects Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

[reader]

From  CNN

Vice President Kamala Harris has made a decision for her running mate, with four people close to the process saying Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota is her choice. 

A former educator, Walz is currently in his second term as Minnesota governor and chairs the Democratic Governors Association. He previously served 12 years in Congress, representing a conservative-leaning rural district that, both before and after his tenure, has been mostly dominated by Republicans. 

[Suckrates]

Not who I would have expected...  I didnt even know who he was until he was mentioned as a contender.   Based on the start of her campaign I thought she was going for the OPTIC of youth and exuberance.   Walz is not that.   He's just another OLD white guy IMO, and visually, he reads that way on camera.....I guess Shapiro was eliminated because of his stand on Israel,  and Mayor Pete because he was Gay.  Kelly was just damn boring.   

He was probably picked because he appeals to some rural part of the electorate she feels she needs to woo,   

If you do a side by side pic of Harris and Walz, AND squint your eyes,  it looks like her with Biden.  Perhaps he was picked because he felt "familiar" to her, like an OLD shoe ? 

i'm sure Trump is digging up dirt to smear him with as we speak ?

[Pete1111]

NYTimes article

Facts about Walz include he sponsored the first gay/straight alliance when he was a high school football coach in Mankato back in the 1990s.

All indications suggest a great choice.

[Riobard]

As Walz doesn’t likely bring in more electoral votes, did she trade off Penn or Arizona votes that might now elude her? He does look rather old for his age but otherwise the antithesis of “weird”. He might come across as benignly paternal, benevolent coach to scattered student, if pit against Vance in debate; I believe Vance was essentially fatherless (?)

Of note, the Waltons (sp) have a challenge/success narrative reproducing with Mayo Clinic IVF intervention yielding two children now 17 (18?) and 23. Cancels out ‘shirker’ criticism re: bio offspring? Merges nicely with self-determination medical assist concept.

Otherwise, normal as all get out and I believe moderate Christians. It is what they aren’t that may have been a key factor.

(Trudeau was a teacher before PM, but not not nepo-ish.)

Wife Gwen, also a teacher, can likely do the following Minn twin-city move without looking like an ass. She perhaps also somewhat subs well for Jill B exiting the scene by default.

[stevenkesslar]

6 hours ago, Suckrates said:

He's just another OLD white guy IMO, and visually, he reads that way on camera....

Or not.   I love the pick!

I'm of course the guy that communicates in longs blocks of boring text.   I'm no Tim Walz.  But it sounds like part of the reason he was picked is he lit up the internet as the old White guy calling Republicans "weird".  And roasting how they are mean bullies who love tax cuts for billionaires and punish and scapegoat queers and have nots.  Jab those hypocrites, rapists, and felons with your pitchfork, Tim!

And how could you NOT love this guy? I think his appeal is he's the anti-JD Vance and anti-Donald Trump.   He did things that are real, and that people really care about.  He is a real person who speaks like a real person.  

I think what stands out to me is that I am very proud of my party, the Democrats.   First, they got the old White guy, Biden, out of the way.  He needed to go.  Second, they let the dynamic Black woman rise.   The base of the party loves it, and Harris is leading Trump by 2 points in the 538 average!  Third, this decision process speaks well for Harris.  She got lots of heavy hitters to vet, think through, and interview the finalists, then met with them.  If the reporting is correct, Shapiro had reservations about giving up his job, which he is basically pretty new at.  Walz has been Guv for six years, has a great record, is an excellent communicator, and does have the Biden appeal to old White guys.  And probably is the most progressive on lots of issues. And the state and style are very Midwest:  Wisconsin, Michigan, western Pennsylvania.

If there is a downside to this it is the path of least resistance  choice.  Since no one disliked him the way some people disliked Shapiro (Jewish/Israel) or Kelly (not strong enough on unions).   But frankly that's okay.  Because Walz could be POTUS, and so he should stand for the ideals and values of his party.  He does.

I'm lovin it!

[Riobard]

Favours the classic Ye Old Mill state fair ride but capable of mastering the Slingshot challenge thingy, with Hope.  

[stevenkesslar]

25 minutes ago, Riobard said:

Favours the classic Ye Old Mill state fair ride but capable of mastering the Slingshot challenge thingy, with Hope.  

Hope slings eternal?  😉

[stevenkesslar]

Why Tim Walz Was the Guy

Another great article on why Walz was picked.

