Kamala Harris has made her choice for vice president and it’s Tim Walz. Who? If you’re like me, the Minnesota governor is not exactly a household name. I’m not sure I had even heard of him until after Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race.
Having said that, our friend Andrew Donaldson at Heard Tell had a good point when he said that Walz is a boring, safe pick and that can be a good thing in the Trump era when over-the-top anger and outrage can become exhausting to voters. Walz seems to be a relative moderate and pick that says “Let’s return to normal.” (If you want a deep dive into Walz’s history, the Lost Debate podcast provides a fair and balanced look at the new candidate.)
Walz was a sleeper candidate for the VP slot, but in retrospect, it’s easy to see why he was picked. Mark Kelly would have been an exciting pick, but he lacks experience and vetting, plus Democrats need him in the Senate. Josh Shapiro is not far into his first term as governor and, given the current geopolitical climate, would have caused a division in the Democratic Party between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel factions. There are also indications that Shapiro and Harris did not hit it off when they met. Pete Buttigieg is also inexperienced and would have been a divisive pick because of his sexuality.
Walz is short on sex appeal, but he does check a lot of boxes. He’s a rural, white man, which helps to balance the ticket demographically. He is a veteran, a teacher, and a gun owner who was once endorsed by the NRA. As a congressman from 2007 through 2018, Walz was one of the most moderate Democrats. After more than a decade in a red-leaning district, Walz has also been thoroughly vetted.
On the other hand, there are some vulnerabilities. For example, some Republicans are charging that Walz is not really white. No, I’m only kidding. Tim Walz seems to be one of the whitest white guys out there.
But seriously, here are some of the criticisms that I am hearing about Tim Walz. First, many Republicans are claiming that Walz is a radical socialist who favors open borders. Honestly, Republicans say this about every Democrat. It loses its punch when you apply it to everyone, however, and I don’t think that it will stick to Walz.
A more serious criticism stems from Walz’s handling of the 2020 George Floyd riots in Minneapolis. Walz has admitted to being slow to deploy the National Guard in response to the violence, but he has also been lauded for the state prosecution of the officers involved in Floyd’s death.
Interestingly, audio of Donald Trump praising Walz’s response to the riots has surfaced. Trump’s positive spin on Walz’s performance will help to blunt criticism of his handling of the riots.
Walz has also been criticized for his handling of transgender issues and some Republicans are calling him “Tampon Tim.” Transgender issues are an area where Democrats are most vulnerable. The “Tampon Tim” moniker relates to a new Minnesota law that mandates that menstrual products must be available in all public school restrooms used by students in grades 4 through 12 with no exception for boys’ bathrooms. The Hill reports that Walz also issued an Executive Order and signed bills that protected access to “gender-affirming” healthcare for transgender minors.
There is also criticism of Walz’s military record. Walz served in the National Guard for 24 years, achieving the rank of command sergeant major before retiring as a master sergeant. The lower rank for retirement was because “he did not complete additional coursework at the US Army Sergeants Major Academy,” per the National Guard.
Walz deployed overseas to Italy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the war in Afghanistan, in 2003. The criticism involves the fact that Walz retired just before his unit deployed to Iraq. Some Republicans are implying that this was a cowardly attempt to avoid combat duty, but Walz was allowed to retire and received an honorable discharge.
Per CNN, Walz retired in May 2005 and his unit did not receive alert orders for their deployment until July, two months later. Evidence has surfaced on the internet that Walz was aware of at least the possibility of a deployment before he retired. A fellow soldier told Alpha News that Walz was conditionally promoted to command sergeant major but retired to run for Congress after only being on the job about 14 days.
JD Vance has used the term “stolen valor” in connection with Walz’s military service. Whatever you think of the timing of Walz’s retirement, it had nothing to do with stolen valor, which is claiming to be a service member or veteran when you are not or claiming to be entitled to wear badges or medals that you did not earn. As an example, Rep. Troy Nehls’ (R-Texas) right to wear the Combat Infantry Badge was rescinded by the Army after it was determined that he did not meet the qualifications, but he continued to wear the badge.
The only thing that I’ve seen so far that approaches stolen valor is a statement in 2018 in which he said, “We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is [sic] the only place that those weapons are at.”
