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Whatever you may think of her as a candidate, Kamala Harris is a political magician. Because in this hour of historically deep partisan division in our country, she has done the impossible. She has simultaneously made Democrats and Republicans happy by picking Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her running mate.
For polar opposite reasons, obviously…
This news outlet reported on Walz’s bio immediately after his selection was announced on Tuesday morning. We turn now to his political resume. It soon becomes apparent why liberals and conservatives alike are so giddy over his presence on the Democratic ticket.
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Walz has been governor of the Gopher State since January 7, 2019. During those 67 months, he has:
- Signed legislation giving illegal immigrants driver’s licenses
- Supported taxpayer-funded health care
- Backed free tuition
- Supported amnesty for illegal immigrants
- Enthusiastically applauded sanctuary cities
- Signed an order allowing minors to undergo sex-change surgery, regardless of their age
- Signed legislation making abortion a “fundamental right” through all nine months of pregnancy
One GOP strategist calls that record “an opposition research gold mine.”
One Democratic supporter called Walz’s candidacy “a dream come true.”
Harris debuted her new running mate at a Philadelphia rally Tuesday night. Playing up his time as a high school football coach, she said, “Coach Walz motivated his players to believe they could achieve anything, and together, they surprised (their opponents), going from a winless record to the school’s first-ever state championship.”
When a student wanted to start a gay-straight alliance, Harris said, “Tim knew the signal it would send to have a football coach, so he signed up to be the group’s faculty advisor…. after Roe was overturned, he was the first governor to sign a new law protecting reproductive freedom.”
She garnished that with, “when you compare his resume with Trump’s running mate, it’s a match-up between the varsity team and the JV squad.”
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Donald Trump‘s running mate then entered the picture, debuting his new role as the GOP ticket’s attack dog. Harris and Walz are now embarked on a cross-country media blitz promoting the new ticket, and GOP veep pick, Ohio senator J.D. Vance, is shadowing them every step of the way.
Vance told reporters after a Republican counter-rally in Philly last night that “the biggest problem with the Tim Walz pick, it’s not Tim Walz himself — it’s Kamala Harris. When given an opportunity, she will bend the knee to the most radical elements of her party, and that’s exactly what she did here.”
Vance was referring to Harris having passed over Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro for the second slot. Shapiro is a religious Jew who observes the Sabbath and has vocally supported Israel since it was attacked last October 7 by Hamas terrorists, which triggered that nation’s ongoing war.
That was precisely the Democrats’ problem: There was intense pressure from progressives on the party’s left flank—including fellow Keystone State Democratic Sen. John Fetterman — not to choose Shapiro. Analysts say Democrats can’t risk losing Gen Z voters (who are overwhelmingly pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel) in November.
In the end, political expediency won out.
“They make an interesting tag team,” Vance went on to say. “Tim Walz allowed rioters to burn down Minneapolis in the summer of 2020 (following the George Floyd killing), and the few that got caught, Kamala Harris helped bail them out of jail.”
Walz still faces criticism for how he mishandled that situation, including not dispatching the Minnesota National Guard until the next day. Said Minnesota state senator Warren Limmer, “It was obvious to me that he froze under pressure, under a calamity.”
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RELATED | KAMALA HARRIS PICKS HER VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE
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Liberals see an entirely different scenario. “Not since Obama have I witnessed such excitement among Democrats,” said a woman who attended the Harris-Walz rally. That was met by, “I guess the Obamas told [Harris] who to pick, and she just followed suit,” from a man at Vance’s event.
For his part, the Republican nominee, former president Donald Trump, says he “could not be more thrilled” with Walz joining Team Harris. “He’s a very, very liberal man.”
Which raises an interesting point: Just as Trump turned to his MAGA base when he chose Vance for his running mate, Harris likewise looked to her liberal base for hers. Meaning each candidate selected someone who mirrors their own views rather than opting to broaden their appeal. In short, it will be a baked-in liberal vs. conservative contest this fall.
Walz’s selection also reveals the extraordinarily high premium Democrats are placing on maintaining their so-called Blue Wall – the line of Great Lakes States stretching from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania. Trump broke through it in 2016, giving him the win in the Electoral College. Democrats are determined to keep that from happening again this time. Though Minnesota technically isn’t part of the Blue Wall, it does border the western end of Wisconsin, and it is hoped Walz’s Democratic-Farm-Labor presence will give the ticket blue-collar appeal.
Additionally, Democrats hope Walz’s “aw, shucks, folks” Mid-American demeanor will soften Harris’ Hollywood liberalism. His sense of humor is already shining through.
When asked why he appears so much older than Harris, even though their age is only six months apart, Walz noted he supervised a high school lunchroom for 20 years. “You do not leave that job with a full head of hair. Trust me,” he said.
Score one for the Coach.
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UPDATE |
As this article was going to press, allegations of “stolen valor” were leveled against Walz. Stay tuned for a report on that from our Dylan Nolan.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.
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20 comments
LOL…everything in Tim Waltz’s background points to him being actual decent human being who has served his country both in uniform and in public service. I see why team Trump is so scared.
