What the hell is going on here? Did the attempt on Trump's life cause the DNC to collectively pull their heads out of their asses? Doesn't matter, I'm loving this refreshing enthusiasm and...
What the hell is going on here? Did the attempt on Trump's life cause the DNC to collectively pull their heads out of their asses?
Doesn't matter, I'm loving this refreshing enthusiasm and newfound competency.
Crazy what basic competency can do for enthusiasm. 85% of voters think your candidate is too old? Replace him! 2/3 voters including 77% of Democrats support a ceasefire? Don't go with the guy who...
Crazy what basic competency can do for enthusiasm.
85% of voters think your candidate is too old? Replace him!
2/3 voters including 77% of Democrats support a ceasefire? Don't go with the guy who has the worst record on the issue! (*Of the three on the short list)
Shapiro isn't too relevant anymore, but the conversation around his record was frustrating. He supports a ceasefire and hates Netanyahu. Kelly was actually the most concerning option with his...
Shapiro isn't too relevant anymore, but the conversation around his record was frustrating. He supports a ceasefire and hates Netanyahu. Kelly was actually the most concerning option with his full-throated support of Israel's current government.
I am personally very enthusiastic about Walz as VP pick, and at the very least he satisfies the age old adage of "do no harm" when it comes to choosing a running mate. I don't think the Shapiro...
In any case, I don't really mean to relitigate the whole thing. I'm really happy with the Walz pick. I just don't think the Shapiro conversation was unwarranted, especially given the compressed time to vet candidates. That kind of scrutiny was needed.
I know it's entirely illogical and not fair to Josh, but every time he came up in the VP discussions, it reminded me of Ben Shapiro. I didn't get them confused as the same person, his name just...
I know it's entirely illogical and not fair to Josh, but every time he came up in the VP discussions, it reminded me of Ben Shapiro. I didn't get them confused as the same person, his name just reminded me of him. That name is so strongly associated with Ben, as are many last names of famous people. You'll definitely think of the politician when you hear someone else named Biden or Obama. I wouldn't want to mentally picture Ben every time I saw a "Harris/Shapiro 2024" poster. Dumb things like this matter when you're marketing to hundreds of millions of people.
Honestly I thought you were gonna link Ben Shapiro (the weirdo conservative one) and I laughed at that thought, it is probably super miserable being such an angry man though tbh.
Honestly I thought you were gonna link Ben Shapiro (the weirdo conservative one) and I laughed at that thought, it is probably super miserable being such an angry man though tbh.
I’m not familiar if there’s a history of how this acronym evolved over time but Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) is such a low hanging fruit (as far as catchy, pithy acronyms go)...
I’m not familiar if there’s a history of how this acronym evolved over time but Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) is such a low hanging fruit (as far as catchy, pithy acronyms go) that I’m surprised it hasn’t been more popular. The slogans from there almost write themselves!
I’m not well-versed in the different state governors and their personalities, but just a couple days ago Ezra Klein presciently interviewed Walz and put him on my radar for the first time. It was...
I’m not well-versed in the different state governors and their personalities, but just a couple days ago Ezra Klein presciently interviewed Walz and put him on my radar for the first time. It was very good. The guy comes across as earnest and down-to-earth. It was just, what, a month ago that I was despairing about the prospects of the ‘24 election, but it’s completely turned around. Harris/Walz is an energetic, moderate ticket for grown-ups. Exactly what’s needed to counter the insanity of Trump/Vance.
Similarly, Onfirst learned about him from an interview on Pod Saves America that was also really good and shot him up to the top of my list because he sounds like a normal ass human
Similarly, Onfirst learned about him from an interview on Pod Saves America that was also really good and shot him up to the top of my list because he sounds like a normal ass human
Seeing this on all the major news sites, albeit leaked. I'm pretty happy with this choice. Walz's Minnesota has occasionally made IL look behind the times and I think he's got the personality and...
Seeing this on all the major news sites, albeit leaked.
I'm pretty happy with this choice. Walz's Minnesota has occasionally made IL look behind the times and I think he's got the personality and personability to compare favorably against Vance
I also point to this as further evidence that you don't need a political/legal background to be a good politician. The skillset has more to do with being charismatic, empathetic, and logical than...
I also point to this as further evidence that you don't need a political/legal background to be a good politician.
The skillset has more to do with being charismatic, empathetic, and logical than anything else. I'm betting teachers would be better politicians than most politicians TBH.
To be fair, he has a political background before being a governor. He volunteered for Kerry's campaign and was a Representative for 12 years before running for Governor. He's not a lawyer and yes...
To be fair, he has a political background before being a governor. He volunteered for Kerry's campaign and was a Representative for 12 years before running for Governor.
He's not a lawyer and yes I agree that legal experience isn't required but I wouldn't claim he doesn't that's a political background. (Which everyone "doesn't have" at one point.)
I think that's just the public-facing skills you need. The most important skill is networking. My take is that you won't get anywhere in politics if you can't connect with the right people at the...
The skillset has more to do with being charismatic, empathetic, and logical than anything else.
I think that's just the public-facing skills you need. The most important skill is networking. My take is that you won't get anywhere in politics if you can't connect with the right people at the right time and direct them to where you're going.
Also, why logical? People don't think logical and they don't vote logical, they vote based on their identity.
Curious about your overall opinion on that. I've been very pleasantly surprised with the direction Illinois has gone in since, I believe, Pritzker was elected. Several policies that were the first...
Walz's Minnesota has occasionally made IL look behind the times
Curious about your overall opinion on that. I've been very pleasantly surprised with the direction Illinois has gone in since, I believe, Pritzker was elected. Several policies that were the first in the nation in some manner, leading the way for the rest of the country.
Oh I just believe Walz got to some things first. Free school breakfast and lunch for all for example. I haven't sat down and compared the SAFE-T act to their police reforms but I recall a few...
Oh I just believe Walz got to some things first. Free school breakfast and lunch for all for example. I haven't sat down and compared the SAFE-T act to their police reforms but I recall a few times over the past few years where MN did it first! Anyone after Rauner would have been a treat, but we got VERY lucky. And Pritzger wasn't my first choice in the primary.
Illinois is, in my opinion, doing great. We just had to renew our registration on our wheelchair van and it was only 10 bucks thanks to Pritzger. And there are a ton of little things like that making life better. I'm happy to let IL and MN try to keep competing. Something something free market something.
Personally I'm thrilled Walz got picked and that we get to keep our pocket billionaire. Win-win-win (MN will get an indigenous governor if Walz wins I believe)
My Aunt is a certified Weirdo and all I hear about Pritzger is how he's ruined the state. I wouldn't know, I'm in Colorado, but she's been in Illinois her entire life.
My Aunt is a certified Weirdo and all I hear about Pritzger is how he's ruined the state.
I wouldn't know, I'm in Colorado, but she's been in Illinois her entire life.
Yeah the Pritzger Sucks signs have slowly faded at least in my area (Even as the Trump 2024 signs have started to appear). It's almost cliche to hear about how awful Illinois is from certain...
Yeah the Pritzger Sucks signs have slowly faded at least in my area (Even as the Trump 2024 signs have started to appear).
It's almost cliche to hear about how awful Illinois is from certain folks, mostly who don't like paying taxes but don't tally up the benefits of those taxes at the same time. I usually just encourage them to move to Florida if that's what they're passionate about.
