# Harris VP choice as she is the official presidential nominee of the Democratic Party for 2024 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** kamala-harris\ **Created:** [July 21, 2024, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552 "2024-07-21T19:06:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 71
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1405 "2024-08-06T16:42:44Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > Even though he is an older white guy, {…} If it hasn’t been said previously on this thread: Tim Walz: April 6, 1964 (age 60) Kamala Harris: October 20, 1964 (age 59) ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1406 "2024-08-06T16:44:17Z")
Sorry. Obviously Walz seems like a good choice due to his record, affability and the unlikely event Team Trump has prepared attacks and advertising against him at this point. Of course some attacks are inevitable and perhaps a fuller picture will emerge. Vance is an intelligent literati, or thinks of himself in that way, so it would be interesting to see if they end up debating. Harris, who has grown on me, did not much seem to influence Biden’s actual policies and it will also be interesting to see if Walz has more interesting ideas that result in better policies which work well, wholesomely, without waxing weird, wishy-washy, wasteful or wide-eyed. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1407 "2024-08-06T16:46:58Z")
Oh, no. It looks like he’s laughing. Think anyone will object to that? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1408 "2024-08-06T16:50:10Z")
FWIW here is Politico’s take on things. (Excerpt) _During his first term as governor, Walz confronted two major challenges: George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis and the coronavirus pandemic. He faced criticism in his handling of both crises, including failing to deploy the state’s National Guard sooner to respond to the Floyd protests that set a police precinct ablaze and prolonged school closures during the pandemic. Republicans have already signaled that they plan to use Walz’s response to the pandemic against him._ _Walz also pushed through a raft of progressive policies, aided by Democrats’ full control of the state Legislature in 2023. He signed a bill codifying abortion access into state law, restored voting rights for the formerly incarcerated and funded universal free school meals. His efforts drew [an approving tweet](https://x.com/BarackObama/status/1662120328275828739) from former President Barack Obama, who told voters to “check out what’s happening in Minnesota” last May._ _Walz turned his focus to the national party in 2024, when he [took over as chair of the Democratic Governors Association](https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/12/03/tim-walz-democratic-governors-association-00129318), responsible for helping to elect and reelect the party’s state executives. Last December, he told POLITICO that the stars of the party are in the states, acknowledging that he’s “biased towards governors” because “they’re proven.”_ _Harris and Walz do not have much of a preexisting relationship, overlapping for only two years in Congress in opposite chambers. As governor and vice president, the pair did appear on the campaign trail together, including [a visit to a Minnesota abortion clinic in May of this year](https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/vice-president-harris-will-visit-a-minnesota-clinic-that-performs-abortions/)._ [https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/06/harris-taps-minnesota-gov-tim-walz-for-vp-00172777](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/06/harris-taps-minnesota-gov-tim-walz-for-vp-00172777) ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1409 "2024-08-06T16:50:49Z")
Allegedly, Fetterman’s concerns about Shapiro helped tilt the choice toward Walz. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1410 "2024-08-06T16:51:10Z")
Ha! He smiles and, yes, laughs! At a county fair, no less! Check out [these other photos from that 2019 visit](https://www.facebook.com/GovTimWalz/posts/stopped-by-the-minnesota-state-fair-oink-booth-and-couldnt-resist-holding-one-of/1296987460474806/) posted to Facebook. I was watching CNN for a while and at one point they ran those pix. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1411 "2024-08-06T16:51:15Z")
Walz is pretty much bulletproof compared to many of the other possible candidates. He is as friendly and open as he appears to be, but also has a keen political mind. The hysteria from the right over his being chosen only shows how worried this makes them. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1412 "2024-08-06T16:54:04Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Re: early attack angles Heh. My first read of that was “attack eagles” and of course I thought of the [video clip of Trump being attacked by a bald eagle.](https://youtu.be/o7_OWYrLVOU?si=kX8jB2XoNyIHrq76) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1413 "2024-08-06T16:54:32Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Oh, no. It looks like he’s laughing. Think anyone will object to that? Of course not, he’s a _man_. Oh…I forgot about Howard Dean. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1414 "2024-08-06T16:55:18Z")
