Wat-Not Staff
Many commentators bemoaned Vice President Kamala Harris’ selection of Tim Walz as her running mate. They believed that the Democratic nominee ought to have selected a vice presidential contender, like Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who could lessen her risks and stabilize her party’s ticket.
Harris choosing Walz is confusing
After all, Harris had conducted an incredibly progressive 2020 primary campaign after serving as a liberal senator from one of the most left-wing states in the US. She would have to show that she was not one of her party’s most radical members in order to win over swing-state indecisive voters. And choosing the well-liked governor of a purple state who has disregarded the Democratic activist base on issues like Israel’s Gaza War and education policy would accomplish precisely that.
According to this narrative, Walz was just another darling of the left: As governor of Minnesota, he had implemented a long list of progressive measures, such as giving convicted felons their voting rights back and setting up a program of sanctuary for transgender patients who could not receive gender-affirming medical care in other states. Selecting Walz may excite the segment of voters who would support Harris even if she ignited a blunt with the flames of an American flag and set fire to it live on television. However, that would not assuage many who took offense at the two terms “California liberal.”
However, there are other methods for balancing a ticket. If the third night of the Democratic National Convention is any indication, Harris’s camp feels that way.
Walz being ‘progressive’ in a conservatory way
Democrats aligned their party with small-c conservative moral values and rural American culture on Wednesday night, using Walz’s nomination to further their broadly progressive agenda. It’s possible that Harris and Walz don’t differ all that much ideologically. However, both symbolically and demographically, he is very different.
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Harris is the half-Jamaican, half-Indian daughter of immigrant college teachers.
Walz was reared in a 400-person Nebraska town where the majority of the ethnic diversity was made up of several varieties of Midwestern white people (Walz is of German, Irish, Swedish, and Luxembourgish origin). His family has been in the country since the 1800s. Harris is a seasoned red carpet pro who exudes calmness. Walz is a physical manifestation of a dad joke.
Walz talks about his agenda in DNC speech
The opening of Walz’s address on Wednesday night seemed to have been pre written by a chatbot programmed to produce the opposite viewpoint of a “San Francisco liberal.” A film montage honored Walz’s hard work on the family farm as a child, his time in the US military, his marksmanship, and—most importantly—his accomplishments as a football coach.
Democrats focused particularly intently on the final and most American accomplishment on Walz’s résumé. A bunch of his former players, dressed in their gridiron attire, marched on stage to a fight song (not to be confused with “Fight Song”) just before the party’s vice presidential nominee addressed the podium.
Speaking about Project 2025, which is the conservative movement’s plan for appreciating Trump on a second level, Walz stated:
“This is the issue. This agenda was not requested. This plan benefits no one save the wealthiest and most radical members of our society. Furthermore, this plan does nothing to help our less fortunate neighbors. Is this strange? Indeed. Indeed. However, it’s also risky and incorrect.” He said.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings