Harris picks Walz for vice president
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06 Aug 2024, 10:08 am
Harris announced her choice of Walz in a post on Instagram and in a text message to supporters, praising his support for middle class families and his personal history serving in the National Guard and working as a teacher.
“I share this background both because it’s impressive in its own right, and because you see in no uncertain terms how it informs his record,” Harris wrote on Instagram.
“But what impressed me most about Tim is his deep commitment to his family: Gwen, Gus, and Hope,” she added, referencing Walz’s wife and children. “Doug and I look forward to working with him and Gwen to build an administration that reflects our shared values.”
“We are going to build a great partnership,” Harris wrote. “We are going to build a great team. We are going to win this election.”
Walz, 60, emerged as a dark horse contender for the No. 2 slot as chatter over other high-profile names, in particular Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D), dominated the early portion of the veepstakes.
But the Minnesota governor saw his profile rise considerably over the past week, especially after a viral cable news interview in which he derided some Republicans as “weird” — a line of attack later adopted by national Democrats.
The pick drew praise from both progressive and more moderate Democrats.
The ex-football coach and teacher - now Harris's VP pick
The 60-year-old brings with him a folksy, plain-spoken and sharp-tongued approach to taking on the Republican opposition.
He also comes with a compelling resume - a public school teacher, football coach and National Guardsman before he entered politics.
His political experience, representing a Republican-leaning district in Congress and then later passing left-wing policies as Minnesota's governor, could have broad appeal at a time when American politics is so polarised.
Teacher, football coach, Congressman
A native of rural Nebraska, Mr Walz farmed and hunted in his summertimes and enlisted in the Army National Guard at 17. He would serve in the volunteer force for 24 years.
His father, a public school administrator, encouraged him to join the military before he died from lung cancer when Mr Walz was 19.
The Minnesota governor has spoken of how Social Security survivor benefits sustained his mother, and how the GI Bill paid for his college education.
Armed with teaching degrees, Mr Walz took on a one-year teaching post in China around the time of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
He later honeymooned in the country with wife Gwen Whipple and also organised summer educational trips to China for US students.
After returning home to Nebraska, Mr Walz became a teacher and American football coach until his wife - another teacher at the school - drew him back to her native Minnesota. They now have two children.
As a coach at Mankato West High School, Mr Walz helped build up an American football programme that led the school to its first state championship.
He also earned plaudits for agreeing to be the faculty adviser for the school's gay-straight alliance at a time when homosexuality was largely frowned upon.
He first ran for office in a largely agricultural district that spans across southern Minnesota, which is fairly rural and Republican-leaning.
But Mr Walz campaigned as a moderate who cared about public service and veterans' advocacy, leading to an election upset.
Views & beliefs
Over his 12 years in Congress, it was hard to label his ideology.
He voted in favour of the Affordable Care Act, co-sponsored pro-labour measures, including a bill to raise the minimum wage, and backed an unsuccessful cap-and-trade effort for reducing carbon emissions.
But he also found common cause with Republicans.
He voted to continue funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, supported tighter vetting of refugees entering the US, and tried to block the Obama-era bailout of banks and car companies after the 2008 financial crash.
Once endorsed by the pro-gun National Rifle Association (NRA), which donated to his campaign, he spoke out in favour of an assault weapons ban after the Parkland school shooting and lost their backing.
Mr Walz won the 2018 Minnesota governor's race by more than 11 points but his first term was overshadowed by the Covid pandemic and the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis.
Republicans heavily criticised Mr Walz for being slow to deploy the National Guard even as some protests grew violent.
But the governor won re-election and his second term has overseen a busy period with Democrats controlling the state legislature by a single seat.
"These are weird people"
Largely unknown on the national scene, Mr Walz has quickly gathered buzz in recent weeks for his acerbic descriptions of Republicans.
"These are weird people on the other side," he recently told MSNBC, a label that has been widely repeated. "They want to ban books. They want to be in your [doctor's] exam room."
But Republicans have been quick to characterise what he has done in Minnesota as too radical for ordinary Americans.
Tom Emmer, the third-highest ranking Republican in the US House of Representatives, accused Mr Walz of trying "to turn Minnesota into Kamala Harris’ home state of California".
But allies, including labour leaders, believe Mr Walz can broaden Ms Harris's appeal to rural and working class voters.
