Harris picks Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate
Vice President Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, capping the Midwestern Democrat’s short but swift ascent from a relative unknown to a leading driver of the party’s attacks on Donald Trump and the MAGA agenda.
Walzamania is running wild. I checked out his resume and background. He is the best choice and a decent human. Which is rare in these times. I give props where it is due for Dems not fucking up here.
Hey! We didn’t say you could have him!
RUDE!!!
(Kidding. He will be an awesome VP.)
I’m sad cause the dude managed to get a ton of shit through with a one vote majority here. He’s a good politician that doesn’t bs too much. Course the right here is as crazy as anywhere, if more democrats in the us were like mn democrats more shit would get done ignoring the cheese and wine coalition.
There's a reason why we are a consistently blue voting state in presidential elections. The vast majority aren't wealthy landowning types. We also have a very educated population. Is it more educated than other states? I don't know, but we pride ourselves on it.
I'm gonna miss him as governor, but damn if he doesn't solidify the ticket.
I had the privilege of hearing him speak to the Kansas Democratic Party earlier this year and was kind of blown away by him. She made the right choice.
Not an astronaut but I'll take it
Wondered where I remembered him from, it was this juxtaposition of photos:
Additional context: around the same time Governor Walz (upper) was signing a bill for guaranteed school lunches the Governer of Arkansas (lower) was signing a bill rolling back protections on child labor.
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/gov-tim-walz-signs-universal-school-meals-bill-into-law/
That photo of him! Every person in it is so genuinely happy! Brought tears to my eyes.
Those poor kids going to work in the mines in the lower pic.
The one kid totally has "wtf?" face going on. I feel bad for those kids. Their parents are all probably total scum bags.
They want to be at home playing Roblox, but their parents made them wear ties and have their hair slicked into place. All to support a bill where they're going to be playing less Roblox.
I would also point out, not to give Huckabee any credit, but the silver lining of that bill might allow kids trying to gain freedom from abusive homes, permitting them to go job hunting on their own (although 14/15 seems super young regardless - they couldn't without someone signing off otherwise). The downsides is parents forcing kids to go to work in dangerous jobs (to your point).
Gov. Tim Walz signs universal school meals bill into law
vs
Arkansas Gov. Sanders signs a law that makes it easier to employ children
I literally laughed out loud when I read the second headline. The kids faces says it all.
Here is a suggested edit for you, just use this image:
Is he in the Sarah Huckabee photo? I don't recognize him if he is. That article doesn't even mention him.
Brilliant pick. This is the kind of energy that will get the Midwest to drive this national election and bring enough casserole for everyone at the potluck
Everybody anxious about a VP Shapiro can finally get a little bit of sleep now lol
What's the nervousness about with regards to him?
He has a lot of baggage that has the potential to tank the ticket and stifle the positive trajectory Kamala has going. Part of her momentum is hoping for a better stance on Gaza compared to Biden and Shapiro would be harmful for that image. You can argue some of it isn't justified, but politics is more emotional than rational and even past that some of his negatives are tough to swallow - like response to protestors, school vouchers, potential cover-up of an aides sexual misconduct...
It's just an unnecessarily vulnerable pick.
Mostly about Gaza. Iirc he was rough on shutting down protests and is pretty pro Israel in general. Not sure if he ever commented on Palestinian civilians directly.
Yeah people were assuming it was him because of the announcement being in Philly when it's probably just a scheduling question
Just took a stroll through his Wikipedia page and he does seem a better than average politician
But more importantly, by far, seems to be a guy actually capable of learning from his mistakes
Unfortunately many people like when their guy never makes mistakes (or at least convinces you that all of their egregious mistakes are someone else's fault or were never actually mistakes to begin with)
Exactly, and often "we" even fault them from changing opinions which renders politicians unable to correct any stance
There is a huge difference between a flip flopper and someone who actually learns from the nuance of the issues and shifts their stance
I am so fucking excited to vote.
I'm a registered libertarian. Despite the craziness, I don't plan on changing that. I wouldn't have voted for Biden, strictly because I live in a state that has 0% chance of flipping, BUT I routinely vote for democrats in senate/house/local races where my vote actually does make a difference. I also encouraged friends with similar mindsets in battleground states to vote Biden.