Walz said he was an early adopter of GIS software in the 1990s, using it, among other things, to teach high school students about the Holocaust.
He had his students build maps of the contemporary world using different layers of data that scholars believed could factor into modern-day genocides. “They started looking at food insecurity, potential drought, just like the UN was doing around famine early warning,” Walz said.
In 1993, he asked his sophomores where they thought the next genocide might happen, based on the geographic data. They pinpointed Rwanda. The following year, the Rwandan Genocide occurred. The New York Times interviewed some of the students involved in the project in 2008, when Walz was a U.S. congressman.
After visiting the LBJ Presidential Library two years ago, one of my takeaways was that we need more teachers in politics. Teachers get to see people from a LOT more walks of life than most...
After visiting the LBJ Presidential Library two years ago, one of my takeaways was that we need more teachers in politics. Teachers get to see people from a LOT more walks of life than most politicians. They see the direct effects of policies have on families through their students. Also, education is currently HEAVILY under attack, so having a former teacher as the VP is even better. He has the passion to fight against all this stupid nonsense, and hopefully the position will give him the sway and voice to at least propose some new policies to protect education from further harm.
I'm not really familiar with Walz and his politics, but from reading this, he seems like a solid choice. Minnesota is a swing state too, right? By the way, this should have probably been posted in...
I'm not really familiar with Walz and his politics, but from reading this, he seems like a solid choice. Minnesota is a swing state too, right?
By the way, this should have probably been posted in the megathread.
This thread is posted weekly - please try to post all relevant US political content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Extremely significant events may warrant a separate topic, but almost all should be posted in here.
People insisting that literally anything related to US politics must be in the megathread are infinitely more annoying than the posts about US politics are.
People insisting that literally anything related to US politics must be in the megathread are infinitely more annoying than the posts about US politics are.
Personally, if the thread itself is going to request that the majority of political posts are placed there, I believe that should be considered. In this case, I agree that this is significant...
Personally, if the thread itself is going to request that the majority of political posts are placed there, I believe that should be considered.
In this case, I agree that this is significant enough to warrant its own thread. However, as someone that was unaware of the tagging system for quite a while, and someone that often has been drained of political energy, I think it’s worth considering the megathread as an option.
Minnesota is absolutely not a swing state. I would say Walz is most known for pushing for universal free lunches for school children. Walz used to be a teacher himself. I think someone like Walz...
Minnesota is absolutely not a swing state.
I would say Walz is most known for pushing for universal free lunches for school children. Walz used to be a teacher himself.
I think someone like Walz is good to push against JD Vamce and his weird vhild obsession. Tim Walz has a notable record of advocating for and caring about the wellbeing of all children, and not denigrating women in the process.
It's voted for the Democrats every election since JFK (other than 1972 when McGovern won two states). As Mondale's home state, it was the only state to go to him in 1984.
Minnesota is absolutely not a swing state.
It's voted for the Democrats every election since JFK (other than 1972 when McGovern won two states). As Mondale's home state, it was the only state to go to him in 1984.
It's not about MN as a Presidential state, it's more about signaling to the base that Dems are in a fighting mood, as MN Dems have been passing progressive legislation despite barely controlling...
It's not about MN as a Presidential state, it's more about signaling to the base that Dems are in a fighting mood, as MN Dems have been passing progressive legislation despite barely controlling their state legislature.
Context for those unfamiliar with how progressive Minnesota is when it get’s the chance (from an article published July 2023):
Context for those unfamiliar with how progressive Minnesota is when it get’s the chance (from an article published July 2023):
Over the last six months, Minnesota Democrats enshrined abortion rights, established paid family and medical leave, restored the voting rights of ex-felons, extended voting access, invested $1 billion into affordable housing, imposed background checks on private gun transfers, initiated a red-flag warning system that confiscates firearms from those judicially deemed a threat to themselves or others, legalized recreational marijuana, created a refuge program for trans people denied gender-affirming care in other states, mandated that utilities go carbon-free by 2040, provided a refundable tax credit (i.e., cash aid) to low-income households with children, prohibited non-compete clauses in labor contracts, barred employers from holding compulsory anti-union meetings, strengthened workplace protections for meatpacking and Amazon workers, empowered teachers unions to bargain over educator-to-student ratios, empaneled a statewide board to set minimum labor standards for nursing-home workers, directed $2.58 billion into improved infrastructure, made school breakfast and lunch free from all Minnesota K-through-12 students, and increased taxes on corporations and high earners, among other things.
For even more insanity, compare the paths of Minnesota and Wisconsin from 2010 to today. Actually, 1999 to today is probably better so Gov. Ventura is included.
For even more insanity, compare the paths of Minnesota and Wisconsin from 2010 to today.
Actually, 1999 to today is probably better so Gov. Ventura is included.
I'm a WI resident. All the states surrounding us are doing better politically but MN is the gold standard. We have been seriously gerrymandered for ages, the GOP held legislature is the least...
I'm a WI resident. All the states surrounding us are doing better politically but MN is the gold standard. We have been seriously gerrymandered for ages, the GOP held legislature is the least active of all states with the exception of trying (and mostly succeedimg in hamstringing Gov Evers, who would be a pretty good governor given a fair chance.
They cried foul when the voters elected a "liberal" to our State Supreme Court, flipping the power dynamic. A Harris/Walz win in WI would be so fantastic. My hope is that we can start to claw back into the 21st century and actually move "Forward", which is the state motto.
It's been consistently blue for decades, but sometimes by distressingly thin margins -- Clinton won it by less than 2%, Kerry by less than 4%, and Gore by a bit over 2%. It's a shade bluer than...
It's been consistently blue for decades, but sometimes by distressingly thin margins -- Clinton won it by less than 2%, Kerry by less than 4%, and Gore by a bit over 2%. It's a shade bluer than swingier Midwest states like Wisconsin and Michigan, but it's no Massachusetts (or even an Illinois).
Also, the Trump camp has been convinced they can swing it and has been actively working to take it the last couple of cycles. This puts a nail in that idea.
Also, the Trump camp has been convinced they can swing it and has been actively working to take it the last couple of cycles. This puts a nail in that idea.
I’m not sure if this counts as an “extremely significant event” per the megathread’s guidelines (that language is quite severe). However, I would say (practically and historically) this is...
I’m not sure if this counts as an “extremely significant event” per the megathread’s guidelines (that language is quite severe). However, I would say (practically and historically) this is significant enough news to warrant its own topic.
I’m excited and relieved. Walz seems like a great choice that will get progressives and union people excited about the campaign. Great move by team Harris, I’ll be sending her some money!
I’m excited and relieved. Walz seems like a great choice that will get progressives and union people excited about the campaign. Great move by team Harris, I’ll be sending her some money!
I'm very excited about the Walz pick. I do wonder how well attacks from the right will stick with respect to the border. I'm personally comfortable with what I've heard since I'm not a xenophobe....
I'm very excited about the Walz pick. I do wonder how well attacks from the right will stick with respect to the border. I'm personally comfortable with what I've heard since I'm not a xenophobe. But it seems neither has a record like Mark Kelly on the topic.
The rest of the issues in this election? I think Kamala and Walz are a great combo. Kamala has the ability to talk at a high level about most topics while Tim has the ability to connect to the general population. It kind of feels like a Younger-Bernie-as-VP option.
