Kamala Harris bets on Tim Walz as running mate: ‘We are going to win’
Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for US president, has named Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, as her running mate ahead of the November election.
The decision ends intense speculation over which candidate Harris would pick to go up against Donald Trump, the Republican nominee and former president, and his choice for vice-president, the Ohio senator JD Vance.
Walz first ran for office in 2006 in a Republican-leaning congressional district, upsetting the incumbent. He kept the seat until he won the Minnesota governorship in 2018, then again in 2022. Under his leadership, the state has seen significant progressive legislative wins in recent years, including universal school meals, legalized marijuana, abortion protections and gun control measures.
Before he entered public office, he was a school teacher in Mankato, Minnesota, teaching geography to high school students. He also served in the army national guard for 24 years.
Well that was a pleasant surprise.
It sounded like she’s going to pick ‘Genocide Josh’ instead, the Pennsylvania Governor who said this about the anti-war crime protestors…
They point to his support for the dismissal of University of Pennsylvania president Elizabeth Magill amid campus protests earlier this year; his comments suggesting that people wouldn’t tolerate “people dressed up in KKK outfits” and therefore shouldn’t tolerate campus antisemitism; his support as Pennsylvania attorney general for using an anti-BDS law to end state contracts with Ben & Jerry’s for refusing to sell ice cream to Israeli settlements in the West Bank; and an update to the code of conduct for state employees earlier this year that barred “scandalous or disgraceful” behavior, which raised concerns among First Amendment advocates and pro-Palestinian protesters.
…ugh.
I had simply assumed Kamala would be forced to pick Genocide Josh because every Democratic Nominee must bow the knee to the American Zionist Union, but clearly his inflammatory criticism of the Student Protestors to the Democratic Activist base ruled him out.
Good.
Personally she should have picked Bernie Sanders or Buttigieg, but Tim Walz is a decent human being and when you consider the horror story of Trump/Vance, Harris/Walz are a billion light years more preferable.
Harris and Walz are decent human beings with empathy, compassion and intelligence.
Vance is a grifter for Billionaire Libertarians who want to kill Democracy while Trump is an Orange Fascist.
I don’t care if Harris has a weird laugh or is flakey.
She’s not Donald Trump!
I think the genuine positivity around Harris and Walz can actually be an antidote to the toxicity the Republicans are channeling.
But as Jacinda found out in NZ, kindness isn’t enough if people don’t see material benefit.
Harris and Walz still have to explain how they will help the 135million Americans living in Poverty.
Trump is offering them vindication, revenge and resentment.
The Democrats must offer better living conditions, more social mobility and hope.
Occasional Aucklander Branko Marcetic:
Kamala Harris bets on progressive Tim Walz as running mate: ‘We are going to win’
Harris praises governor, who has helped Minnesota achieve significant progressive legislative wins, on ‘fighting for middle-class families’.
https://jacobin.com/2024/08/tim-walz-vp-harris-democrats
https://jacobin.com/2024/08/tim-walz-kamala-harris-vice-president
After six years of Walz here’s Minnesota vs USA: crime rates higher, energy costs higher, GDP/capita lower, school spending up as results fell. Result: lost population for all income brackets except $0-25k/year.
Lower unemployment and lower inflation than the US average. Wages and salaries equal to the national average. The differences between Minnesota and the US average are tiny. Some stats are better, some are worse. All in the margins.
They are not going to make any difference in the race. But his plain speaking will.
The trends are the point. Anyway VP’s make little difference in the campaign and if he’s going to do “plain speaking” he’ll need to address his claim that you have no right to free speech if the government deems it misinformation.
Im suprised she actually picked Walz. Makes sense though, Minnesota is to the Democrats what Mangere is to the Labour Party.