Where Gov. Tim Walz stands on Israel, Gaza, and pro-Palestinian protests
Mark Mellman, the chairman of Democratic Majority for Israel's super PAC, praised Harris' selection of Walz in a statement, calling him a "proud pro-Israel Democrat with a strong record of supporting the U.S.-Israel relationship."
At the same time, progressives — including those who have accused Israel of committing genocide — are elated by Walz's selection, owing to his more conciliatory approach toward the pro-Palestinian movement.
After tens of thousands of Democrats cast "uncommitted" ballots in Minnesota's presidential primary — Walz took a sympathetic view, even praising those voters for being "civically engaged."
"This issue is a humanitarian crisis, they have every right to be heard," Walz said. "These folks are asking for a change in course, they're asking for more pressure to be put on."
Elianne Farhat, a senior advisor for the Uncommitted movement, said in a statement on Tuesday that Walz has "demonstrated a remarkable ability to evolve as a public leader," noting his past evolution on gun rights.
Broadly, Walz has sought to strike a balance in his rhetoric on the war.
You can hold competing things: That Israel has the right to defend itself, and the atrocities of October 7 are unacceptable, but Palestinian civilians being caught in this… has got to end," Walz told Minnesota Public Radio in March.
Walz has said at the time that he supported a "working cease-fire" in Gaza, signaling support for the Biden administration's efforts to secure peace.
Progressives may also simply be breathing a sigh of relief that Harris did not select Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.
Though Shapiro's policy positions on Israel are largely in line with other Democrats, progressives and pro-Palestinian activists have drawn attention to his comparison of some campus protesters to the Ku Klux Klan.
As an autistic I hate that the popularity of the term “weird” as an insult has grown by leaps and bounds since the Democrats have made it a main campaign theme.
I am not overly familiar with this person but based on the above bio I think he will be an asset to Harris’s campaign. He is similar to the electorate as he is heterodox.
As an ex football coach and national guardsmen it is going to be hard for Republicans to pin the labels “woke” and “wimp” on him.
His progressive positions of supporting unions and being an advisor to a gay-straight alliance won’t hurt him.
While union membership is still very low the decades long unpopularity of unions has ended.
The people who still think being gay is wrong are not going to vote for Harris. What will be tricky for the ticket is trans issues. While homosexuality is generally mainstream, Trans women on woman's teams, not notifying parents their child is trans, and minors transitioning are unpopular.
To the trans activist base opposing these is denying their identity.
Going after Trump personally has not worked in the past. The case for Walz is that others that went after Trump personally were doing something that is not natural for the them, that seems to be not an issue for Walz.
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“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
06 Aug 2024, 2:41 pm
Looks like a solid pick.
Balances things out with Kamala quite well...White, male, military background. But with compatible policy track records.
https://youtu.be/sw0vpGsBCW8
In fact...it makes me wanna ... Walz! 
https://youtu.be/IDaJ7rFg66A
06 Aug 2024, 7:14 pm
"You know there's something wrong with people when they talk about freedom. Freedom to be in your bedroom. Freedom to be in your exam room. Freedom to tell your kids what they can read. That stuff is weird. They come across weird. They seem obsessed with this." -- Tim Walz, on MSNBC
Who is Tim Walz?
Walz grew up in Nebraska but moved with his wife, Gwen to Minnesota in 1996 to teach high school geography and coach football; his teams won two state championships.
He was 42 when he ran for Congress, a decision sparked by a 2004 incident at an appearance by President George W. Bush. "Walz took two students to the event, where Bush campaign staffers demanded to know whether he supported the president and barred the students from entering after discovering one had a sticker for Democratic candidate John Kerry," according to the Almanac of American Politics. "Walz suggested it might be bad PR for the Bush campaign to bar an Army veteran, and he and the students were allowed in. Walz said the experience sparked his interest in politics, first as a volunteer for the Kerry campaign and then as a congressional candidate."
When he was elected to Congress, Walz represented a district that had sent Republicans to Washington for 102 of the previous 114 years, according to the Almanac of American Politics. Representing that constituency, Walz was able to win the National Rifle Association’s endorsement and he voted for the Keystone XL pipeline -- two positions that have become highly unusual in today’s Democratic Party.
During his first gubernatorial term, Walz worked with legislative Republicans, which produced some bipartisan achievements, including $275 million for roads and bridges, additional funds for opioid treatment and prevention, and a middle-income tax cut.