Either way, I was waiting for this announcement before making my next donation. My current plan is to "vote with my wallet" since it's the first election cycle I have the means to. I hope enough of us can send the signal that these are the types of decisions we want.
I don't think you have to be a xenophobe to be extremely frustrated by how dysfunctional US immigration systems are right now. It's extremely dumb that educated Chinese and Indian immigrants are...
I don't think you have to be a xenophobe to be extremely frustrated by how dysfunctional US immigration systems are right now. It's extremely dumb that educated Chinese and Indian immigrants are illegally crossing the southern border to get work permits because it's faster than legal methods.
Of course, Dems had a bill to fix this and Republicans killed it at Trump's behest. They'll have to keep harping on that.
Okay, I was wrong, the Harris campaign went for Walz, and we’re on track for a full blown progress ticket. Talk behind the talk is that Shapiro was too ambitious for Harris’ liking, so I suppose...
Okay, I was wrong, the Harris campaign went for Walz, and we’re on track for a full blown progress ticket. Talk behind the talk is that Shapiro was too ambitious for Harris’ liking, so I suppose that would get him DQed, whatever sway on the PA electorate be dammed. Interesting how both VPs are more of a signaling pick this round as opposed to a moderation aspect, and maybe we’re starting to see the establishment wing on the Dem side loosen their grip on the reigns since Biden dropped out, and the populism aspects are starting to come into their own? Either way, we’re probably at a bit of a turning point if this is successful, and back to 2016 resistance and fundraising strats if it falls through.
Surprised Dens didn't go for a moderate to win more swing states. That would've been Shapiro. I really like Buttigieg and I am concerned, as he's gay, that swing voters would hold their noses....
Surprised Dens didn't go for a moderate to win more swing states. That would've been Shapiro.
I really like Buttigieg and I am concerned, as he's gay, that swing voters would hold their noses.
Also, swing voters. 🤦🏻♂️ Reading interviews, these people seem barely literate. Their criteria for choosing a candidate seems similarly arbitrary. But they seem to skew more old-school GOP than MAGA or Liberal.
Damn Overton window has moved so far toward insane anti-social right wing xenophobia....
I think the prevalence and importance of "swing voters" is often overstated. Elections are won by the party that is better at motivating their existing supporters (or de-motivating those of their...
I think the prevalence and importance of "swing voters" is often overstated. Elections are won by the party that is better at motivating their existing supporters (or de-motivating those of their opponents, as the GOP strategy has been this election)
This is a common myth that's no longer true since Trump has more uneducated and low turnout voters. That might have changed with Harris, but swing voters are hugely important.
Walz is a gun owner and a hunter, a veteran and a former football coach from a small town. I think he will pull rural voters if they aren't ideological conservatives
Walz is a gun owner and a hunter, a veteran and a former football coach from a small town. I think he will pull rural voters if they aren't ideological conservatives
Even if they are conservatives, he knows the messages to run. He doesn't consider any of those voters a truly lost cause as he used to represent Minnesota's 1st Congressional District.
Even if they are conservatives, he knows the messages to run. He doesn't consider any of those voters a truly lost cause as he used to represent Minnesota's 1st Congressional District.
Shapiro has a lot of baggage with his record and would split Dem support over the Israel/Palestine issue. He would probably have been the worst choice honestly as there would have been a lot to...
Shapiro has a lot of baggage with his record and would split Dem support over the Israel/Palestine issue. He would probably have been the worst choice honestly as there would have been a lot to pound him on. Also swing voters may not want a gay or a Jew in the Whitehouse, sadly.
For me, Shapiro's stance on certain issues, such as school vouchers, would have really dampened my enthusiasm. I want the Democrat party to go with choices that will make them the most likely to...
For me, Shapiro's stance on certain issues, such as school vouchers, would have really dampened my enthusiasm. I want the Democrat party to go with choices that will make them the most likely to win, and I believe they are doing their best to do exactly that, so I would have accepted it if Shapiro if he had been the pick. But I definitely would have been much less excited about voting than I was a week ago.
I really like Walz, though, and I am now more excited than I was a week ago.
I am especially keen on Walz's education chops. I think he is likely to be way more appealing to demographics who care about education: parents, educators, and young people. Shapiro, meanwhile, is deeply unpopular with teacher's unions, public education advocacy groups, etc. I am honestly pretty uncomfortable with the idea of him being the tie-breaker on the Senate; I can absolutely imagine him killing an important education bill.
The talking point that voters may not support a man that happens to be gay just isn't well founded. Pete won in Iowa, and he has always played well with moderates. His messaging instincts are...
The talking point that voters may not support a man that happens to be gay just isn't well founded. Pete won in Iowa, and he has always played well with moderates. His messaging instincts are great. He always does well on Fox News.
Because of the Iowa Supreme Court upholding a lower court's ruling and overturning a previously passed "marriage protection" law that limited it to between a man and a woman. During this a state...
Because of the Iowa Supreme Court upholding a lower court's ruling and overturning a previously passed "marriage protection" law that limited it to between a man and a woman. During this a state constitutional amendment was proposed but failed.
The Republicans have once again tried to pass laws that pretty much everyone agreed were unconstitutional just in '23 trying to overturn same-sex marriage.
I just want to be clear that Iowa did not vote for same-sex marriage by ballot or in the legislature. The most that could happen with both was refusing to support attempts to overturn the court ruling.
Most people support same-sex marriage the way most people support abortion regardless but it's far fewer Republicans
Pritzker seems to have avoided controversy regarding Israel despite being jewish. He might have been a safer bet, but Walz seems tailor made to appeal to rural voters, hunters, veterans and others...
Pritzker seems to have avoided controversy regarding Israel despite being jewish. He might have been a safer bet, but Walz seems tailor made to appeal to rural voters, hunters, veterans and others who might otherwise not have considered Harris.
If I was to indulge Cynical Brain, it would say that this year was a write off for Moderate Dems, considering that their guy was forcibly dropping his bid for re-election. Senate and House aren’t...
If I was to indulge Cynical Brain, it would say that this year was a write off for Moderate Dems, considering that their guy was forcibly dropping his bid for re-election. Senate and House aren’t in a fantastic state either, so even if Harris wins, they can only do so much. Plus if she loses, then the progressive wing is satisfied and Mod Dems get to fundraise and team build for the next four years until they have to start trying to solve problems again, and that’s hard, resistance talk is easier.
Out of curiosity, how are you defining "moderate" in this discussion? By my perception, Biden is the most effectively progressive US president that I have seen in my lifetime. And I don't think...
Out of curiosity, how are you defining "moderate" in this discussion? By my perception, Biden is the most effectively progressive US president that I have seen in my lifetime. And I don't think that's just me; the most extreme progressive wing of the party, like Bernie Sanders and AOC, were strongly pro-Biden and did not want him to drop out.
I'm quite surprised he was picked. I heard of him through ESRI conference awhile back, where he gave a talk how he uses GIS data to inform his decision. I'm happy we have a geography nerd running...
I'm quite surprised he was picked. I heard of him through ESRI conference awhile back, where he gave a talk how he uses GIS data to inform his decision. I'm happy we have a geography nerd running for office since so much of official work really comes down to understanding interaction between physical, social-political, and economic landscape.
Anyway, I would urge you guys to watch his lecture. Finally, we have someone who understand this type of work on a federal level and being able to articulate the data and decision making process.
