Three reasons to be thrilled about Tim Walz
We’ve got the ticket democracy deserves, folks
The first half of 2024 seemed designed to prepare us for every possible disappointment in this mortal coil. The second half is the opposite—at least so far.
For those of us praying to all known deities for a progressive ticket that could win across the Great Lakes, Harris/Walz is it.
I would have preferred my excellent governor, Gretchen Whitmer, for the message of two women alone. And you have to respect those who wanted Josh Shapiro, who has won over more Trump voters than any sitting governor. But I said the Serenity Prayer all weekend, and I’m thrilled. I hope you are, too. If you aren’t yet, hopefully, you will be by the end of this quick post.
So let’s get to why you should be thrilled about Kamala Harris’s selection of Tim Walz, the dad JD Vance needed, as her running mate and your next vice president:
1. Walz is a master communicator from a state that has taken on Trumpism directly.'
Donald Trump was within a mere 2% of winning Minnesota in 2016. In 2018, Democrats in the state united behind the idea of Greater than Fear. “From a 43,000 person celebration of the Muslim holiday Eid-al-Adha, to carefully considered door-knocking operations, to interactive social media memes, the Greater Than Fear campaign showed that we can simultaneously drive turnout from our base and persuade the middle,” Anat Shenker-Osorio explained in her Words to Win By episode on that campaign. That effort turned the tide and Walz, with his history of winning over red districts, was a champion of the message. He was elected governor that year. In 2020, Joe Biden won the state by more than 7%. In 2022, Democrats won the trifecta that allowed Walz to sign the bevy of bills, including universal free lunch at schools, which inspired the nation. And, unlike pretty much everyone else alive, he even knows how to talk climate to people doused in right-wing lies.
2. Workers. Workers. Workers!
Minnesota’s Democrats, led by Walz, enacted “one of the most pro-worker packages of legislation that any state has passed in decades,” said Steven Greenhouse, dean of America’s labor reporters. This is concrete, make-your-life-better-tomorrow stuff, and Walz has excelled at making it law. It also shows that Walz is tough on crime, namely the most common and costly crime in America. “[T]he new legislation tackles wage theft by ensuring a contractor entering into a construction contract assumes liability for any unpaid wages, fringe benefits or damages that a subcontractor owes to its workers,” Greenhouse wrote.
3. Harris again shows she knows how to unite the base to persuade the middle.
It’s easy to get caught up in right-wing caricatures of Democratic politics, which are inevitably racist, misogynistic, or, generally, both. But we repeatedly see that Harris is strategic, calm, and inspiring. She keeps making moves that build momentum and sidestep the issues that could divide the party when all that matters now is defeating Donald Trump. We’re the left; we’ll find time to disagree later. But what we’re seeing now is that Kamala Harris helped Joe Biden unite the party in 2020. And she appears to be on track to do that again in 2024.
That’s it. Let us know what you think.
We’re nearly at 700 earlyworms. This is a somewhat arbitrary number but still a chance to reflect and recharge as we aim for 2,024 by September 17th, National Voter Registration Day.
This has been the most satisfying work in my life, and you make it possible. Thanks for all the support, paid or not. It all matters.
I was for keeping JB on the ticket, because I feared the circular firing squad the might follow his removal. But when that didn’t happen I resisted the talk of “coronation” or “back room DNC deal” regarding KH, because she was the obvious best option, and winning this is too important to be sidetracked by…anything. Then I considered the Veepstakes candidates. I came around to Mark Kelly, but then was intrigued by Tim Waltz. The more I learned about him the better I liked the idea. Kelly’s seat in the Senate is up for re-election in 2028 and it isn’t clear another Democrat can win it. So I became a big Waltz supporter and I am so glad Kamala agreed! Excitement is building!
Remember the 2020 “ summer of love” riots in Minneapolis. Walz governed over the Shiite show . 2 billion in insured losses, 1500 businesses damaged or destroyed whilst Walz dragged his feet. Lots of excuses from his administration on why the delay to deploy the NG but Mayor Frye repeatedly asked for help to no avail. As an aside, Walz’s wife said in an interview with local KSTP, “I could smell the burning tires. That was a very real thing, and I kept the windows open as long as I could because I felt like that was such a touchstone of what was happening”. According to Walz, “Walz had previously argued that calling the National Guard would only incite further rioting, as he had suggested protesters needed space to express their outrage.” Express outrage by nearly biting the city to ashes? This is who you’re voting for.