I think the democratic party needs to fracture, it just needs to fracture AFTER the republican party.
All of that is a setup to say: I also am excited, and if someone like me is excited, I think that's a DAMN good sign. I cannot wait to piss and moan about a Harris admin. It is a big damn country, I look forward to disagreement returning to the point it doesn't result in erosion of fundamental rights and democracy itself, not to mention godamn violent insurrection.
The only thing that can fracture the two party system is ranked choice or alternative voting systems. FPTP guarantees two parties.
Killing the GOP is in your best interest if fracturing the Democratic Party is what you want. Progressives have been ready to bail since 2016. It's not likely to make American politics any less statist, though.
Significant electoral reform is the only other path, and any constitutional amendment is not happening without a major cultural shift in partisanship.
By the way for anyone reading that wants the end of the Trump era, I'm also in a 0% chance state, and this will be the first time I vote for the Democrat on the presidential ticket since moving here, and I encourage others in similar positions to turn out and do the same. I always vote third party to give them extra relevance, but this is a year where the popular vote total will matter. Running up the score will be necessary to make false election integrity claims irrelevant.
I am too. I went from being convinced we were heading straight to tyranny and now I am excited for a potential future with actual liberals at the helm.
Pleasence check your voter registration status, even if you always vote. They are doing what they can, to keep good people from voting.
Between the response to this ticket and the big antitrust win today, this is the most optimistic I've been about the direction of American politics in a very long time.
Almost feels like those hopeful Bernie days. Happy to know Walz was his pick too.
I'm in absolute shock that the Dems didn't go with Shapiro.
My sister used to be the head of the environmental department of one of the suburbs of Minneapolis. She's met Tim Walz a few times, and has had nothing but good things to say about both his personality and his attitude toward the environment. The US has pretty slim pickings for good politicians these days, but I really feel that Tim is on that list. I'm feeling hopeful about American politics for the first time since I learned about how American politics works!
There are some people who actively try to make you feel like politics in the US is hopelessly broken and you might as well just give up. There are many, many people who just want to make things better, whether that's at the federal, state, local, or hyperlocal level. They might disagree on how to do it, and the best ones are the ones that know how to come up with a reasonable compromise when disagreements arise. If you're interested, always look for opportunities.
This is the most hopeful I've felt about an election, and I've been voting since 1996.
I loved this guy since the juxtaposition photos between him and the child labor folks. I wonder if Harris campaign is getting to make decisions because this whole situation blindsided DNC officials/strategists who have historically made stupid calls. They haven't had 4 years to overthink a campaign.
As cynical as I am, I think laughing Harris just felt a good feeling about smiling Walz that she just didn't get from Shapiro, and no strategist hack was able to convince them otherwise.
DNC sucks at strategy. I think making quick decisive moves, especially with the public's diminished attention span is proving very effective. Campaigns should probably focus on being like 3 months before the elections in this era.
Should Harris win (and especially if she wins big), I could see it changing the nature of campaigning here. Three months goes against all the conventional wisdom.
The media won't be happy about it, but it's past time we bring the press back to public service and away from profiteering anyway.
I think conventional wisdom on political strategy is long overdue for an update.
I suppose this is a good time for me to send that nice donation I've been putting off and hope it helps to let the DNC see what happens when they don't disenfranchise progressives.
Harris's primary campaign seemed to be defined by Harris herself taking progressive-ish positions and then later walking them back after someone in her orbit convinced her she had to be more status quo. Maybe that campaign flaming out has taught her to stop listening to those people.
Madame President Mamala Harris, thank you for making the correct choice.
the guy the popularized calling republicans weird nonetheless
It was an off the cuff remark that struck a nerve. We've all been there with that weird relative that is decked out in MAGA gear.
And they hate when their weirdness is pointed out.
Exactly why he feels like a great pick. He didn't over engineer some tagline to game the attention economy.
He just said what the silent majority is thinking in a down to earth "this is so obvious" kind of way. These people are just weird and ruining the family gathering.