As a non-American: Now all the world needs is two full terms of Harris/Walz. We need an US president who isn't gobal news multiple times every week because of some stupid shit they said/did. Just...
As a non-American: Now all the world needs is two full terms of Harris/Walz. We need an US president who isn't gobal news multiple times every week because of some stupid shit they said/did.
Just someone who does their work and maybe is awesome at times - like Obama was.
He has a stutter, and his mind tends to be faster than his mouth, which ends up being jumbled and swapped. This has been a known 'bidenism' since the 1980s, he used to talk about it, but not so...
Biden had some gaffes caused by his age
He has a stutter, and his mind tends to be faster than his mouth, which ends up being jumbled and swapped. This has been a known 'bidenism' since the 1980s, he used to talk about it, but not so much anymore. Couple that with age and our societies intolerance of stutters, and it's a vortex of soundbites of gaffes.
Well, he also a some literal trips and falls too. He was absolutely more goof prone than any other president put on film, and it was not 100% on his stutter.
Well, he also a some literal trips and falls too. He was absolutely more goof prone than any other president put on film, and it was not 100% on his stutter.
Yea, his clear decline after his first season was really jarring. Glad he did an 9000 IQ play and dropped out at the perfect time. History will tell if it was a random chance or planned. And if it...
Yea, his clear decline after his first season was really jarring. Glad he did an 9000 IQ play and dropped out at the perfect time.
History will tell if it was a random chance or planned. And if it was planned, how far in advance?
There's an entirely unprovable hypothesis that Biden had been working to draw all the attention and hate so that when he bowed out he'd throw all of the lines of attack into disarray. Bu it's easy...
There's an entirely unprovable hypothesis that Biden had been working to draw all the attention and hate so that when he bowed out he'd throw all of the lines of attack into disarray. Bu it's easy to say in retrospect that someone was playing 4d chess all along. Maybe we'll get some interesting insights in Biden's presidential autobiography in a few years?
Happy National Reading Month, and thank you for reading this humble yet beautiful sentence right now. To celebrate, Gov. Tim Walz showed off the State Capitol's first-ever Little Free Library, which his team stocked with books that have been banned in other states. “In Minnesota, we are focused on investing in education, our future, and children and families across the state," Walz said in a statement. "We’re not in the business of taking books away from kids and schools—and we certainly don’t believe in banning books that tell our history.”
Very pleased! Very excited. It makes me respect Harris a lot more than I already did. Not to be too hyperbolic, but this is potentially an enormous shift how the democrats approach national...
Very pleased! Very excited. It makes me respect Harris a lot more than I already did. Not to be too hyperbolic, but this is potentially an enormous shift how the democrats approach national elections and hopefully legislation. Hopefully this signals less of an impact of the neoliberals in the party.
I agree, but it feels like it's a bit more on us now. We have a ticket that represents a true left. But if Trump wins I expect we'll go back to establishment neo-liberal types in 2028. I'm trying...
I agree, but it feels like it's a bit more on us now. We have a ticket that represents a true left. But if Trump wins I expect we'll go back to establishment neo-liberal types in 2028. I'm trying to figure out the best way to engage with the election. I'm not really into canvassing or phone banks but I want to contribute some of my time.
Governors don't have direct influence on the rest of the federal government. They're safer picks by far, especially since campaigning won't impact their ability to do work in Congress.
Governors don't have direct influence on the rest of the federal government. They're safer picks by far, especially since campaigning won't impact their ability to do work in Congress.
If you don’t know Waltz, this id a pretty solid intro to his character- https://x.com/jjabbott/status/1820808291083026854?s=46 https://x.com/catypayette/status/1818097206177550581
If not for the Minnesota mention, that joke about the turkey could have been me and my dad. The longer video sounds a lot like my dad, too. My dad is a pretty convincing guy, and he's never met a...
If not for the Minnesota mention, that joke about the turkey could have been me and my dad. The longer video sounds a lot like my dad, too. My dad is a pretty convincing guy, and he's never met a stranger. If people feel about Tim the way they tend to feel about my dad, then this election season should be a lot less painful than I was ready for.
A popular meme I've seen since his selection is that Tim Walz is the dad we all lost to Fox News. I personally lost mine to cancer 9 years ago now, but he was a Limbaugh listener and more...
A popular meme I've seen since his selection is that Tim Walz is the dad we all lost to Fox News.
I personally lost mine to cancer 9 years ago now, but he was a Limbaugh listener and more conservative, though kind and loving, and I wonder if my dad wouldn't have been among the lost parents had he lived. Walz very similarly could have been an uncle, my dad, or one of my teachers.
It's getting awfully emotional and parasocial and all but I think that speaks to the catharsis folks have been feeling where we all go "can we feel hopeful? Dare we?"
It's really frustrating when people you love and care about go down that road. My parents are generally very kind and loving people. They're wonderful grandparents to my kids and nieces/nephew....
A popular meme I've seen since his selection is that Tim Walz is the dad we all lost to Fox News.
It's really frustrating when people you love and care about go down that road. My parents are generally very kind and loving people. They're wonderful grandparents to my kids and nieces/nephew. They routinely go out of their way to help others in need. They are firmly GOOD PEOPLE in my eyes. But the second anything gets remotely political it's like they lose track of who they are. I seriously cannot fathom how my parents could've supported Trump the first go around. I really didn't get it the second time. And now a 3rd? It's honestly kind of heartbreaking. The amount of hypocrisy I've seen from them is astounding. My mom, coming from a good place, was genuinely concerned about Biden and remarked how sad it was that the people around him were "propping him up" when he was clearly degrading. Except she started saying this like 2 years ago before Biden started showing signs of slowing a down a bit. And she doesn't seem to mind that Reagan was showing signs of Alzheimer's in whitehouse during his presidency. And now that Biden's out I haven't heard a peep about Trump's age or how batshit insane every other word out of his mouth is. So it's like...wtf....It's clear as day that she's being illogical, bias, and hypocritical about this, but she doesn't see it at all.
It's frustrating because I know that this isn't who they are. And I know they raised me better than this.
I really feel for parents who lost otherwise good parents to the MAGA movement. It helps to hear these stories because they don't mirror my own. They're a good reminder that well intentioned...
I really feel for parents who lost otherwise good parents to the MAGA movement. It helps to hear these stories because they don't mirror my own. They're a good reminder that well intentioned people were pulled into MAGA.
My experience is different. My parents did well enough providing for us and I have good memories of growing up. They paid lip service to a lot of good values: grit, self determination, positive Christian values of caring for the marginalized which I internalized. They never really displayed these values. Racism was ever present, they worked to curtail civil liberties, the "democraps" were always bad amoral people. If anything I grew up in weird trad catholic MAGA before it had a name. I was kept out of school because "it would make me into a bad person."
Oddly once I moved out they sent all my siblings to public school. As I've gotten older I don't believe they have values other than self service and tribalism.
My theory is that in situations like this, the way the individuals in question came to hold these opinions were those that bypass mental sanity checks. The two most common by my estimation are...
My theory is that in situations like this, the way the individuals in question came to hold these opinions were those that bypass mental sanity checks.
The two most common by my estimation are through appeal to emotion and by repetition (people will believe anything if it’s repeated often enough).
