The Politics Thread

[Vee]

Oh dear God.

 

Uh, meanwhile - heads up @DRW50

 

 

I'm trying to confirm this, as it seems like CNN may be ahead of their skis and going by sources.

[wonderwoman1951]

when gabby giffords was shot in 2011, reports started appearing online that she had been killed. as i recall, the report originated at npr and was picked up by virtually every mainstream media site — except for the new york times. 

and so i shall wait. 

eta: ny times confirms @ 9:10am

eta: actually, they didn’t “confirm: 

Tim Walz Is Said to Be Kamala Harris’s Choice for Vice President: Live Election Updates

Edited August 6, 2024 by wonderwoman1951

[DRW50]

Thanks @Vee I guess we'll know soon enough.

So many headcases supporting RFK Jr in that tweet. I guess I should be surprised he doesn't have even more. He is a truly sick man.

[Vee]

Confirmed (probably):

 

Edited August 6, 2024 by Vee

[janea4old]

The full text of the tweet -- he's doubling down on his anti-vax stance:

Robert F. Kennedy Jr @RobertKennedyJr

To the Mainstream Media

Every time you write "roadkill," I will mention dirty C.I.A. regime-change wars and our $35 trillion debt.

Every time you write "barbecued goat," I will invoke normalized government censorship, vanishing topsoil,  threatened wilderness, the epidemics of addiction and loneliness, the deaths of despair, and the world’s largest chronic disease burden.

Every time you write "vaccine crank,” I will remind you of an industry with a well-documented track record of putting profits before people, an industry with unreliable regulatory oversight, an industry which is one of the most powerful entities in the world.

----------------

[Vee]

You can click through and read the rest I think, but yes, it's "Every time you write "barbecued goat'" that just sends me.

[Liberty City]

Not who I would have wanted but I do understand the pic, especially if she wants to try and boost her ticket for the Midwest.

[DRW50]

Thanks again @Vee

I know there will be a number of negative optics (more George Floyd/BLM rehashing from the ghouls on the right, Walz looking older than some would think for 60, people trying to make hay of his military service, etc.) but I do think he's a better pick than Shapiro (I don't buy "what about PA" - if she is that close to losing PA she's going to have a very hard time anyway) and very possibly Kelly too, a very honorable man with a great resume who I don't think was up to a grueling and ugly campaign (and Arizona is going to be a tough get, plus his Senate seat would be hard to hold). I would have gone with Andy Beshear but that was probably never a real possibility.

No, Walz probably wasn't needed for Minnesota, but I think he could be good ticket balance and as long as he doesn't overdo do it like they had Tim Kaine do in the 2016 debate, he'd be a good fighter and source of energy. I'm already seeing some Democrats compare him to Pence, which is odd, but Pence was a massive help to Trump in 2016, much as I feared and disliked the man. 

Another positive is that the likes of Damon Linker and Megan McArdle are upset.

[Vee]

I think Walz is a perfectly fine choice, though I'm not sure about what he delivers materially beyond even more enthusiasm from the base and probably very good Midwest/Rust Belt outreach (which is a material deliverable in and of itself, I guess). He was also allegedly Joe's first choice, as they hit it off recently at some bar or barbecue joint (oh, to be a fly on the wall).

Walz is a strong surrogate and very good in media. He is not a sonorous cadaver like Pence or a genial silhouette like Tim Kaine, he's got fire and delivers Beltway media's beloved have-a-beer-with vibes. My concern about losing Shapiro was he's younger, more photogenic and can likely lock PA. But we can get PA anyway IMO, and the issues with Shapiro may well have been seen as too much to overcome. This way, nothing (nothing known, anyway) stops the bullet train of hype we've been riding since July 21st.

[DRW50]

I suppose he could deliver for people who are afraid of voting for a black woman, although those people probably won't vote for her anyway. He will possibly be able to offset the socialist claims as he looks like Santa Claus sans beard. I tend to agree he's a safe choice, even as some insist he's a radical (the people who are already insisting they would only have voted for her if she'd chosen "moderate" Kelly or Shapiro come off as liars to me). Or people claiming she caved to anti-Semitism, etc. She didn't really pick anyone who is going to spread a fire, but he does seem like he could be a good backup to her and ideally won't do anything to dampen momentum. 

Edited August 6, 2024 by DRW50

[Vee]

The Bulwark/podcast bro gang are sure to be mad, but over half of them are Republicans or never-Trump GOP leaning, plus there's the Beltway media who just get annoyed when someone 'too liberal' gets glory. Yet they can hardly claim Tim Walz is some elitist progressive. I see an argument for Shapiro but I can easily see it for Walz. And I don't think it far from possibility to take and keep PA without Shapiro anyway.

Walz ended up inadvertently being the argument of the current winning messaging strategy of 'weird', so it makes some wacky sense. And he was apparently the first choice of not only Biden but Pelosi.

 

I heard him tell this story on a podcast last week. Very touching.

 

[janea4old]

The Kamala Harris rally is tonight Tuesday August 9 in North Philadelphia.
(Edit: the Harris/Walz rally)
The rally is at the Liacouras Center on the grounds of Temple University.

From the Vice President's official schedule
https://rollcall.com/factbase/topic/latest/email/63901b21430db02d0c3fca9c70208072/

At 3:30 PM ET, the Vice President and Second Gentleman will arrive in Philadelphia, PA. This arrival at Philadelphia International Airport will be pooled press and open to pre-credentialed media.

At 5:30 PM ET, the Vice President will deliver remarks at a campaign event. The Second Gentleman will attend. These remarks will be pooled press and open to pre-credentialed media.

At 7:55 PM ET, the Vice President and Second Gentleman will depart Philadelphia, PA en route to Washington, DC. This departure from Philadelphia International Airport will be pooled press.

At 8:45 PM ET, the Vice President and Second Gentleman will arrive in Washington, DC. This arrival at Joint Base Andrews will be pooled press. 

 

Edited August 6, 2024 by janea4old

[Vee]

 

 

[JaneAusten]

I feel so many are underestimating Tim Walz. As a midwesterner, I can tell you that the Democratic Governors in particular are all solid including Walz and Tony Evers,  both former educators by the way, who are older looking white men who don't get the glitzy attention the Beltway gives to Whitmer, Shapiro, and to a lesser degree, Beshear. I love all of them by the way. Prtizker our Gov here in Illinois, is solid, but we are also a solidly blue state. I'm not really sure why JB was ever really in the conversation.

Walz is authentic as I said before and comes across folksy. He's not a radical or gung ho progressive or ultra liberal. He's actually got a bit of a libertarian streak.  He will be great.

I think Shapiro is a star. I am fully convinced he'll be president one day.  But my only concern is that he's only been Governor for a little over 2 years.  Yes he has a strong record over the years as a state legislator and then AG, but a few more years as Governor would do him well for his own future. I actually preferred Beshear but it wasn't in the cards.   I hope to see Whitmer, Beshear, and Shapiro in a presidential primary one day, along with Wes Moore and Walz. Time will tell.  Off topic, I admire Kelly, but you can't pick someone based on who is safe.  That's the way I saw Kelly and I am remembering Tim Kaine.

[Vee]