# Kamala Harris's choice of Tim Walz as VP **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** kamala-harris\ **Created:** [August 6, 2024, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352 "2024-08-06T21:19:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 28
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2024, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/544 "2024-08-23T14:21:47Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Eh, he’s better than that. But I completely understand the instinct to defend your children against hateful assholes. But it’s the Trumpers, especially Vance, attacking Democrats on exactly that issue. “Crazy cat ladies”, “the Dems are all childless people,” “Dems are all anti- family,” etc. So I thing it’s fair game to turn the table. She made it personal. Michelle Obama famously said, “When they go low, we go high.” Does that really work? I get not stooping to their level, not giving up your own values. But a hard jab will let them know you’re not a soft target. I say, “When they go low, their face is easier to kick.” > [@JKellyMap](#): > > I was thinking this, too, and also when Mark Kelly spoke. Kelly isn’t an orator like Shapiro – I mean that I realized that Kelly, too, would have been a slightly less effective communicator than Walz. I started off in the Kelly camp, mostly because he was an astronaut and took up politics after Gabby Giffords was shot. Largely it was name recognition, because I didn’t know any of the others except Buttigieg. But now that I’ve had time to see them in action, I’m all in on Walz. He’s clearly the best orator, the best emotional fit, the best with the branding and crafting of messaging. And be really plays to the audience that’s somewhat uncomfortable with a Black woman of Asian descent being President. He’s a rural midwestern middle- aged white guy, someone they can take comfort knowing he is their to advise and assist. He’s cost and warm. But he’s someone they can see would be a typical candidate, and someone that isn’t out to get them. Whatever their fears about Harris, they can feel a little more secure knowing that he is so she chose to be her partner. I’m not talking about the hard MAGA - bigots and outright racists and misogynists. Aggrieved haters and nasty assholes. I’m talking about the centrists who feel abandoned and the folks who have been misled to think Harris is to the left of Lenin. Picking Walz shows that maybe she will listen to their concerns, too. Kelly is a reluctant politician who came by it by accident. He’s doing a good job in the Senate, but that’s a good place for him. > [@MrAtoz](#): > > I would prefer a message that’s closer to “He happens to be neurodivergent, but even if he weren’t, it’s okay that he was crying. Because it’s normal and healthy for men to openly display their emotions. People who insist that men should never do so are (you guessed it) weird.” > > Not to mention ugly and toxic. You are right. I talked about the manly man culture of the Republicans, but I should point out there is a strong element of that premise in our common society. “Be strong, stoic, cool. Don’t show vulnerability.” It’s a cultural aspect of the frontier man, the cowboy, the string leader in control of his emotions so he can focus and respond. In someone slightly neurodivergent, and really struggled when young to control my emotions. And I, too, was picked on for it. But being emotional in public should be acceptable. We need to work at that. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2024, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/545 "2024-08-23T17:59:24Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I told my wife about this Tweet this morning, and was gonna send her a link, but it looks like Walz’s response is fake. That makes sense. It didn’t sound at all like him. I don’t believe he would ever post such a thing. > [@needscoffee](#): > > Eh, he’s better than that. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2024, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/546 "2024-08-23T18:04:53Z")
I doubt there’s a person who watched Tim Walz’s speech who _didn’t_ wish he was their dad, and who didn’t feel exactly the way Gus did. Rather than feel embarrassed, I hope Gus someday realizes how many people wished they were in his family. And every fuckhead who mocks him is clearly communicating what a fucked-up childhood they had. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2024, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/547 "2024-08-23T18:19:17Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > That makes sense. It didn’t sound at all like him. I don’t believe he would ever post such a thing. I believed it because it sounds like someone who’s absolutely fucking snapped after their kid was attacked like that. But I was fooled. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2024, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/548 "2024-08-23T18:28:40Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I doubt there’s a person who watched Tim Walz’s speech who _didn’t_ wish he was their dad, and who didn’t feel exactly the way Gus did. I wish my dad had been like Walz, but if he was literally my dad, he would have been 13 when I was born, which would be weird. 😉 But a dad figure as VP would be a great thing to a lot of Americans for sure. I’m struggling to think of a comparison. Joe Biden had a similar amiability that he brought to the role, but that was more of a folksy uncle, the friendly guy you’d run into at a farmer’s market, not a dad figure. I’m not enough of a historian to go back far enough to find a reasonable comparison to that. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2024, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/549 "2024-08-23T18:39:20Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > When he pops up on those little donation requests on YouTube I actually feel a little guilty about skipping them. He just looks so nice and helpful. I know. > [@Irishman](#): > > Michelle Obama famously said, “When they go low, we go high.” Does that really work? Yes. _When you wrestle with a pig -You both get dirty and the pig likes it._ ---