In 2022, Walz won a second term by a 52% to 45% margin. Democrats also flipped the state Senate, providing him with unified Democratic control in the Legislature. This enabled Walz to enact a progressive wish list of policies, including classifying abortion as a "fundamental right," a requirement that utilities produce carbon-free energy by 2040, paid family leave and legalizing recreational marijuana. He also signed an executive order safeguarding access to gender-affirming health care for transgender residents.
Walz’s meteoric three-week rise on the national scene stemmed after calling Trump, Vance, and other Republicans in their circle "weird."
In a July 23 interview on MSNBC, Walz predicted that Harris would win older, white voters because she was talking about substance, including schools, jobs, and environmental policy.
"These are weird people on the other side," Walz said. "They want to take books away. They want to be in your exam room. That's what it comes down to. And don't, you know, get sugarcoating this. These are weird ideas."
Days later on MSNBC, Walz reiterated the point: "You know there's something wrong with people when they talk about freedom. Freedom to be in your bedroom. Freedom to be in your exam room. Freedom to tell your kids what they can read. That stuff is weird. They come across weird. They seem obsessed with this."
Other Democrats, including the Harris campaign, amplified the "weird" message, quickly making Walz a star in online Democratic circles.
Walz also attracted notice for being a self-styled fix-it guy who has helped pull a car out of a ditch and given advice about how to save money on car repairs. He staged a bill signing for free breakfast and lunch for students surrounded by cheering children.
Schier said he expects Walz to be a compatible ticket-mate who won’t upstage the presidential nominee. "Walz will be a loyal companion to Harris," Schier said.
Read the Complete and Unedited Article HERE
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07 Aug 2024, 2:58 am
From what I read he is popular in the mid-west
Strategically good choice for Kamala, she vibes with the younger voters, urban voters and women. Walz vibes with older mainstream Americans outside of Kamala's demographics. Having an AOC would attract controversy, having Shapiro would alienate younger voters who are pro-Palestine. Walz is a solid neutral choice.
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ASPartOfMe
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14 Aug 2024, 8:33 am
It's a change from June of that year, when then-President Trump said to Walz on a call, "I was very happy with the last couple of days, Tim."
After George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer on Monday, May 25, a video showing what happened was posted early the next morning and seen around the world.
Later that Tuesday morning, the governor tweeted, "We will get answers and seek justice."
Protests turned tense that night, and the next day, Wednesday, Walz said, "I was saddened to see some of the protesters were in harm's way last night and I just want to encourage everyone to be safe, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic."
About four hours after that press conference, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called Walz asking for the National Guard, according to an October 2020 state senate report.
There was reportedly confusion about whether that call constituted a formal request. At the time, Frey said state officials had given the impression the call was sufficient. In an independent, state-commissioned after-action report, state officials told investigators the Guard can't be activated without a formal request from the city or agency in distress.
CBS has reached out to the Guard and Minnesota Department of Public Safety for clarification on what constitutes a formal request.
A couple of hours later, in a tweet, Walz asked people to protest "peacefully and safely."
At 9:11 that night, another request came from then-Police Chief Medaria Arradondo. In an email, he asked the state for 600 National Guard soldiers. The email also included broad descriptions of the areas where support was needed, who with MPD the Guard would report to and a request for additional vehicles. But an independent review commissioned by the city found that "the request did not follow established policies or protocols."
The state-commissioned report found there was "poor communication" between the city and the state, saying that "conflicting accounts" from each side indicated the other was at least partially at fault for any activation delay.
The looting and fires continued that night and into the next day. At 10:55 a.m. Thursday, Frey's office sent Walz a written request for the Guard. By 4 p.m., the governor had them activated.
That night, about 45 minutes after Minneapolis police abandoned the 3rd Precinct, the Guard tweeted that more than 500 soldiers had been activated to the Twin Cities.
Still, that night was not peaceful.
This can perhaps be explained, at least in part, by something the state-commissioned report says: the Guard and Minnesota State Patrol were asked to "provide services outside of their...training" and "they did not have experience responding to a large-scale civil disturbance."
At 9 a.m. Saturday, Walz announced he was fully mobilizing the entire Guard, which was an unprecedented move. At a press conference that day, he said, "Last night is a mockery of pretending that this is about George Floyd's death."
a new statement on Monday, Mayor Frey told WCCO, "I requested the National Guard immediately and Governor Walz, not Donald Trump, authorized one of the guard's largest deployments in Minnesota history. During one of the city and state's most difficult moments, we collectively tried our best to navigate unprecedented times and to do so quickly."
