AUGUST 6, 2024 – Family, friends from outside Minnesota ask me what I think of this guy Walz. What I say: In the course of watching his daily news conferences during the depths of the Covid-19 crisis, I kept thinking, This guy deserves national attention. In fact, he’s definitely presidential timber.
And now here we are. Here he is, Kamala’s VP pick, and in my estimation, an excellent one.
Before I plunge into deeply partisan waters here, let’s roll back the video a few frames to The Debate Disaster of June 27. Apart from the obvious, two aspects of that dreadful experience stood out. The first was the response of the Duly Defeated to the question, “If you lose, will you honor the result?” His response was, “Yes . . . if it’s fair.” Given the mischief he caused with his ironically labeled “Stop the Steal” campaign and embrace of the January 6 shenanigans, Trump’s equivocal answer was to be taken for what it was: a threat to challenge an unfavorable result. The second disturbing thing about the fiasco of June 27 had two parts: a. universal agreement among Democrats that Biden’s performance was, in fact, a disaster, and b. Biden’s refusal to come to terms with it. For all the world it looked like a disastrous debate performance was turning into a shipwreck come November.
But in the most famous line of the famous Yankees catcher, “The game ain’t over till it’s over.”
How the Democrats’ prospects have bounced back since June 27! A convention of chaos has been averted, and the Harris-Walz rocket is blazing forth a full three weeks before Labor Day—for generations the traditional kick-off date of American presidential campaigns.
Now, back to Walz and what makes him a great choice by Kamala Harris.
First, he has the “triple chops” for the job. By that I mean, he has 1. The proven cognitive/intellectual candlepower; 2. Twelve years of national legislative and six years of state executive experience—and if he might lack foreign policy experience, he did live in China for a spell and knows some Mandarin (speak to that, J.D.)—and just as important, “real America” experiences of teaching, coaching, serving in the National Guard; and 3. The character—empathy, integrity, fortitude, optimism, a sense of humor, and genuine interest in helping those around him succeed. Plus, he likes to read books and has a pet.
Second, he’s relatively unknown outside of Minnesota. This contributes to the “excitement factor” associated with what worried Democrats so about Biden. Walz is all about the joy of politics and what democracy can do to elevate the human condition. He’s a breath of fresh air, whose novelty will continue to suck oxygen from the opposing camp.
Third, by choosing Walz, Harris showed that she is looking beyond the short-term play for electoral votes and shooting for the long-term game of actual governance. As Walz said in his speech today, he will have the president’s back—every single day—and he means it. Walz will be an active collaborator and contributor in the forward-looking Harris Administration. Yes, Governor Shapiro might have solidified Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes for the Democratic ticket (vs. Minnesota’s 10 or Arizona’s (Kelly) 11), but the bet that Shapiro can and will still stump effectively to win the 19 is a sound one.
I’m not a slicer and dicer of polling information, but I’ve “heard” that the election will come down to 87 counties in aggregate across half a dozen states. I “suspect” that the overall result will be decided by the turnout of two demographics: 1. People under 40; and 2. Blacks. These are the two that put Biden over the top in 2020. Before Biden exited the race, I worried that these two groups were shaky for the Democrats. Now I see just the opposite.
Today I encountered compelling evidence of “just the opposite”—a text from Derek, a friend from whom I hadn’t communicated in a while. He’d rented an office in the same complex as I had in 2019 and early 2020. Born, reared and educated in L.A., Derek was a highly talented graphic designer who’d been curious about what it would be like to live in another part of the country. He chose Minnesota and convinced his bosses to underwrite his office expense in Minneapolis. Then came Covid, followed by the George Floyd riots. He returned to L.A. In his mid- to late 30s, Derek is smart as a whip, well-informed, thoughtful, politically moderate, and independently minded. We’d enjoyed many conversations about many issues, especially politics.
Derek’s texts burst forth out of the blue today:
What a day to celebrate! Can’t think of a better candidate for VP than Walz. Every person under 40 I know is absolutely fired up about this ticket . . . Man, if you didn’t see Walz’s speech today, watch it! Absolutely perfect. “Joyous,” as he says in it. I’m so energized. We can do this! Minnesota may save America!
From certain “data points” a person can safely generalize. From the “data point” of Derek, whom I found to be an astute political observer and certainly in touch with trends among his generation, I believe I can safely generalize that the under-40 crowd and I do believe African Americans, as well, are going to change America in November. And I will go so far as to say, that along with the White House, both House and Senate will be painted blue.
This concludes my political advertisement and prognostication. Now back to reading . . . To Kill a Mockingbird . . . for the first time.
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© 2024 by Eric Nilsson
4 Comments
The first time?!
Feel better. KL
So excited for Walz!!
Eric, I’m going to share this with several people! Walz really is a breath of fresh air.
I do hope that you are right!
And it’s also a hopeful sign that the media is finally beginning to acknowledge DT’s obvious cognitive impairment and reporting the abnormality.
The media are hesitant in the absence of a diagnosis, but that sometimes requires a brain biopsy, which is of course out of the question.