**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 23, 2024, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/550 "2024-08-23T19:02:17Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > But a dad figure as VP would be a great thing to a lot of Americans for sure. I have to wonder what role he’s going to play. Visiting recalcitrant Representatives, and explaining, he’s not mad, he’s just disappointed? Visiting disaster areas, and saying, “You see, this is how you repair a hole in your flood walls…”? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2024, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/551 "2024-08-23T19:43:47Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes. _When you wrestle with a pig -You both get dirty and the pig likes it._ But as I noted elsewhere, if you want to **slaughter** the pig, you’re going to have to get a bit soiled. We want bacon. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2024, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/552 "2024-08-23T21:14:27Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > I have to wonder what role he’s going to play. Visiting recalcitrant Representatives, and explaining, he’s not mad, he’s just disappointed? Visiting disaster areas, and saying, “You see, this is how you repair a hole in your flood walls…”? Visiting Arlington National Cemetery and saying, “People are _dying_ to get in here!” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/553 "2024-08-23T21:24:21Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Visiting disaster areas, and saying, “You see, this is how you repair a hole in your flood walls…” Better than showing up after a hurricane and tossing rolls of paper towels to people whose homes were just destroyed. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2024, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/554 "2024-08-24T01:15:32Z")
AFA that fake response to Coulter from Walz: the difference is that the Walz response was a pretty mild rebuke. If it was the MAGAts criticizing Coulter, they would have said the reason she’s childless is because she wasn’t born female. ---
**Author:** ![Jihi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jihi/32/17768_2.png) [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2024, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/555 "2024-08-24T04:08:21Z")
I know this isn’t exactly serious, but it at least gives Walz more “Regular Guy” cred. So it turns out Walz is a gamer! Reports are coming out that he somehow came into a Dreamcast while coaching his football team? I think? I’m a little hazy on some of the details. But apparently he was playing it so much that his wife had to take it away from him. 😆 A copy of _Crazy Taxi_ seems to figure into the story. I can almost guarantee you 100% this dude was playing NFL 2K at one point a long time ago. Please know this is a gaming site not a real news source, so please take it with a grain of salt but I had to share this. Could you imagine Vance sitting down and playing video games with anyone? Much less his non-existent students because he doesn’t care enough about people to actually try to teach the next generation? > **[The Tim Walz Dreamcast Saga, Explained](https://kotaku.com/tim-walz-vp-harris-dreamcast-explained-crazy-taxi-ign-1851629334)** > > Kamala Harris' VP pick has been making headlines for playing Sega's beloved final console I love Tim Walz. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2024, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/556 "2024-08-24T05:29:25Z")
> [@Jihi](#): > > Could you imagine Vance sitting down and playing video games with anyone? I can certainly imagine him playing Call of Duty against 8-year-olds online while trash-talking them via headset mic. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2024, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/557 "2024-08-24T05:46:28Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > while trash-talking them via headset mic. Very friendly, Minnesota-nice trash-talking. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2024, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/558 "2024-08-24T06:47:52Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Very friendly, Minnesota-nice trash-talking. I was talking about Vance. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2024, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/559 "2024-08-24T06:48:53Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I was talking about Vance. So you were. _facepalm_ Yeah, Vance would be channeling his inner 12-year-old, and not in a good way. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2024, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/560 "2024-08-24T08:11:27Z")
I think we have [footage](https://youtu.be/qcFipN1dhC4?si=fH8X-AIdfVGStrvR) of Vance’s shit-talking while playing _Fortnight_. Would it surprise anyone to know that Vance’s online handle is “noobmaster69?” ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2024, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/561 "2024-08-24T10:26:06Z")
Interesting conversation about Walz’ first campaign between Al Franken and Anderson Cooper.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdCfq\_IlXkQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdCfq_IlXkQ) ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2024, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/562 "2024-08-24T13:10:11Z")
Kamala and Tim’s kids are going to be frequent targets of the MAGAts, despite how Barron was actually treated fairly respectfully. ---
**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 24, 2024, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/563 "2024-08-24T13:57:57Z")
Wasn’t Jimmy Carter’s kid a target too? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352.md?page=27) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352.md?page=29)