It’s common for older generations to do certain things like watch TV and check Facebook with a higher degree of regularity than their younger counterparts tend to, both out of having less to do (often being retirees) and having come from eras where daily routines played a bigger role in society, providing that repetition. Add Fox-style hyperbolic anger-reporting and polarized internet clickbait and you have appeal to emotion. With those two, you have a combo that a large segment of the older population has little defense against, no matter how intelligent and kind they might be.
My experience mirrors yours almost exactly, except it’s more centered on my Dad. I’ve spent many a night in a sort of mentally-stunned state, after getting blindsided by an unexpected comment. I’m...
My experience mirrors yours almost exactly, except it’s more centered on my Dad.
I’ve spent many a night in a sort of mentally-stunned state, after getting blindsided by an unexpected comment. I’m usually sitting in some sort of disbelief, or stuck trying to find some way of getting him out of that hole that won’t push him further away.
It was so refreshing to see a middle aged white guy be....normal. I think we all collectively forgot what normal looks like. I support the campaign to call out weird for what it is
It was so refreshing to see a middle aged white guy be....normal. I think we all collectively forgot what normal looks like.
I support the campaign to call out weird for what it is
I'm sorry that you lost your dad. Fuck cancer. I think you're absolutely right that the emotional and parasocial elements are indicative of an emotional thaw. So many of the people I know have...
I'm sorry that you lost your dad. Fuck cancer.
I think you're absolutely right that the emotional and parasocial elements are indicative of an emotional thaw. So many of the people I know have gotten used to harm reduction votes and just sort of accepted a complete lack of good choices and hope for improvement for almost a decade. The idea that not only is it possible that the candidate on the left might win, but it might even lead to legitimate progress is so novel that it's a little scary to approach it. Could it be real? Well, my dad is real. And if he is, it's possible that what we see in Walz is. That makes the hope feel a little less distant.
Cancer fucking sucks. It sort of sucks worse to think that losing him from cancer might have saved me from losing him to Trump. I hope I wouldn't have, but I can't be sure. Agreed though that...
Cancer fucking sucks. It sort of sucks worse to think that losing him from cancer might have saved me from losing him to Trump.
I hope I wouldn't have, but I can't be sure.
Agreed though that people are feeling energized by a campaign and hopeful for the future. At the least this is a break and a moment to just be happy before shit probably gets real aggressive in the campaigning. But it's ok we can be chill for today
It's possible you wouldn't have. My parents used to fight exactly once every four years, when mom would vote Republican, as she's done in every presidential election up until Trump. I never would...
It's possible you wouldn't have. My parents used to fight exactly once every four years, when mom would vote Republican, as she's done in every presidential election up until Trump. I never would have expected her to veer from that, but she said he was just too dumb. Maybe something like that would have kept your dad from following his train.
I know basically nothing about your dad or his values, so I don't want to project or anything. You would know better than I would. But I was pleasantly surprised not to lose a parent to MAGA, so I can at least confirm that it's possible. I hope that brings you some comfort.
No I appreciate it. It's the uncertainty, honestly, that sits weird with me. But I can never know. Either way, I think we're all adopting Walz and his award winning hot dish for our new dad now.
No I appreciate it. It's the uncertainty, honestly, that sits weird with me. But I can never know.
Either way, I think we're all adopting Walz and his award winning hot dish for our new dad now.
If it encourages you at all, my dad was a Limbaugh listener and conservative when I grew up, and Trump was what made him jump ship. He voted third-party in 2016 and eagerly voted for Biden in 2020...
If it encourages you at all, my dad was a Limbaugh listener and conservative when I grew up, and Trump was what made him jump ship. He voted third-party in 2016 and eagerly voted for Biden in 2020 -- he asked for a campaign mug for father's day that year and bought me a matching one. So while there's the chance your dad could have been lost to Fox News (certainly I have my share of relatives down that path), it's possible he would've exceeded your expectations. I'm sorry you don't have the chance to know either way.
It does! I'm happy you didn't lose your dad that way. It really is the uncertainty. And while I've moved past a lot of the loss, it does come up sometimes when I have home maintenance or car...
It does! I'm happy you didn't lose your dad that way.
It really is the uncertainty. And while I've moved past a lot of the loss, it does come up sometimes when I have home maintenance or car issues or things I know he'd have given me advice on regardless. And I miss him more in those moments.
What the hell is going on here? Did the attempt on Trump's life cause the DNC to collectively pull their heads out of their asses?
Doesn't matter, I'm loving this refreshing enthusiasm and newfound competency.
Crazy what basic competency can do for enthusiasm.
85% of voters think your candidate is too old? Replace him!
2/3 voters including 77% of Democrats support a ceasefire? Don't go with the guy who has the worst record on the issue! (*Of the three on the short list)
When in doubt, listen to your base.
Shapiro isn't too relevant anymore, but the conversation around his record was frustrating. He supports a ceasefire and hates Netanyahu. Kelly was actually the most concerning option with his full-throated support of Israel's current government.
I am personally very enthusiastic about Walz as VP pick, and at the very least he satisfies the age old adage of "do no harm" when it comes to choosing a running mate. I don't think the Shapiro conversation was misguided — he has quite a past of concerning statements regarding Palestine. I can believe his opinion has evolved, but when he compares college protestors to the KKK, wants to financially punish Universities for boycotting/divesting from Israel, has said Palestinians are too war-minded to peacefully self-govern, self-identifies as a Zionist, all while this is one of the most divisive issues among the Democratic base, picking Shapiro (in my opinion) would have needlessly brought these divisions back to the forefront. It's better to side-step the issue to the extent possible, as Harris seems to have done. By the way, Kelly has also supported a ceasefire, like a lot (most?) Dems. I don't really view that as being 'good' on the issue, but rather a sort of bare minimum.
In any case, I don't really mean to relitigate the whole thing. I'm really happy with the Walz pick. I just don't think the Shapiro conversation was unwarranted, especially given the compressed time to vet candidates. That kind of scrutiny was needed.
I suspect that some of Josh Shapiro's reputation on this front may be due to some people getting him confused with the much more famous Ben Shapiro.
I know it's entirely illogical and not fair to Josh, but every time he came up in the VP discussions, it reminded me of Ben Shapiro. I didn't get them confused as the same person, his name just reminded me of him. That name is so strongly associated with Ben, as are many last names of famous people. You'll definitely think of the politician when you hear someone else named Biden or Obama. I wouldn't want to mentally picture Ben every time I saw a "Harris/Shapiro 2024" poster. Dumb things like this matter when you're marketing to hundreds of millions of people.
you think that's bad, imagine being ben shapiro
Honestly I thought you were gonna link Ben Shapiro (the weirdo conservative one) and I laughed at that thought, it is probably super miserable being such an angry man though tbh.
Ben Shapiro, the Allen School’s associate director for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access (DEIA).
I’m not familiar if there’s a history of how this acronym evolved over time but Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) is such a low hanging fruit (as far as catchy, pithy acronyms go) that I’m surprised it hasn’t been more popular. The slogans from there almost write themselves!
Hey, JEDI is one of my favs (Justice)
Everyone's got a different acronym
Holy shit, we could have a JEDI council!
See?!
I’m not well-versed in the different state governors and their personalities, but just a couple days ago Ezra Klein presciently interviewed Walz and put him on my radar for the first time. It was very good. The guy comes across as earnest and down-to-earth. It was just, what, a month ago that I was despairing about the prospects of the ‘24 election, but it’s completely turned around. Harris/Walz is an energetic, moderate ticket for grown-ups. Exactly what’s needed to counter the insanity of Trump/Vance.