Quote

But no element of the coalition, as best I can tell, had an actual problem with Walz. Democrats from the left to the middle have seen two weeks of the guy, and they like him. He may have been progressives’ favorite, but he also knows how to reach out to the middle, which is how he stayed in Congress for 12 years representing a more rural, middle-of-the-road district. In showing he could offer something for everyone, he made his own destiny.

There's another phrase that has been used by a few smart political operatives that makes sense:   "work horse versus show horse."  Instead of gradually learning Walz is a socialist, to the degree that people even give a shit about him what they will probably learn is that, like Shapiro, he cares about getting shit done.

It matters that Walz heads the Democratic Governors Association.   And that he flipped a rural centrist Congressional seat blue.  And that he actually could get popular left-of-center laws passed involving things like education, health care, family leave, abortion rights.  This is what a party that is NOT focused on a personality, but instead is focused on winning and governing, actually does.

[Stable Genius]

Balls to the Walz!

25 years enlisted in the Army National Guard, Army Field Artillery, retired as Command Sergeant Major. No bone spurs. No need to suppress his grades. High School teacher. Didn't cheat on his wife. Didn't hang with Jeffrey Epstein and prostitute young girls. Is not a convicted felon. Freely and honestly elected to Governorship, served in the House of Representatives. Yeah, he's a crazy liberal...

[Suckrates]

24 minutes ago, Stable Genius said:

Balls to the Walz!

25 years enlisted in the Army National Guard, Army Field Artillery, retired as Command Sergeant Major. No bone spurs. No need to suppress his grades. High School teacher. Didn't cheat on his wife. Didn't hang with Jeffrey Epstein and prostitute young girls. Is not a convicted felon. Freely and honestly elected to Governorship, served in the House of Representatives. Yeah, he's a crazy liberal...

 

He was ADORABLE giving his introductory rally speech tonight in Philly...I'm a fan !  👍

[stevenkesslar]

 

56 minutes ago, Stable Genius said:

Balls to the Walz!

Didn't cheat on his wife. Didn't hang with Jeffrey Epstein and prostitute young girls. Is not a convicted felon. Yeah, he's a crazy liberal...

In terms of these labels like "radical" and "socialist", I think we're already getting a glimpse of how shallow and ineffective they will ultimately be.   Just like they were with Obama.

If you watched the Kamala/Tim show in Philly, you heard this already.   I think this may have been Walz's best applause line at the rally:

Quote

Make no mistake, under Donald Trump violent crime was up.   And that's not even counting the crimes he committed!

How radical is that?  😉

One thing Walz said three times, in complimenting Harris, is "joy".  He talked about how Harris fights for what she believes in with joy.  As does he.  I think he is showing off his well earned emotional intelligence.  I feel the same way about both of them.   And I think that conveys itself to people, and will help them.

Team Raping Felon will of course give it their best shot, as Mr. Rich Felon and Mr. Silicon Valley Hypocrite argue that they stand for Middle America and its values.  But I think it is all bullshit.  Even Ohio voters knew when, when Hillbilly Bullshitter dramatically underperformed just about every other Ohio Republican.  And I am increasingly confident the bullshit and lies and hate and filth and sex scandals and tax cuts to billionaires and bullying and cruelty and meanness and just abhorrent weird creepy shit that is everything Trump stands for is going to be flushed down the toilet, where shit belongs to go.

There is a lot to be said for joy!

[maump]

As a RHINO and never dumpster,  I was foolishly (and unrealistically) hoping for something completely different - out of the box.   Larry Hogan, Chris Christy, Liz Cheney, Adam kinzinger or another reasonable republican.     Lincoln Team of Rivals.  Hope some of them show up in the cabinet.  Unite the good parts from the taters of the republican party.

[unicorn]

7 hours ago, Riobard said:

As Walz doesn’t likely bring in more electoral votes, did she trade off Penn...

 

Choosing Shapiro would have kept Muslim voters at home, resulting in a likely loss of Michigan. Probably a good choice.

[stevenkesslar]

https://www.facebook.com/GovTimWalz/videos/393678466713436

When he was in the US House, Walz represented the district I went to college in.  Northfield, MN is a liberal enclave with two liberal arts colleges in an otherwise red part of Minnesota.  I was a student there when the only other Democrat House member elected in a century, Tim Penny, flipped the seat.   Much like Walz did, by knowing how to play to the center and connect to rural and small town America.