I have extended family in Minnesota that leans soft c conservative. For over a year they watched Tim Walz battle the GOP for COVID action that they themselves were screaming for. Swallowing pride has a bitter taste so I don’t want to ask or push it, but I have no doubt having this guy on board moved the opinion needle a fair bit. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1415 "2024-08-06T17:12:29Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > The idea will certainly be floated. I’ll say it’s a 90% chance it happens. > > I think the odds are far lower. I’m fairly certain that the Trump campaign realizes that Vance has a serious issue with saying stupid, controversial things, and in articulating his views in a way that isn’t putting his own foot into his mouth. He’s not a polished speaker, and I don’t think he’s quick on his feet (which you must be to succeed in a live debate). They had not previously agreed to a VP debate, and I have a hard time seeing what they think they would have to gain by exposing Vance to one. Trump can say “I had a debate. I was so good I knocked out the real candidate.” Vance can say, “I don’t want to debate because I don’t wanna.” A VP debate will not move the needle much. No debate is bad optics. > [@Chronos](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > I agree. He seems solid. The worst thing about him is the big “Who?” that will come from a significant number of voters. I will admit I never heard of the guy before reading about him here. > > That’s kind of typical for VP candidates, though. And in fact, for many Presidential candidates. Any governor or senator is a plausible pick for either office, and nobody knows all 150 of them. It isn’t unusual but a lot of the other possible candidates had much bigger national footprints. That’s not necessarily better but it does mean that many voters are finding out who the VP candidate is and wondering who the hell he is. That gives both sides the opportunity to define who he is to the public. It’s a matter of who does it more effectively. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1416 "2024-08-06T17:14:47Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Walz was instrumental in having them removed and the case reassigned to the state attorney general, which resulted in conviction. That’s pretty major. And the right thing to do. If you are truly for law and order, then you should want the people who abuse their position prosecuted. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1417 "2024-08-06T17:19:36Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > That’s not necessarily better but it does mean that many voters are finding out who the VP candidate is and wondering who the hell he is. That gives both sides the opportunity to define who he is to the public. It’s a matter of who does it more effectively. But that also means that anyone Googling the candidate isn’t being inundated with years worth of bullshit. Pete Buttigieg, for example, has all sorts of crap about him already out there in the right wing bubble. Anything you find for Walz is likely going to be actual truth, at least for a few days, and that makes all the bullshit they’re going to try to throw at him kind of stand out. “If he’s so awful, why didn’t they say anything five years ago?” ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1418 "2024-08-06T17:19:54Z")
I see this guy as Biden in 2008. I don’t think he will hurt in any demographic but he can help quite a lot. Firstly he looks and talks like the kind of guy who thinks Ronald Reagan was the greatest president in modern history so I don’t think charges of radical left will stick. Vibes do matter in this day and age. If it was just about policy and appearing presidential not only would GW Bush not have been elected, it would have never required a Florida recount to get Gore in. Of the three guys on the ticket Walz is clearly the “rather have beer with” guy. The one who has a biography that is both an exemplar of the folksy hometown boy and also someone who has an extensive experience of adventure abroad. But then you hear what in fact he believes and it will be effective to excoriate the republican economic policies campaigning parked in the midwest and especially in ancestral democratic areas as Biden did in 2008. This was important because you had Biden when he was younger being a really fun and fiery wing man for Obama willing to take the shots for his running mate who in turn was able to focus on being above the fray. ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1419 "2024-08-06T17:25:36Z")
Walz would only be 72 when running for this second term as president. Still younger than Trump today. 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1420 "2024-08-06T17:29:42Z")
Progressives are pumped! I’m pumped, and he wont be a difficult sell to my working-class friends. If we’re talking strictly politics, this guy’s my choice. There’s other factors, of course, but the situation for me couldn’t have taken a better turn after Biden stepped down. Can’t wait to vote!! ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1421 "2024-08-06T17:30:08Z")
Lots of easy bullet points on Walz’s life here. [https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/08/06/tim-walz-55-things-harris-vp-00172790](https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/08/06/tim-walz-55-things-harris-vp-00172790) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1422 "2024-08-06T17:31:18Z")
My favorite clip of him so far is him talking about how appropriate and wonderful it would be for a Black woman to finally finish off Trump once and for all. Here is his final 6 seconds on it. Wonderful. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/V0gOFqJ4Fz0/maxresdefault.jpg "Gov. Tim Walz calls Trump a "bastard"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0gOFqJ4Fz0) ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1423 "2024-08-06T17:32:22Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > he looks and sounds like your jovial Midwestern uncle. If a Brittany once approved of him that’s good enough for my vote. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/1424 "2024-08-06T17:36:42Z")
And for what it’s worth I do believe Shapiro was the one who electorally had the most upside just because that’s PA probably locked up as he is their popular governor. I think with PA goes the election. However the calculus looks like they think she can win PA without him still, while Walz presents a more plain talking populist character that drives Dem turn out like we saw in 2020 from people who may have stayed at home. Shapiro’s appeal as a more centrist presenting politician and Obama sounding orator means he can have a run at it in 2032 as I think there’s a lot more substance to him than there ever was with Newsom who is the sort of perennial “dems should run this guy next time” guy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552.md?page=70) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552.md?page=72)