Similarly, Onfirst learned about him from an interview on Pod Saves America that was also really good and shot him up to the top of my list because he sounds like a normal ass human
https://archive.is/4YCg6
Seeing this on all the major news sites, albeit leaked.
I'm pretty happy with this choice. Walz's Minnesota has occasionally made IL look behind the times and I think he's got the personality and personability to compare favorably against Vance
That isn't saying much. :-)
He was a highschool teacher, a football coach and a sergeant in the national guard. He knows how to relate to ordinary people without being weird.
I also point to this as further evidence that you don't need a political/legal background to be a good politician.
The skillset has more to do with being charismatic, empathetic, and logical than anything else. I'm betting teachers would be better politicians than most politicians TBH.
To be fair, he has a political background before being a governor. He volunteered for Kerry's campaign and was a Representative for 12 years before running for Governor.
He's not a lawyer and yes I agree that legal experience isn't required but I wouldn't claim he doesn't that's a political background. (Which everyone "doesn't have" at one point.)
I think that's just the public-facing skills you need. The most important skill is networking. My take is that you won't get anywhere in politics if you can't connect with the right people at the right time and direct them to where you're going.
Also, why logical? People don't think logical and they don't vote logical, they vote based on their identity.
I said what I said!
Curious about your overall opinion on that. I've been very pleasantly surprised with the direction Illinois has gone in since, I believe, Pritzker was elected. Several policies that were the first in the nation in some manner, leading the way for the rest of the country.
Oh I just believe Walz got to some things first. Free school breakfast and lunch for all for example. I haven't sat down and compared the SAFE-T act to their police reforms but I recall a few times over the past few years where MN did it first! Anyone after Rauner would have been a treat, but we got VERY lucky. And Pritzger wasn't my first choice in the primary.
Illinois is, in my opinion, doing great. We just had to renew our registration on our wheelchair van and it was only 10 bucks thanks to Pritzger. And there are a ton of little things like that making life better. I'm happy to let IL and MN try to keep competing. Something something free market something.
Personally I'm thrilled Walz got picked and that we get to keep our pocket billionaire. Win-win-win (MN will get an indigenous governor if Walz wins I believe)
My Aunt is a certified Weirdo and all I hear about Pritzger is how he's ruined the state.
I wouldn't know, I'm in Colorado, but she's been in Illinois her entire life.
Yeah the Pritzger Sucks signs have slowly faded at least in my area (Even as the Trump 2024 signs have started to appear).
It's almost cliche to hear about how awful Illinois is from certain folks, mostly who don't like paying taxes but don't tally up the benefits of those taxes at the same time. I usually just encourage them to move to Florida if that's what they're passionate about.
Former geography teacher Tim Walz is really into maps
After visiting the LBJ Presidential Library two years ago, one of my takeaways was that we need more teachers in politics. Teachers get to see people from a LOT more walks of life than most politicians. They see the direct effects of policies have on families through their students. Also, education is currently HEAVILY under attack, so having a former teacher as the VP is even better. He has the passion to fight against all this stupid nonsense, and hopefully the position will give him the sway and voice to at least propose some new policies to protect education from further harm.
Also, Walz is the one who started the "MAGA is weird" call. Just want to point that out.
I'm not really familiar with Walz and his politics, but from reading this, he seems like a solid choice. Minnesota is a swing state too, right?
By the way, this should have probably been posted in the megathread.
I contribute regularly to the megathread. However I think this is major news of general interest
People insisting that literally anything related to US politics must be in the megathread are infinitely more annoying than the posts about US politics are.
Personally, if the thread itself is going to request that the majority of political posts are placed there, I believe that should be considered.
In this case, I agree that this is significant enough to warrant its own thread. However, as someone that was unaware of the tagging system for quite a while, and someone that often has been drained of political energy, I think it’s worth considering the megathread as an option.
Minnesota is absolutely not a swing state.
I would say Walz is most known for pushing for universal free lunches for school children. Walz used to be a teacher himself.
I think someone like Walz is good to push against JD Vamce and his weird vhild obsession. Tim Walz has a notable record of advocating for and caring about the wellbeing of all children, and not denigrating women in the process.
It's voted for the Democrats every election since JFK (other than 1972 when McGovern won two states). As Mondale's home state, it was the only state to go to him in 1984.
MN is one of the most solid blue states I can think of, but he's still a good choice.
It's not about MN as a Presidential state, it's more about signaling to the base that Dems are in a fighting mood, as MN Dems have been passing progressive legislation despite barely controlling their state legislature.
Context for those unfamiliar with how progressive Minnesota is when it get’s the chance (from an article published July 2023):
Which is honestly insane that this is "progressive" this is just government working for people.
The conservatives are much more so controlled by the billionaire class.
For even more insanity, compare the paths of Minnesota and Wisconsin from 2010 to today.
Actually, 1999 to today is probably better so Gov. Ventura is included.
I'm a WI resident. All the states surrounding us are doing better politically but MN is the gold standard. We have been seriously gerrymandered for ages, the GOP held legislature is the least active of all states with the exception of trying (and mostly succeedimg in hamstringing Gov Evers, who would be a pretty good governor given a fair chance.
They cried foul when the voters elected a "liberal" to our State Supreme Court, flipping the power dynamic. A Harris/Walz win in WI would be so fantastic. My hope is that we can start to claw back into the 21st century and actually move "Forward", which is the state motto.
It's been consistently blue for decades, but sometimes by distressingly thin margins -- Clinton won it by less than 2%, Kerry by less than 4%, and Gore by a bit over 2%. It's a shade bluer than swingier Midwest states like Wisconsin and Michigan, but it's no Massachusetts (or even an Illinois).
Also, the Trump camp has been convinced they can swing it and has been actively working to take it the last couple of cycles. This puts a nail in that idea.
I may have mixed it up with Michigan in my head. Thanks!
I’m not sure if this counts as an “extremely significant event” per the megathread’s guidelines (that language is quite severe). However, I would say (practically and historically) this is significant enough news to warrant its own topic.
I’m excited and relieved. Walz seems like a great choice that will get progressives and union people excited about the campaign. Great move by team Harris, I’ll be sending her some money!
I'm very excited about the Walz pick. I do wonder how well attacks from the right will stick with respect to the border. I'm personally comfortable with what I've heard since I'm not a xenophobe. But it seems neither has a record like Mark Kelly on the topic.
The rest of the issues in this election? I think Kamala and Walz are a great combo. Kamala has the ability to talk at a high level about most topics while Tim has the ability to connect to the general population. It kind of feels like a Younger-Bernie-as-VP option.
Either way, I was waiting for this announcement before making my next donation. My current plan is to "vote with my wallet" since it's the first election cycle I have the means to. I hope enough of us can send the signal that these are the types of decisions we want.
I don't think you have to be a xenophobe to be extremely frustrated by how dysfunctional US immigration systems are right now. It's extremely dumb that educated Chinese and Indian immigrants are illegally crossing the southern border to get work permits because it's faster than legal methods.
Of course, Dems had a bill to fix this and Republicans killed it at Trump's behest. They'll have to keep harping on that.
That's what I mean I'm not concerned with what I've heard from either Harris or Walz.