I remember back in my college days going door knocking for my college professor Paul Wellstone in the first campaign he lost, for State Auditor.  A conversation I will never forget is knocking on the door of some Gay guy with AIDS in an apartment building.  This was the 1980's, back when AIDS was a death sentence.  He basically said something like, "I could give a shit about your candidate.  I am Gay man and I have AIDS and no politician gives a shit about me."  So I told him Paul supported LGBTQ rights, blah blah blah, which he eventually did as a US Senator.

Walz is already being attacked as a "radical", basically because he stands up to bullies.  This shows how much has changed.   And how much political leadership makes a difference.  Nancy Pelosi and the Ryan White Act.  Joe Biden and being one of the political leaders in the forefront on same sex marriage, who made it the law of the land on his watch.

I'm a Californian who went to college in Minnesota.  I could not be more proud of these two leaders, and how they have our back.

And speaking of rural and small town America:

Why Pelosi and other House Dems were privately pushing Walz

Quote

While progressives were the ones more publicly pushing Walz as Harris’ running mate, centrists saw him as primarily their ally. Those members argue he wasn’t an ideological champion for the far left, but rather a savvy operator who understood what played well in his district.

Quote

The New Hampshire Democrat spent the morning of Walz’s announcement talking to an array of battleground Democratic candidates who were already gaming out how to bring the vice-presidential candidate to their own swing districts before November.

I was leaning to the idea that Shapiro was probably the best choice.  Because it would have made a statement about moderation.  And it would have helped Pennsylvania.

But now that I know about him, Walz seems like a bigger bet with a potentially bigger reward.   Especially if I imagine Walz can help candidates in swing states and swing House districts, which they apparently think he can.   He knows the House, he is respected in the House, and a Harris/Walz team - if elected with a Democratic House and Senate - could get a lot of shit done.  This will be an epic and good fight for the future.

[Riobard]

12 hours ago, unicorn said:

Choosing Shapiro would have kept Muslim voters at home, resulting in a likely loss of Michigan. Probably a good choice.

Good point. Oh the Queen's Gambit of it all. Would that the intended tripping up works out. 

[stevenkesslar]

16 hours ago, unicorn said:

Choosing Shapiro would have kept Muslim voters at home, resulting in a likely loss of Michigan. Probably a good choice.

 

4 hours ago, Riobard said:

Good point. Oh the Queen's Gambit of it all. Would that the intended tripping up works out. 

 

 

Two points related to this: why Harris picked Walz, and perceptions of Israel among Democrats.

My takeaway is the main reason Harris picked Walz and not Shapiro came down to one word:  "loyal".   To add a second word, it is proven loyalty.   Democratic House members said we know Walz and he is a team player.   We like this guy.  He can help us win.  Democratic Governors said Walz is a team player.  We like this guy.  One article pointed out that Walz was one of the few Governors who defended Biden when he was under fire.  So the Biden people think of him as "loyal".   It's interesting that the two people who rose to replace Biden - Harris and Walz - were conspicuous about defending Biden until the moment that Biden gave up.  For that matter, I'll add [name any prominent Black Democrat, like Rev. Al] to the list.  For days on TV when Biden was being publicly called on to resign Black talking heads like Rev. Al and Bakari Sellers and Van Jones  defended him on MSNBC and CNN.  Probably knowing that when Biden fell Harris would benefit.  It was a shrewd play, I think.

The other interesting and arguably unfair thing that was present but somewhat muted yesterday was the perception, it seems like among some Jews based on online chatter, that Shapiro was perhaps the victim of anti-Semitism.  Walz, who seems to view Israel the same, and has a picture of him embracing Netanyahu floating around online, was not tagged with being in the middle of that whole thing.  Shapiro was.  The quote I read several times from some anonymous source in the Harris campaign was that no one wanted to open the door to a debate about Gaza.  It's toxic, and divisive.  Let's talk about kids, paid family leave, and health care instead.   

Again, arguably that is unfair to Shapiro.  But it speaks to a real and deep conflict in the Democratic coalition.  Older Democrats, like me, are Clintonians who grew up seeing Israel as this scrappy underdog that was surrounded by people out to get them, with The Holocaust always looming in the background.  Younger Democrats see Bibi The Butcher, genocide, and a fanatical right wing country that keeps electing a butcher who seemingly loves to kill Muslim women and children.  Period.  "What part of genocide do you not get?" is how many of them feel.  The polls make that clear.  And those young people are going to be the majority some day.