I was hoping it was Kelly or Walz over Shapiro.
To me, as Bernie Sanders flavored "Socialist", Walz is an amazing pick.
However I had a preference for Kelly since I strongly believe that his history as an astronaut and his popularity in a state like AZ could help drive a lot of independent voters to the Democrat's platform come November.
All that said, progressives know that progressive policy is also extremely popular when messaged broadly and communicating the benefits to the invidual and country. Hopefully Kamama & Walz use their experince with their A* campaign team to drive that home. And then fucking deliver.
I think Kelly was the best political pick for sure. But Kelly is sure to win again in AZ. They need his vote in the Senate.
And that's McCain's seat; not a safe blue one. It's the right call. Everyone is good moving into the election. Smooth, competent, unified as everything needs to be to ensure our democracy survives Trump and his MAGA cult.
I believe Walz is a good pick because he'll drive the more apathetic voters into the voting booths. He helps keep the momentum of hope Harris has going for her right now. Plus Kelly will hop onboard anyway.
This is a side of the old Blue buffoons I wish we had seen years ago.
However I had a preference for Kelly
They didn't want to pull an incumbent Democratic Senator in a swing state. Too risky.
It's an interesting pick for sure. I was also thinking Kelly as the obvious, safe answer to score cheap points and also maybe shore up AZ. Walz is more of an optimistic, less cynical pick that leans into the progressive side further. It's possible that's what's needed to keep the momentum going.
Kelly would have been a political disaster. His gun control stance would alienate a lot of pro-gun moderates and his Senate seat would almost certainly end up going to a Republican.
Shapiro would have been the politically safest choice because he'd all but guarantee Pennsylvania, which Harris needs to win. But his handling of college protests has been disgusting.
Walz is a great pick. Veteran, teacher, football coach, Congressman, and Governor is a heck of a resume. He was also the highest-ranked enlisted man to ever serve in Congress.
He has also been willing to defy his party. He sided against the party with the bank and GM bailouts, and was even endorsed by the NRA until they became 100% partisan.
He's like a less-privileged, Democratic John McCain.
I really like Walz partially because he's not the obvious pick for political maneuvering. It indicates he was picked because he was the right choice, not just because it was politically expedient. Shapiro and Kelly could both be dismissed as just chosen to win a state, not because they're actually the best choice to serve as VP.
Half the pictures I see of him, he reminds me Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston).
Your revolution is over, Mr. Trump. Condolences. The bums lost. My advice is to do what your parents did; get a job, sir. The bums will always lose. Do you hear me, Donald?
The bums will always lose!
either that or Werner Herzog
Y'know that works for me
Where’s the money, Lebowski?
Uh oh Donny! He's a veteran, too! You wouldn't shit on a veteran, right?
You mean again, right?
Oh of course! My bad
I'm curious what voters will think of the two VP candidates military service.
JD Vance was in the Marine Corps as an corporal for 4 years and served in Iraq, but he served as a combat correspondent, a military journalist, not in a combat capacity.
Walz was in the Army National Guard as an enlisted soldier for 24 years. AFAIK he was never in combat, but his specialty (heavy artillery) was definitely a combat-oriented one. He also achieved the rank of Command Sergeant Major, which is a very high rank for an enlisted soldier.
IMO, being in the Marine Corps sounds more impressive than being in the National Guard. But, 4 years as a combat correspondent sounds a lot less impressive than 24 years, starting out in artillery and moving up to a Command Sergeant Major role.
Vance was not an officer. I don't mean that disparagingly, he just wasn't. He served a 4 year enlistment.
If you're comparing their careers, a sergeant major is a titan compared to a corporal. One of them was primarily concerned with taking pictures and not getting shot. The other made a career studying the art of leadership. It's literally not even a contest.
You can ask John Kerry about that
Yeah! I was so worried she'd tank her momentum by picking Shapiro and ham-handedly presenting it. I continue to be impressed with the Harris team's ability to both politic and stay tapped into the people's sentiments.
Except they missed the part where we need someone young instead of a geezer...
I don't necessarily think that the VP spot being a lead-up to a presidential run should be one of the top considerations right now. We need to win this race, 2028 and 2032 can wait their turn.