Walz seems to have never said that he served in combat, and his statement is technically accurate that he did carry a gun during wartime as a member of the military before retiring in 2005, but the statement could be understood as a claim to have served in combat, even it wasn’t explicit.
But there is a bit more. Dave Thul is a Twitter friend and a retired army veteran from Walz’s old congressional district in Minnesota. Thul criticized Walz in a 2009 blog post for implying on his congressional website that he served in Afghanistan.
In Thul’s words, “The use on Walz's official congressional website of the phrase 'in support of Operation Enduring Freedom' always seemed to me to be intentionally vague and misleading. Most people with military experience would know that the phrase doesn't necessarily mean having served in combat (although I didn't at first). But most civilians see 'Enduring Freedom' and equate that (correctly) with the war in Afghanistan.”
Thul explains that Walz continued to use and defend the vague language even when confronted by other veterans. Thul also points to a picture of Walz carrying a “Enduring Freedom veterans for Kerry” sign at a rally in 2004. This picture is reproduced on his blog.
A final criticism involves a DUI charge from 30 years ago. In 1995, Walz was arrested on suspicion of intoxicated driving. Walz accepted a plea deal that reduced the charge to reckless driving and used the moment as an opportunity to become sober. It is a coincidence that both Walz and Donald Trump are now teetotalers and both have mugshots.
Circling back to the original claim that Walz is a radical leftist, it does seem to be true that Walz has been further to the left as a governor than as a member of Congress. It is also true, however, that a lot of the positions that Republicans cite as evidence aren’t exactly outside of the political mainstream. Among his positions are support for universal free school lunches, universal background checks and red flag laws for gun purchasers, and a law protecting abortion in Minnesota. Those positions are likely to be more popular with voters than his measures to provide health insurance, driver’s licenses, and college tuition to illegal immigrants. Walz will likely be a supporter of immigration reform, which would probably be more popular as a comprehensive bill than these individual measures.
But ultimately, Walz’s past policy preferences don’t matter much as a vice presidential candidate. He’s there to serve as a backup, to attack Donald Trump, and to not embarrass Kamala Harris or the Democratic Party (or, if elected, the United States). That’s a low bar and one that his counterpart on the Republican ticket has not been able to meet.
Walz is not conservative, but he is a conservative pick for Harris. He is a safe pick. He’s a running mate who will allow Democrats to spend their time attacking Donald Trump and JD Vance rather than cleaning up Walz’s messes, with the possible exception of explaining his military record. Walz is also an experienced executive who could lead the country immediately if called upon to do so. In those regards, Walz was a good pick who may provide a slight boost to Harris’s ticket but at least won’t prove to be a drag.
UKRAINE INVADES RUSSIA: Yes, you read that correctly. Ukraine has reportedly launched an incursion across the border into the Russian Kursk region. History buffs may recognize this as the site of a major WWII battle. The attack is reportedly a large one and Ukraine seems to have achieved near-complete surprise.
The objective of the attack is not known, but may include several goals such as slowing Russia attacks elsewhere, forcing Russia to redeploy air and drone units farther from the front, and requiring Putin to shift ground forces to defend the homeland. The propaganda value of Ukrainian soldiers occupying Russian soil cannot be understated.
In my best Yakov Smirnoff voice, “In Putin’s Russia, Ukraine invades you!”
THE SQUAD LOSES ONE MORE: Early returns indicate that Squad member Cori Bush (D-Mo.) has lost her primary in St. Louis. Bush is the second anti-Israel Democrat to lose a primary this year, following Jamaal Bowman’s defeat in June. Democrat Wesley Bell will likely succeed Bush in representing the blue district.
GEORGIA ALLOWS ELECTION CERTIFICATION DELAYS: The Georgia Board of Elections voted to allow “reasonable inquiry” at the county level before certifying elections. Because Georgia requires certification by all 159 counties before the state results are certified, the measure could lead to delays in certifying state elections.
In a related story, at his rally last weekend, Donald Trump called the board “pit bulls fighting for honesty, transparency and victory.”
Note: The original version of this article said that Walz retired as a sergeant major. This version has corrected to his actual rank of master sergeant.
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