In fairness, the writer gives praise to Walz at the end of the article. He offered critiques that voters may have about someone new to them, but didn’t come off over the top.
Walz is a “great guy” who was “dominate” during the George Floyd demonstrations in 2020.
According to..*looks at notes*…President Donald Trump talking to Walz on the phone.
Trump hasn’t even promoted JD Vance that much as his own VP pick.
He’s a useful idiot for somebody’s cause. Whoever has been running the country.
I feel sorry for these diehard MAGA types. They have been believing lies for so many years now, they make no sense to normal people. This blog is so out of touch with what a majority of Americans are thinking and seeing.
Thus blogger doesn’t believe what they are writing. If they do, then they are too far gone into the weirdness to ever come back or be taken seriously.
You just described Trump perfectly!
A Useful Idiot who let Putin run the country.
Thanks to MAGA, we are more like Russia than ever before.
Stalin must be in awe of you!
That’s all the MAGA campaign could come up with for these blogs to attack Walz with?
Where are the blog posts about how great Shady Vance is as a VP pick? All voters know about the guy is he used to hate Trump with a passion, uses too much eyeliner and he likes to have sex with couches.
Walz has already won over the hearts of voters in a couple of days. Vance is the object of ridicule after weeks of the public getting to know him. Walz is a lovable , all-American Dad. Vance is a creep who wants the government looking in your bedroom.
Trump and Vance are both cowards who are afraid to debate Harris and Walz. Democrats are inspiring and optimistic. MAGA is all doom, gloom, stupidity and negativity.
Aren’t you past due for some Joe & Alan Wilson knob polishing?
Why is Cheetolini’s VP pick, Valdimir Futon, afraid to debate Coach Walz?
Why Private Bone Spur’s people would try and bring up military service is beyond me, but the RNC is run by the Trump family now.
How are the other things Trumps run doing these days?
Ooops!
Heard the recording of Trump praising Walz for his handling of the Floyd Demonstrations yet?
*looks over at the other VP candidate in the election*
Yeah she made a good pick.
Dig hard Nolan, there are a bunch of issues in the culmination of Walz National Guard career and since ha claims Vance’s documented service is somehow “weird” he’s open opened the door to scrutiny.
Couldn’t not comment on this either: “Walz is a lovable , all-American Dad. Vance is a creep who wants the government looking in your bedroom.”. Walz actually did set up a “Staziesque” reporting system during COVID that actually had people doing what this commenter is claiming Vance “wants to do”.
JD Vance is an eyeliner wearing good who thinks national guard isn’t real service and ol Bone Spurs thinks soldiers are “suckers” and “losers”.
Don’t worry, after Harris/Walz win, you weird conservatives can still wallow in your misplaced anger and gloom. Your weird conservative conspiracy sites are more excited than anyone over a Harris/Walz win. Their clicks go up from sad nutters who need a safe place to spew their strange ideas! Have fun!
Marines think only USMC is real service so that wouldn’t be surprising…
It will be interesting to hear your defense of his China Honeymoon and multiple trips there (anyone else have that in common? Hmm, could it be “sleepy Joe”)
He took students from MN to China fur school trips. He taught English there years earlier.
Trump claimed today that he and Xi were very good friends. According to Trump, they shared a couch at Mar-a-largo (you can’t make this stuff up!) on a great visit. That was after he claimed he draws more people the MLK Jr and that he is leading all the polls by a wide margin.
I wonder how you will defend Trump being so old and clearly losing his mind now?
Stolen valor. Clown Walz: “We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war.” Sadly, this coward abandoned his unit, as its top enlisted soldier, because he was afraid to deploy. He carried nothing “in war”. This coward belongs NOWHERE near a heartbeat’s distance of being Commander in Chief.
Oh yeah . . . I have a combat patch from Afghanistan . . . so all of you basement-dwelling keyboard warriors can shut your pie holes!
lol
Now do Commander Bone Spurs there, Patches.
“Kamamala” propagandists at the campaign HQ are already rewriting the rewritten bio for “Retired Command Sergeant Major Walz” (he was actually a Master Sergeant filling a Command Sergeant Major Position and retired as a Master Sergeant since he bailed on Sergeant Major’s Academy (based on his academic record, the Army’s SGM Academy was probably the toughest school he’s ever attended))
The more to the story is that he elected to leave at an unusual time either to avoid the deployment his unit was scheduled for and/or to avoid being defrocked (losing his temporary position) prior to the deployment and winding up working under another senior NCO. There is another story out there about his poor performance tied to that potential defrocking but that one will be more difficult to run down
Nice.
And your comment is straight from the MAGA propagandists that run the RNC now.
As usual, you MAGA nutters have no foresight. Please, bring lack of military service up as a reason to disqualify someone from office. Go right ahead.
Remember when your whole attack on Biden was he’s way too old? Who’s the way too old, blabbering idiot said dodging STDs was his personal Bietnsm? Who calls US service members “losers”?
Y’all’s have no idea how desperate and petty republicans sound in your failed attempts at attacking Walz.
I’m a veteran, deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. I reserve the tight to call Waltz a loser.