Beyond that critique, there's a lot the Harris-Walz ticket can do to line up future Dem candidates for many races. For one, this is a big leftward shift for the Dems. That opens up the board for the Squad to make a run in the future. That opens up a path for other, more progressive candidates to fill other positions. We have no idea what the Harris cabinet will look like and a strong cabinet position is also an excellent prelude to a presidential campaign.
Plus, I don't want to get my hopes too high here and indulge in fantasy, but look at what this is doing to Republicans. What if that party shatters post-Trump? Maybe in two: a returning center-right party and an actual fascist party? If the Republicans try to retake the center, that could drive the Dems further left longterm.
tldr, a Harris presidency could go many ways, and I'm not ready to be a pessimist yet! I think this is a good thing especially because it sets us up to do even better in the future!
As much as I would have liked to see her make a strategic pick who could help her win an at risk state like Arizona or Pennsylvania, he has less baggage than Shapiro.
I think too, there's strategy in a non-strategic pick. The cynics would have said "Oh, she only picked Shapiro because she needs Pennsylvania" or "Yeah, yeah, he's an astronaut, but she wants Arizona".
In this case? I think he's going to be a delight to watch. He'll devastate Vance in the debate.
I think he's pretty strategic, not to any specific state, but to rural Middle America in general. He grew up working on a farm, worked in a factory for a bit, joined the army then worked as a teacher and football coach, he's the salt of the earth common American vance pretends to be. Not saying he'll turn all the rural areas blue but even going from say 20% to 25% will help a lot in those swing states which have a large rural population.
Yeah, but he's no salt-of-the-earth type like JD Vance who is a hilbilly* who attended Yale Law and then worked for totally normal guy Peter Thiel at his Venture Capital firm in San Francisco.
Not really a hilbilly
I can see that for sure. Do you think his appeal is stronger than Kelly's?
He'll devastate Vance in the debate.
So would a piece of cheese.
Or a fluffy enough pillow.
As a resident of a neighboring state, I'm excited to get to vote for someone from somewhere so close in a national election. If my annecdata happens to apply to more than just me that might help in Iowa, Wisconsin and the Dakotas (although culturally the dakotas are more comparable to their neighbors to the west, while Minnesota is culturally closer to Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin)
Granted I only married into a Minnesotan family and my experience with the Dakotas is fairly limited, but I would have said that they're a pretty broad spectrum from east to west, especially in South Dakota. Rapid City is definitely pretty similar to Montana and Wyoming, but Mitchell, Sioux Falls, and Fargo are all far more similar to Minnesota
Then again, I'm thinking "culturally" not "politically," so if you're thinking about how they vote, you're probably right that they're likely more similar to MT than MN.
annecdata
What a lovely term
She only picked him because she needs to show that she's committed to fixing immigration, because he's from a border state. ;)
After feeling absolutely hopeless with the democratic direction for basically 3 years, I had put out of my mind the liklihood that they would pick Walz.
As a MN resident I floated him like 4 months ago as a Biden replacement over shitlibs like Newsome, but I honestly didn't expect leadership to consider him for anything other than his current position
I'll be sad to see him go but I'm much less nihilistic about the general now, so I'll take it.
“Kamala Walz” sounds like an Australian dance.
Anyway, after seeing Walz’s record I think he’s a great choice. Unfortunately as VP he’s not a policy-maker, even though the VP can wield some influence, but hopefully his presence will drive things in a positive direction.
Xena & Gabbie dancing for freedom?
Sweet.
One thing I've noticed is almost any female politician, we refer to them by either their first name or the full name, but rarely by their last name. Meanwhile male politicians are almost exclusively referred to by their last name only.
Once I made this realization, I started making a conscious decision to stop saying Kamala and began referring to her as Harris.
I'm ready for a Harris/Walz administration.
Good point. Maybe some minor unconscious psychological bias toward familiarity, therefore reduced expectations and respect for her position.
I feel like this belongs here:mahna mahna
I still wonder if Kelly would have delivered more cheap voter appeal, but Walz is doubtless the best pick on merit and policy and will be the better asset as VP should she win.