Former Chief Arradondo told CBS it was bureaucracy and logistics that slowed the Guard's deployment, not hesitation by Walz.
A then-senior official with the Minnesota National Guard spoke positively of Walz to CBS and said the governor couldn't have deployed the Guard any earlier than he did.
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“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
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14 Aug 2024, 1:12 pm
Walz seems like America's dad.
Much better than Sofa King Weird.
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15 Aug 2024, 7:43 am
Gov. Tim Walz agrees to VP debate hosted by CBS News on Oct. 1
Former President Donald Trump's campaign has not yet agreed to the date, leaving GOP Sen. JD Vance's participation in question.
Earlier in the day, CBS News proposed four dates for a debate between the two vice presidential nominees: Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1, and Oct. 8. The Harris-Walz campaign soon agreed to the Oct. 1 date.
"See you on October 1, JD," Walz wrote on X. A campaign official said Walz "looks forward to debating JD Vance — if he shows up."
Vance did not respond to questions from reporters about whether he would agree to the debate when returning from an event in Michigan on Wednesday. Later, in an interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham, Vance said he was open to debating Walz on Oct. 1, but did not firmly commit to the date.
"We're certainly going to debate Tim Walz. We just heard about this thing three hours ago, so we're going to talk to them and figure out when we can debate," Vance said. "We want to actually look at the debates, look at the moderators, talk about the rules a little bit."
Vance continued, saying "I strongly suspect we're going to be there on October 1, but we're not going to do one of these fake debates, Laura, where they don't actually have an audience there, where they don't actually set the parameters in a right way, where we can have a good exchange of ideas."
Vance also said that he wanted to debate Walz more than once.
"Hopefully we're going to see him on October 1, but hopefully we're going to see him either before or after that because I think it's important for the American people to actually see us discuss our views," he told Ingraham.
This year is the first election cycle since 1988 in which the debates are not being organized by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. In 2022, the Republican National Committee voted to ban GOP nominees from participating in debates hosted by the commission, accusing the organizers of bias in the two 2020 meetings between Mr. Biden and Trump.
Instead, television networks have been left to negotiate dates and terms for the debates directly with the presidential campaigns. CNN hosted the first debate of the cycle between Mr. Biden and Trump in June, a much earlier start than in previous election years. CNN allowed other networks to carry the debate on their airwaves, in keeping with the practice for debates hosted by the commission.
Tim Walz defends his military record after GOP criticism
"These guys… are even attacking me for my record of service, and I just want to say, I'm proud to have served my country and I always will be," Walz said Tuesday during a campaign appearance in Los Angeles.
Republicans have zeroed in on Walz's military record in recent days, claiming he exaggerated his military service — a claim that has been especially amplified by Sen. JD Vance, who became former President Donald Trump's running mate last month. Vance has accused Walz of "stolen valor garbage" for inflated statements about his military service.
Walz, a former high school social studies teacher, coach and congressman, served in the Nebraska and Minnesota Army National Guards. But some characterizations of the Minnesota governor's service have been called into question, including his rank at the time of his retirement and the timing of his retirement. Vance, an Ohio Republican and an Iraq War veteran, has been especially vocal about the claims surrounding Walz's deployments and his retirement from the guard, suggesting Walz retired to avoid a 2005 deployment to Iraq.
Walz rose to the rank of command sergeant major but did not complete coursework for the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, so he retired with the rank of master sergeant, a CBS News review of Walz's military record and statements from the Minnesota Army National Guard on Iraq show. Records also show that Walz retired before his battalion was mobilized and deployed to Iraq.
Amid the scruity over Walz's military service, the Harris campaign updated language on their website to more accurately reflect Walz's rank and has also said he "misspoke" in 2018 remarks that implied he had served in combat.
The Minnesota governor said on Tuesday during his first solo campaign event since joining the Democratic ticket that he signed up for the Army National Guard two days after his 17th Birthday, saying "I served for the next 24 years for the same reason all my brothers and sisters in uniform do — we love this country."
"I am damn proud of my service to this country," Walz said. "And I firmly believe you should never denigrate another person's service record."
He added that he had a "a few simple words" for "anyone brave enough to put on that uniform for our great country," including his opponent in Vance.
"Thank you for your service and sacrifice," Walz said.
Vance responded to the remarks in a social media post on Tuesday, likewise thanking Walz for his service, but he added the accusation that "you shouldn't have lied about it" and he teased further discussion in a vice presidential debate
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“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
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