Better to pick a populist from a safe(ish) state than a zionist from a swing state, Shapiro would have turned off far more muslims and palestine supporters in states like Michigan than he would brought in in Pennsylvania
As is the Republicans to the SCOTUS…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yddp16eqjo
It’s Walz, not Waltz (no t), But anyway, he’s left of Kamala which means they will lose the entirety of Middle American Democrats. Add to that he’s from Minnesota, which was already a safe Democrat state, the pick makes preciously little sense imo. Shapiro would have energised the anti-Semitic Democrats (which the MSM calls “Pro-Palestine Democrats” because it sounds much better), but he would have handed Kamala Pennsylvania, in which Trump is leading right now.
They will not lose all of middle American Democrats, that’s not going to happen. Who knows what will happen overall but it’s just a delight watching that She Devil, Laura Inghram freaking out and bullshitting as fast as she can. Poisonous hag.
So you see the Palestinians as subhuman then? Good to know. Mind you, you are on record as wanting LGBT’s strung up, wanting abortion banned, and wanting a permanent freeze on all wages. Plus you support theocracy.
I thought it would be Shapiro but then I wasn’t looking to the future and what Shapiro will achieve for the Democrats. Walz is the pick to win the first big battle, Shapiro will help down the track to win the war.
As per Yank ‘Sales’ — their big thing — I know far too much about Yank politics. It’s not Walz or Gaza. Gaza must be addressed seriously. Not another child. I hope the progressive Left in America are the same.
Sales, and heart of the matter.
Buttigieg is a sweet talker for wrong centrism, like our Jacinda. Or, our 6 wasted years. If Cunliffe had the heart and could talk we wouldn’t have had to put up with that tripe in the face of the tsunami of climate change and our horrifying level of poverty.
Jacinda never addressed the poverty really, always put it second to politics. As you said when Grant finally came out with something for the neediest.
Walz is an amazing pick, I am truely shocked Kamala went with someone as progressive as him…
As Minnesota govenor with a 1 seat majority he did universal free school meals, legal weed, 12 weeks paid family leave and sick leave, banned conversion therapy, universal background checks for guns, and when he was in congress he helped pervent war with Syria
I cannot wait to see him debate JD Vance!
He ran a basement campaign for re-election in 2022, refusing to show up for debates with Republican Scott Jensen after the first one went badly. So Jensen was left debating an empty chair.
He said that political capital was for burning not for banking, too bad NZ Labour didn’t have the same attitude when they had political capital to burn. Instead they say on it and incinerated the party. Probably for a long while until they get rid of Hipkins, who is currently getting a slaying by Audrey in the Herald.
Tim Walz looks as old as Biden even though he is only 60. Why hug the image of a corpse?
Well at least he’s not an orange con artist.
Well Harris wouldn’t be choosing Trump as a running mate, would she.
Walz’s snitch line, which stayed until 2022.
After six years of Walz comparing Minnesota to US avg: crime rate now higher, energy costs higher, GDP/capita lower, school spending up while results fell. Result is they’ve only gained population in the $0-25k income bracket.
And two anti Israel ‘Squad’ members, Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman, just lost their primaries to pro Israel challengers. Great news!
You really hate Palestinans do you? I bet if you came across a Palestinan, you would personally execute them.
US$20 million of Israel’s money.
Who knew there would be so many experts on Mr Walz among TBD posters…I’d heard of him in passing and he seems a reasonable person able to hold differing positions, and more importantly willing to change his view.
He is pro union now and generally progressive–think about NZ–Free school lunches? well yes, but not universal and being cut back by Incel Dave. Legalised weed? not in your wildest dreams in NZ despite the evidence and wide support.
Kamala has made a good choice here, WASP male with a left lean. He will be capable of sticking it to the Republicans if his record is anything to go by.
Walz is not the answer his detractors will paint him as a Bernie Sanders Socialist.
Fucking Bobby the fart expert on US politics someone switch this troll bots power off
Says someone who supports a guy who wants to bring back segregation, lynching and support progroms again LGBT’s.
And ‘now’ we learn Walz is a Zionist. If I were a Yank I wouldn’t vote for Harris unless she delivered for Palestine. Genocide is the last word. The recognition of reality. No better or worse evils anymore.