In the end though I'm just so happy it's not Shapiro (please announce it officially so I can breathe).
I had money on Kelly but Walz fits really well.
For all we know Kelly harbours presidential ambitions.
Walz seems like the kind of guy just happy to be there.
I was real worried she was gonna re-saddle her campaign with an anti-Palestine running mate. This is a relief and gives me some hope for this Nov.
We can now stand on a solid ticket from top to bottom. Waltz will wipe the floor with Vance.
Thank Christ.
Maybe there’s some hope for Gaza yet.
this is the pick I was hoping for!
Never heard of this guy but a quick search suggests he's got a decent record. I'm not American though so my opinion doesn't matter, but looks like a good pick to me!!
I live in Minnesota and he's been amazing as governor. So many progressive policies passed with the slimmest of majorities in the legislature.
Ill be saddened to lose him as governor, but to see him go onto larger issues and to help more people -- I guess that's a sacrifice we can make. Flanagan seems to a be competent lieutenant gov, so we're still helmed by good people.
Go Harris / Walz!
Good! Harris could have screwed herself with some of the other candidates
I absolutely love a little bit of good news in the morning!
This is okay. Although I think they should've picked Hunter, because he has cooler criminal charges than Trump, and would've been able to out flank the republicans on the crime front.
Great news
The best possible choice she could have made. It fills me with joy the democratic party didn't stand in the way. I for sure thought she was going to pick Obama's boy Shapiro.
Everybody thought she was going to pick Shapiro. Kamala's just full of surprises.
Does this mean Steve Martin returns to SNL?
This is reassuring. I've claimed for a while that Dems are excellent political tacticians, but MAN do they suck at the long-term strategies due to being unwilling to play hardball. Meanwhile, the Right are great at long-term strats and often fail when it comes down to making quick, tactical decisions that fall outside their plans. Then Harris here stepped in after an honestly excellent choice by Biden, and we are seeing just how skillful someone on the Left can be when there isn't any time to be a moron.
Dems, in our own way since 1980.
I live in a blue state and was planning on leaving the president option blank. Especially for Biden, and even for Harris.
I am now actually seriously considering filling in that bubble for Harris / Walz
I’m not familiar with this man - he seems old?
I was hoping she would go with Buttigieg as he’s a lot younger and has his head screwed on plus is able to go on Fox and leave intact.
I think this was a poor pick. Penn's governor was a good candidate, but also didn't have the George Flyod riots in his political past. You're already seeing Republicans key in on that.
Shapiro is also very anti-Palestine and centrist so... nobody wants him if they can have Walz instead. Walz has accomplished far more positive things than Shapiro.
We need actual social democrats. The great things our nation has weren't the things brought on by centrism, but by progressives like FDR. Tim Walz is just that kind of guy. Democrats need people who won't dedicate their career to attempting bipartisanship or "reaching across the aisle" when the other side of the aisle is the alt-right, and they need someone who isn't controlled by corporate money. Because that kind of refusal to fight back against the right is what got the US into the mess it's in now. Tim Walz doesn't sucker up to fascists, as opposed to centrist Democrats.
Shapiro has a sexual harassment coverup allegation (for a close aide, not himself) and what appears to be serious mismanagement of a stabbing case, where a woman's death was initially ruled a murder, but ultimately his office refused to re-examine the case. It's going before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and might be heard before the election. Harris doesn't need an October Surprise to derail her momentum if it makes Shapiro look bad.
Huh I didn't know about that. Maybe Walz is a better pick then.
I don't ever wanna hear any move about how we need to get old white rich people out of politics, cause you guys clearly don't mean it. This guy is the exception, but so was sanders? Come on.
Get some young blood like buttegieg in there please
He is one year older than her. He is 22 years younger than Biden.
The dude was a teacher and member of the national guard. His net worth before he became governor was $13,000. If that's rich, then we've solved poverty, I guess.
Walz is rich? Wut?
Yuck no. Pete is not what is needed.
I'd be cool with Buttegieg being Secretary of State. Can we push for that?
He would be perfect for the role, and honestly probably more effective use of his talents than as VP.