Okay, I was wrong, the Harris campaign went for Walz, and we’re on track for a full blown progress ticket. Talk behind the talk is that Shapiro was too ambitious for Harris’ liking, so I suppose that would get him DQed, whatever sway on the PA electorate be dammed. Interesting how both VPs are more of a signaling pick this round as opposed to a moderation aspect, and maybe we’re starting to see the establishment wing on the Dem side loosen their grip on the reigns since Biden dropped out, and the populism aspects are starting to come into their own? Either way, we’re probably at a bit of a turning point if this is successful, and back to 2016 resistance and fundraising strats if it falls through.
Surprised Dens didn't go for a moderate to win more swing states. That would've been Shapiro.
I really like Buttigieg and I am concerned, as he's gay, that swing voters would hold their noses.
Also, swing voters. 🤦🏻♂️ Reading interviews, these people seem barely literate. Their criteria for choosing a candidate seems similarly arbitrary. But they seem to skew more old-school GOP than MAGA or Liberal.
Damn Overton window has moved so far toward insane anti-social right wing xenophobia....
I think the prevalence and importance of "swing voters" is often overstated. Elections are won by the party that is better at motivating their existing supporters (or de-motivating those of their opponents, as the GOP strategy has been this election)
Yep, I suspect you're right and that elections are a turnout game now, if they ever weren't.
This is a common myth that's no longer true since Trump has more uneducated and low turnout voters. That might have changed with Harris, but swing voters are hugely important.
Walz is a gun owner and a hunter, a veteran and a former football coach from a small town. I think he will pull rural voters if they aren't ideological conservatives
Even if they are conservatives, he knows the messages to run. He doesn't consider any of those voters a truly lost cause as he used to represent Minnesota's 1st Congressional District.
Shapiro has a lot of baggage with his record and would split Dem support over the Israel/Palestine issue. He would probably have been the worst choice honestly as there would have been a lot to pound him on. Also swing voters may not want a gay or a Jew in the Whitehouse, sadly.
It’s too bad as Shapiro really is a great orator.
For me, Shapiro's stance on certain issues, such as school vouchers, would have really dampened my enthusiasm. I want the Democrat party to go with choices that will make them the most likely to win, and I believe they are doing their best to do exactly that, so I would have accepted it if Shapiro if he had been the pick. But I definitely would have been much less excited about voting than I was a week ago.
I really like Walz, though, and I am now more excited than I was a week ago.
I am especially keen on Walz's education chops. I think he is likely to be way more appealing to demographics who care about education: parents, educators, and young people. Shapiro, meanwhile, is deeply unpopular with teacher's unions, public education advocacy groups, etc. I am honestly pretty uncomfortable with the idea of him being the tie-breaker on the Senate; I can absolutely imagine him killing an important education bill.
School vouchers were probably one of the top reasons Shapiro was getting some boos at the rally. His speech was pretty awesome though.
The talking point that voters may not support a man that happens to be gay just isn't well founded. Pete won in Iowa, and he has always played well with moderates. His messaging instincts are great. He always does well on Fox News.
It’s untested ground against.. well… dire consequences.
So is running a 60 year-old biracial woman from California! Progress comes in fits and starts. We'll see how things go.
Running the vice president after the president seems pretty by the book.
But otherwise yes, hopefully we keep getting forward slowly but surely.
Iowa was the third state to legalize gay marriage.
Because of the Iowa Supreme Court upholding a lower court's ruling and overturning a previously passed "marriage protection" law that limited it to between a man and a woman. During this a state constitutional amendment was proposed but failed.
The Republicans have once again tried to pass laws that pretty much everyone agreed were unconstitutional just in '23 trying to overturn same-sex marriage.
I just want to be clear that Iowa did not vote for same-sex marriage by ballot or in the legislature. The most that could happen with both was refusing to support attempts to overturn the court ruling.
Most people support same-sex marriage the way most people support abortion regardless but it's far fewer Republicans
Gay Jew? Is Shapiro gay, or are you talking about Jared Polis? (who I'd be totally happy with seeing on a national ticket someday).
Pritzker seems to have avoided controversy regarding Israel despite being jewish. He might have been a safer bet, but Walz seems tailor made to appeal to rural voters, hunters, veterans and others who might otherwise not have considered Harris.
Buttigieg is gay and Shapiro is Jewish.
I feel like Kelly would have been the truly "moderate" choice, Shapiro would have been more of a bet on all chips in PA. In my eyes.
If I was to indulge Cynical Brain, it would say that this year was a write off for Moderate Dems, considering that their guy was forcibly dropping his bid for re-election. Senate and House aren’t in a fantastic state either, so even if Harris wins, they can only do so much. Plus if she loses, then the progressive wing is satisfied and Mod Dems get to fundraise and team build for the next four years until they have to start trying to solve problems again, and that’s hard, resistance talk is easier.
Out of curiosity, how are you defining "moderate" in this discussion? By my perception, Biden is the most effectively progressive US president that I have seen in my lifetime. And I don't think that's just me; the most extreme progressive wing of the party, like Bernie Sanders and AOC, were strongly pro-Biden and did not want him to drop out.
I expect Harris to be quite progressive as well, going by her Senate record, but Walz was actually quite a bit more centrist than the bulk of DNC Congressional Representatives.
I was going off the cuff and used "moderate" as a stand in for "establishment." Forgive me for not making that clearer.
Ah ha, I see. That makes a lot of sense, thank you.
I'm quite surprised he was picked. I heard of him through ESRI conference awhile back, where he gave a talk how he uses GIS data to inform his decision. I'm happy we have a geography nerd running for office since so much of official work really comes down to understanding interaction between physical, social-political, and economic landscape.
Anyway, I would urge you guys to watch his lecture. Finally, we have someone who understand this type of work on a federal level and being able to articulate the data and decision making process.
As a non-American: Now all the world needs is two full terms of Harris/Walz. We need an US president who isn't gobal news multiple times every week because of some stupid shit they said/did.
Just someone who does their work and maybe is awesome at times - like Obama was.
The dream is for a president to push for this and effectively block the current Republican party from the office of the President.
Yea, that's the US dichotomy. Land votes instead of people.
And land as it had influence like 100+ years ago :D
Biden had some gaffes caused by his age, but otherwise he was exactly what you just described. Though I could use 8 more years of it.
He has a stutter, and his mind tends to be faster than his mouth, which ends up being jumbled and swapped. This has been a known 'bidenism' since the 1980s, he used to talk about it, but not so much anymore. Couple that with age and our societies intolerance of stutters, and it's a vortex of soundbites of gaffes.
Well, he also a some literal trips and falls too. He was absolutely more goof prone than any other president put on film, and it was not 100% on his stutter.
Jerry Ford was quite accident-prone. Chevy Chase first became famous due to his portrayal of Ford on SNL as preposterously clumsy.
Yea, his clear decline after his first season was really jarring. Glad he did an 9000 IQ play and dropped out at the perfect time.
History will tell if it was a random chance or planned. And if it was planned, how far in advance?
There's an entirely unprovable hypothesis that Biden had been working to draw all the attention and hate so that when he bowed out he'd throw all of the lines of attack into disarray. Bu it's easy to say in retrospect that someone was playing 4d chess all along. Maybe we'll get some interesting insights in Biden's presidential autobiography in a few years?
from a Minneapolis news outlet, in March 2023:
A (Nearly) Complete List of the Banned Books Inside Gov. Walz’s Little Free Library
Very pleased! Very excited. It makes me respect Harris a lot more than I already did. Not to be too hyperbolic, but this is potentially an enormous shift how the democrats approach national elections and hopefully legislation. Hopefully this signals less of an impact of the neoliberals in the party.