I'm not defending either position.  My point is that Democratic Jews are going to have an increasingly hard time wanting to thread the needle of being for Israel but against what the government of Israel keeps doing.  Because the people of Israel elect them to do it.  And there's nothing anti-Semitic about it.  Chuck Schumer is not anti-Semitic.  Nor is Bernie Sanders.  And they are the ones calling it out publicly.  It's a problem that is clearly going to fester as long as Israel keeps doing what it is doing.  Even if what they are doing is a response to a bloodbath against Israeli Jews.

I also love how the Republicans suggest maybe Kamala Harris is anti-Semitic.   What faith is her hubby?  And how many Republican Jewish Senators are there ?  (Answer: none.  There are nine Jewish Democratic Senators.)

The point about American Muslims makes sense.  They may not like what Biden says or does.  But the alternative is what they would likely see as their worst nightmare:  just go ahead and blow the fuck out of Gaza

[unicorn]

18 hours ago, stevenkesslar said:

https://www.facebook.com/GovTimWalz/videos/393678466713436

When he was in the US House, Walz represented the district I went to college in: Northfield, MN...

2 hours ago, stevenkesslar said:

..Older Democrats, like me...

[RockyRoadTravel]

On 8/6/2024 at 12:49 PM, stevenkesslar said:

Or not.   I love the pick!

I'm of course the guy that communicates in longs blocks of boring text.   I'm no Tim Walz.  But it sounds like part of the reason he was picked is he lit up the internet as the old White guy calling Republicans "weird".  And roasting how they are mean bullies who love tax cuts for billionaires and punish and scapegoat queers and have nots.  Jab those hypocrites, rapists, and felons with your pitchfork, Tim!

And how could you NOT love this guy? I think his appeal is he's the anti-JD Vance and anti-Donald Trump.   He did things that are real, and that people really care about.  He is a real person who speaks like a real person.  

I think what stands out to me is that I am very proud of my party, the Democrats.   First, they got the old White guy, Biden, out of the way.  He needed to go.  Second, they let the dynamic Black woman rise.   The base of the party loves it, and Harris is leading Trump by 2 points in the 538 average!  Third, this decision process speaks well for Harris.  She got lots of heavy hitters to vet, think through, and interview the finalists, then met with them.  If the reporting is correct, Shapiro had reservations about giving up his job, which he is basically pretty new at.  Walz has been Guv for six years, has a great record, is an excellent communicator, and does have the Biden appeal to old White guys.  And probably is the most progressive on lots of issues. And the state and style are very Midwest:  Wisconsin, Michigan, western Pennsylvania.

If there is a downside to this it is the path of least resistance  choice.  Since no one disliked him the way some people disliked Shapiro (Jewish/Israel) or Kelly (not strong enough on unions).   But frankly that's okay.  Because Walz could be POTUS, and so he should stand for the ideals and values of his party.  He does.

I'm lovin it!

She is a better orator than I was expecting.  She's let it drop a couple times, in referring to Walz, as Coach Walz.  She's not "labelling" him that, but if the monicker gets a take up and sticks - it's not a bad one.  After 10 years of being berated with anger by Trump, the America Dream could use a coach. 

[stevenkesslar]

1 hour ago, unicorn said:

 

 

Well, two positive things I can say.

One, I am neither as old nor as senile as Trump.

Two, when I first read a book on male escorting, written by a male escort, I was 40 years old.  And the book said that with plastic surgery a male escort can have a shelf life as old as 40 years these days.  Since I had just started escorting, that did not seem to bode well for me.

Anyways, I had a great run that lasted well over a decade, and I left escorting on my own terms.  On what was Bill's site, I had close to 100 perfect reviews.  And I made some very nice money, and some very nice friends.  Some of my friends, who are not particularly young, still escort and still enjoy it.  Others hire escorts, but not me, and still enjoy it.

So if this is a tender and sensitive age joke - making fun of people's age on a site like this is of course ALWAYS funny and tasteful ha ha ha ROTFL -  I don't think the joke's on me.   😉

[stevenkesslar]

As much as I would hope to be the oldest and wisest whore in the room, we still have to deal with political whores like Sean Trende and Allan Lichtman.  Lichtman,  having just won some senior Olympics race in Maryland, is for sure older and wiser.

Kamala Harris' Puzzling VP Pick

by Sean Trende

Quote

Regardless, I don’t think Walz probably leaves Harris all that much worse off. He’s more of a missed opportunity, given the alternatives [Shapiro and Kelly].

