America is smiling. Could this be our victory Walz?
The more you think about it, the total package makes sense.
What better dance partner for Kamala Harris than a man named Walz?
Coach, teacher, veteran, governor.
You had me at teacher.
But is Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota, too boring? Too bland? Too ordinary? Too vanilla ice cream when you could have had caramel fudge brownie or at least cookies and cream? Until now, he’s had little name recognition. That’s changing fast.
I was rooting for Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania. How cool to have our first Jewish vice president. But the war in Israel and pro-Palestinian protests all over the country made him a volatile choice that could alienate younger, liberal voters.
I was also cheering for Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, an astronaut and combat Marine veteran who has dealt with immigration issues along his border and faced gun safety issues head on after his wife Gabby Giffords was nearly assassinated. But Democrats can’t afford to lose his senate seat in Arizona.
Pete Buttigieg would have been great, but I doubt undecided voters in the middle would vote for a gay man.
So back to Tim Walz. When the news broke, my family text thread read: Boring. Let down. Disappointed. Missed opportunity. Then one sibling pointed out, he’s the security blanket white suburban women and Midwest men need to get behind the ticket.
Still, what a weird choice. Then I came to learn more about the man who has called Trump and J.D. Vance “just plain weird.” A text from one brother totally sold me on Walz. During the “White Dudes for Harris” fundraiser, Walz urged those in attendance to donate with this line:
“How often in 100 days do you get to change the trajectory of the world? How often in 100 days do you get to do something that’s going to impact generations to come?” Walz asked. “And how often in the world do you make that bastard wake up afterwards and know that a Black woman kicked his a**, sent him on the road?”
Whoa. That guy has chutzpah. Sealed.
Walz is just what Harris needs by her side. Here’s how people who know him describe him: Strong. Midwest. Democrat. Decent. Straight-shooter. Normal. Plainspoken. Level-headed. Likable. Relatable. Fearless. Funny. Forward. Smart. One of us. Like your neighbor.
He will appeal to folks in Ohio, PA, Indiana and Wisconsin. He sounds like the best of a younger Joe Biden.
His governor website offers this bio:
“Born in a small town in rural Nebraska, Tim’s parents instilled in him the values of public service, generosity toward your neighbors, and working for the common good that guide his commitment to Minnesota today. After high school graduation, Tim enlisted in the Army National Guard. He attended Chadron State College and graduated with a social science degree in 1989. Tim spent a year teaching abroad before returning home to serve full time in the Army National Guard and eventually accepting a high school teaching and coaching position.
“While teaching, Tim met his future wife, Gwen Whipple, who taught at the same school. They moved to Mankato in 1996, where they worked at Mankato West High School. In addition to teaching social studies, Tim helped coach the Mankato West football team that won the school’s first state championship. After 24 years in the Army National Guard, Command Sergeant Major Walz retired from the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion in 2005. Tim won his first election to the United States House of Representatives in 2006 and was re-elected for another five terms serving Minnesota’s First Congressional District in Southern Minnesota.”
He understands fertility issues firsthand. His wife of three decades underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF) to conceive both their children. Their first child’s name is Hope.
You want a guy who knows small town America? He grew up in Butte, Nebraska, population 400. He understands gun owners, because he’s one of them. He likes to hunt and fish.
He believes in protecting civil rights, especially reproductive rights for women, and signed a law guaranteeing those rights in Minnesota. As a teacher, he was the faculty advisor for the school’s first gay-straight alliance chapter in 1999.
He expanded the child tax credit and paid family and medical leave. He ended book bans.
And he named a highway after Prince and signed the bill in purple ink.
He quit drinking after getting a DUI in 1995 and has been sober for decades. Is he in a recovery program? I hope so. This country could benefit from someone working the 12 steps.
After he was picked, he sent out this fundraising — or FUNraising — email: “It feels like the first day of school. America is smiling. There’s optimism in the air. Kamala Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible.”
But can America’s dad handle all the political pressure ahead?
Tim Walz supervised school lunch for 20 years.
He’s White House ready.
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