I agree, but it feels like it's a bit more on us now. We have a ticket that represents a true left. But if Trump wins I expect we'll go back to establishment neo-liberal types in 2028. I'm trying to figure out the best way to engage with the election. I'm not really into canvassing or phone banks but I want to contribute some of my time.
There are postcard campaigns. Why don't you see what local Democrats suggest
Yes, we're planning on doing a postcard campaign! I have connections with our local DSA chapter so I'm hoping to pitch in there.
I would have preferred Kelly, but it is enough for me that she did not choose Shapiro, and I've heard good things about Walz.
I think the party felt like they'd be forfeiting a Senate seat if they picked Kelly.
Governors don't have direct influence on the rest of the federal government. They're safer picks by far, especially since campaigning won't impact their ability to do work in Congress.
Great point.
Yeah I was also hoping for Kelly.
If you don’t know Waltz, this id a pretty solid intro to his character- https://x.com/jjabbott/status/1820808291083026854?s=46
https://x.com/catypayette/status/1818097206177550581
Is there a way to see these without creating a Twitter account?
State fair vid
Looks like a slightly different edit
article with vid with the "That bastard" line from the White Dudes for Harris call
If not for the Minnesota mention, that joke about the turkey could have been me and my dad. The longer video sounds a lot like my dad, too. My dad is a pretty convincing guy, and he's never met a stranger. If people feel about Tim the way they tend to feel about my dad, then this election season should be a lot less painful than I was ready for.
A popular meme I've seen since his selection is that Tim Walz is the dad we all lost to Fox News.
I personally lost mine to cancer 9 years ago now, but he was a Limbaugh listener and more conservative, though kind and loving, and I wonder if my dad wouldn't have been among the lost parents had he lived. Walz very similarly could have been an uncle, my dad, or one of my teachers.
It's getting awfully emotional and parasocial and all but I think that speaks to the catharsis folks have been feeling where we all go "can we feel hopeful? Dare we?"
It's really frustrating when people you love and care about go down that road. My parents are generally very kind and loving people. They're wonderful grandparents to my kids and nieces/nephew. They routinely go out of their way to help others in need. They are firmly GOOD PEOPLE in my eyes. But the second anything gets remotely political it's like they lose track of who they are. I seriously cannot fathom how my parents could've supported Trump the first go around. I really didn't get it the second time. And now a 3rd? It's honestly kind of heartbreaking. The amount of hypocrisy I've seen from them is astounding. My mom, coming from a good place, was genuinely concerned about Biden and remarked how sad it was that the people around him were "propping him up" when he was clearly degrading. Except she started saying this like 2 years ago before Biden started showing signs of slowing a down a bit. And she doesn't seem to mind that Reagan was showing signs of Alzheimer's in whitehouse during his presidency. And now that Biden's out I haven't heard a peep about Trump's age or how batshit insane every other word out of his mouth is. So it's like...wtf....It's clear as day that she's being illogical, bias, and hypocritical about this, but she doesn't see it at all.
It's frustrating because I know that this isn't who they are. And I know they raised me better than this.
I really feel for parents who lost otherwise good parents to the MAGA movement. It helps to hear these stories because they don't mirror my own. They're a good reminder that well intentioned people were pulled into MAGA.
My experience is different. My parents did well enough providing for us and I have good memories of growing up. They paid lip service to a lot of good values: grit, self determination, positive Christian values of caring for the marginalized which I internalized. They never really displayed these values. Racism was ever present, they worked to curtail civil liberties, the "democraps" were always bad amoral people. If anything I grew up in weird trad catholic MAGA before it had a name. I was kept out of school because "it would make me into a bad person."
Oddly once I moved out they sent all my siblings to public school. As I've gotten older I don't believe they have values other than self service and tribalism.
My theory is that in situations like this, the way the individuals in question came to hold these opinions were those that bypass mental sanity checks.
The two most common by my estimation are through appeal to emotion and by repetition (people will believe anything if it’s repeated often enough).
It’s common for older generations to do certain things like watch TV and check Facebook with a higher degree of regularity than their younger counterparts tend to, both out of having less to do (often being retirees) and having come from eras where daily routines played a bigger role in society, providing that repetition. Add Fox-style hyperbolic anger-reporting and polarized internet clickbait and you have appeal to emotion. With those two, you have a combo that a large segment of the older population has little defense against, no matter how intelligent and kind they might be.
My experience mirrors yours almost exactly, except it’s more centered on my Dad.
I’ve spent many a night in a sort of mentally-stunned state, after getting blindsided by an unexpected comment. I’m usually sitting in some sort of disbelief, or stuck trying to find some way of getting him out of that hole that won’t push him further away.
It was so refreshing to see a middle aged white guy be....normal. I think we all collectively forgot what normal looks like.
I support the campaign to call out weird for what it is
I'm sorry that you lost your dad. Fuck cancer.
I think you're absolutely right that the emotional and parasocial elements are indicative of an emotional thaw. So many of the people I know have gotten used to harm reduction votes and just sort of accepted a complete lack of good choices and hope for improvement for almost a decade. The idea that not only is it possible that the candidate on the left might win, but it might even lead to legitimate progress is so novel that it's a little scary to approach it. Could it be real? Well, my dad is real. And if he is, it's possible that what we see in Walz is. That makes the hope feel a little less distant.
Cancer fucking sucks. It sort of sucks worse to think that losing him from cancer might have saved me from losing him to Trump.
I hope I wouldn't have, but I can't be sure.
Agreed though that people are feeling energized by a campaign and hopeful for the future. At the least this is a break and a moment to just be happy before shit probably gets real aggressive in the campaigning. But it's ok we can be chill for today
It's possible you wouldn't have. My parents used to fight exactly once every four years, when mom would vote Republican, as she's done in every presidential election up until Trump. I never would have expected her to veer from that, but she said he was just too dumb. Maybe something like that would have kept your dad from following his train.
I know basically nothing about your dad or his values, so I don't want to project or anything. You would know better than I would. But I was pleasantly surprised not to lose a parent to MAGA, so I can at least confirm that it's possible. I hope that brings you some comfort.
No I appreciate it. It's the uncertainty, honestly, that sits weird with me. But I can never know.
Either way, I think we're all adopting Walz and his award winning hot dish for our new dad now.
If it encourages you at all, my dad was a Limbaugh listener and conservative when I grew up, and Trump was what made him jump ship. He voted third-party in 2016 and eagerly voted for Biden in 2020 -- he asked for a campaign mug for father's day that year and bought me a matching one. So while there's the chance your dad could have been lost to Fox News (certainly I have my share of relatives down that path), it's possible he would've exceeded your expectations. I'm sorry you don't have the chance to know either way.
It does! I'm happy you didn't lose your dad that way.
It really is the uncertainty. And while I've moved past a lot of the loss, it does come up sometimes when I have home maintenance or car issues or things I know he'd have given me advice on regardless. And I miss him more in those moments.
I'm so lucky. My grizzled old retired Vietnam war veteran dad is Rachael Maddow watching MSNBC grandpa (probably to a fault).
You are lucky! Give your dad a hug from me (if you want, no pressure!)
I am encouraged!
The past few weeks have really lightened the load on my mental health.