Sean probably answered his own question.  If Rule #1 is do no harm, Walz probably objectively made the most sense.   There were strong voices inside the Democratic Party that did not particularly like Kelly (unions) or Shapiro (the Gaza crowd, and John Fetterman, loudly).  Walz just continues the love fest.

Just on a tactical campaign level, I can't wait for Walz or Harris to ask Trump or the Couch Potato what is so right about a 30 % murder spike under Trump, and a 20 % murder decline under Biden/Harris. I mean, if the issue is violent protests in 2020 - THAT HAPPENED WHILE TRUMP FROZE AS PRESIDENT AND PRESIDED OVER A REIGN OF MURDER, BLOOD, GUNS, AND HATE - wouldn't Trump and his do nothing but get rich Couch Potato be happy that the prosecutor helped reverse the gushing flow of murder and blood and horror and hate that Trump brought to America, lovingly and with joy, in 2020?  Coach Walz will say it almost that bluntly.  If Trump wants to talk about what happened in the Summer of 2020, I don't think people liked him much then.   What am I forgetting?

Meanwhile, reading Sean Trende reminded me of Lichtman.   Who is ranting about how whoever Trump or Harris picked as Veep makes absolutely no difference to the final outcome.  Which I am 95 % sure will mean Lichtman predicts later this month (after the DNC) that Harris will win.   

Lichtman also keeps saying that where the Veep does matter greatly is something Sean Trende doesn't even mention:  that, somehow, elections have something to do with actual governing.   Who knew?  What a weird idea!  😉

Now that it has had a day to sink in, and I saw The Philadelphia Story on the big screen last night, I think Walz makes even more sense from a governing perspective.

The thing Shapiro, Kelly, and Walz all had is a record of being White men who were able to reach across the aisle.   And a belief in "One Minnesota" or "One America" where we are all neighbors.  Trump will say that's bullshit.  But with any of the three that just makes it clear that Trump is for divide and conquer, which is all he's good at.  Except he still loses.  Poor mess of a weird thing.

What Walz has that is unique to him is both an actual relationship with senior and powerful House members he served with, and a track record that is a model for some of what Harris plans to do.   What is it about supporting parents with paid family leave or having kids not be hungry or poor that is radical?   And when they say that's not the issue, the issue is that you are for crime and chaos, that leads us right back to Trump's very unique 30 % murder spike.  Not to mention all the blood and horror and hate he spewed in Summer 2020. 

We know Walz knows how to say, "Come on!"

This is going to be fun.  Trende doesn't seem to think governing matters.  Lichtman does, which is why he is likely about to predict Harris and Walz will win.

I'm lovin it.

[unicorn]

3 hours ago, stevenkesslar said:

As much as I would hope to be the oldest and wisest whore in the room...

😄

[Riobard]

[JKane]

[stevenkesslar]

 

More light and more joy.   An absolutely wonderful interview with Walz's #2 ,Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.

Two things I particularly like about this piece.  You have a Black former Republican Lt. Gov, a Native American Democratic Lt. Gov., and two women, just warmly celebrating where we are as a nation. It's not a big deal anymore that you can have Black Republicans and Native American women in leadership positions.   It just feels like it makes us stronger, and more interesting.  This is why the love and joy that so many people are feeling is grounded in reality.

 

The second thing I love about this is what it says about leadership., legacy, and light.

When Paul Wellstone died it was a dark moment.  The circumstances - a plane crash - were ugly.  And it all happened in the middle of the Iraq War when things just seemed very dark.  That all culminated in Obama's 2008 landslide.

The guy who ran Wellstone's winning Senate campaigns and Wellstone's two surviving children (his wife and daughter died with him in the plane crash) founded Camp Wellstone, which continued to do what Paul did:  inspire leaders, lift people up, raise voices.  Flanagan was an early instructor there.  Walz was an early and improbable student.  At that time, in 2005, with W. and Iraq, the idea that Walz would win in the red 1st Congressional District did seem like a joke.  But the country was reacting to the darkness, and lots of people like Walz were swept into power.

So it it is true that Wellstone's legacy is more alive today than ever.  That whole agenda they passed in Minnesota last year - for children, for women - is so Wellstone.  And the leaders running it, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes, came up through his inspiration and encouragement and training.  

It's a lot of joy, and a lot of light, and a lot of positive legacy  It is so NOT Donald Trump and JD Vance and Chris LaCivita.

[Suckrates]

"What do mean Cackles crowds are BIGGER than MINE?"