Let's Walz, Democrats!

With Tim Walz, Kamala Harris proved she has her ear to the ground and is listening to “the people” instead of “the establishment” as she continues to fuel this grassroots movement to potential victory

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America’s Prosecutor and America’s Football Coach vs. America’s Predator and America’s Weirdo.

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz vs. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance

A vision of a bright, progressive future vs. a vision of a racist, regressive past.

A ticket dedicated to preserving and advancing our democracy vs. a ticket dedicated to a MAGA dictatorship and broligarchy.

There’s no both sides, there’s no symmetry, and the stakes couldn’t be clearer.

Bravo to Kamala Harris and her team for listening to the people and understanding the pulse and energy of the nation instead of taking the timid and incorrect advice of overpaid Beltway consultants and some Never Trump Republicans, who by the way are still Republicans, and seem perpetually dedicated to the status quo and “the center” which they refuse to recognize is now aligned with the left and Democratic policies

In the past two weeks, the Harris campaign has not made a single misstep. They have been laser-focused, professional, efficient, and been on non-stop offense against Trump and MAGA. They are fueling their grassroots movement with joy, love, laughter and excitement. Meanwhile, Trump has resorted back to racism, cruelty, conspiracy theories, and Hannibal Lecter. The key is to maintain this momentum for three months, and the VP pick, ahead of the DNC, presented the first major potential hurdle for the campaign. Well, they cleared it and stuck the landing with the Walz pic. (Pardon me, I have Olympics on the brain.)

If you’ve been following my social media feed, you know I’ve been on the Walz train for a while. To me, he emerged as the no-brainer pick after having successfully auditioned in public alongside other suitors over the past two weeks. His “weird” talking point to disparage, dismiss, undercut and castigate Trump and MAGA immediately penetrated the public consciousness and was picked up by the Harris campaign and the nation. He’s a veteran, father, football coach, teacher, gun owner, and popular Governor of Minnesota who unleashes Midwestern Nice to cut though the MAGA bullshit while selling the progressive agenda with wholesome Brimley vibes.

He’s a perfect complement to Kamala Harris. A vice president’s job is to sing to the choir and add more congregants. Walz will do just that. Harris is a Black Indian woman born to immigrant parents in the Bay Area, California who rose as a prosecutor. Walz is a white dude who came from a small, rural community and started off as a teacher. She can make dosas and step with the Divine Nine. He can hunt elk and ride a lawnmower. Both of them are authentic to their communities - even as Republicans are still trying to figure out how Harris “turned Black.” Meanwhile, Trump’s politics have always been for sale, and his VP J.D. Vance is also groomed by billionaires and seen as a fraud by fellow Appalachians.

They are doing cosplay while Harris-Walz are the real deals. This ticket is a great marriage of America’s many diverse cultures but united around a singular vision of advancing policies that help protect our freedoms and democracy by defeating Trump and MAGA. As an example, Walz and his wife were able to conceive children thanks to IVF. Well, guess who’s attacking IVF and abortion rights and no-fault divorce and birth control? Republicans. 

Whoopsie!

I am writing this essay after having just endured a 1 hour masochist panel on the Piers Morgan show where the right-wing guests tried their hardest to paint Walz as a flaming, radical, progressive extremist who doesn’t appeal to the “center.” They were grasping for straws. They have nothing. Walz gave kids free lunches, advanced paid family leave and sick leave, is pro union, reduced gun violence with universal background checks, and is pro abortion and women’s rights. These “radical policies” enjoy the support of the majority but they really terrify those who are wealthy and powerful, which is another sign that Democrats are on the right path if they want to represent people instead of “power.”

All of the potential VP candidates were solid. Like I’ve said, I’d take Kamala Harris and a coconut tree over Trump-Vance. According to leaks, the remaining bachelors were Walz and Gov. Josh Shapiro. Contrary to the GOP’s bad faith and laughably hypocritical suggestions that picking Walz was due to anti-semitism, the first rule of VP is “to do no harm.” There were some flags and concerns from Dem voters around Gov. Shapiro due to his actions and rhetoric, not due to his identity. The GOP’s attempt to cause division within Dems around accusations of anti-semitism hold no water considering they’re supporting an anti-semite who quotes Hitler, called Nazis “very fine people,” promotes the anti-semitic replacement theory, and dined with white supremacist Nick Fuentes.

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris is married to a Jewish man. Chuck Schumer, who is Jewish and the Senate Majority Leader, also came out in support of Tim Walz and trolled the GOP’s bad faith allegations of anti-semitism. Gov. Shapiro will be great to rally Pennsylvania voters, just like Gov. Whitmer is doing in Michigan. This is an Avengers Assemble moment, all hands on deck, and everyone understands the assignment. When you get everyone from AOC to Bernie to Pelosi to Joe “Coal” Manchin to support your VP pick, folks, you are winning.

The people have our “fighters.” This is the ticket. It’s Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for democracy.

Now let’s get to work.