Poll Dem VP Pic: your choice?

[Derec]

TANSTAAFL

 

[GenesisNemesis]

TANSTAAFL

There is such a thing as nitpicking.

 

[Derec]

School vouchers are screwing the urban school systems.

I am not the biggest fan of vouchers either, but I think urban school systems are screwed by their governance, not vouchers.
Vouchers and also charter schools were a (slapdash) response to failing school systems, not their cause.

Regardless, not certain why we are going with the MN Governor. Unless Gov. Whitmer really didn't want it and they are still hunting for Michigan's and Wisconsin's EVs.

He called Republicans "weird". That's literally what catapulted him to prominence in the Veepstakes.
And Kami's penchant for making poor decisions did the rest.

 

[Derec]

He is expected to help in Michigan and Wisconsin, both of which are borderline and absolutely essential. Whitmer said she did not want it and anyway,

He is from neither of those states. He is not even from Minnesota but from Nebraska, which is not in play anyway.

she was always going to balance the ticket with a straight white cisgendered due, because those guys are the traditional DEI hires.

You are still going with that nonsense?

 

[Derec]

The pick suggests to me she intends to run an aggressive populist progressive campaign, the orignal sort of populism before right-wing “populism” came along. I think she will be right to do so.

I do not consider left-wing populism and better than the right-wing variety. Btw, why do you think it's "orignal"[sic]?
Unfortunately, she does seem to be leaning to the left and abandoning the middle with this ill-advised pick.
He seems pretty far to the left on economic issues.

 

[TV and credit cards]

Tim Walz, former U.S. army officer

Not an officer but enlisted. Spend 24 years in the Army Reserve and made it to Master Sergeant (E8), the second highest enlisted rank. Being enlisted gives him a little more blue collar cred.

Be it Shapiro or another, stating you are for a two state solution while giving Netanyahu all he needs to destroy any chance at this or any resolution with Palestinians is hypocritical.

Destroying Hamas would improve the chances of a genuine two state solution in the long run.

Not if in destroying Hamas they destroy what's left of Palestine with it. See in order to have a two state solution, you need two states.

 

[Derec]

You haven't seen her ads apparently. Harris is running on a history of being a Prosecutor... but being fair. She'll hit notably on the Law and Order, but softening the edges in order to get the suburban vote.

In 2019, she ran away from being a prosecutor. Instead she embraced a smörgåsbord of left-wing positions such as banning fracking and off-shore drilling, as well as private health insurance. This clip won't play well in Pannsylvania, and picking Shapiro would have helped.

It even has her trademark cackle at the end.

I'd say Walz provides the Midwestern folk part to a West Coast main candidate.

I don't know. His politics would fit with West Coast.

Gov. Whitmer would have been better as I don't think the DEI pick of a white male was necessary.

You and pood are really running with that particular talking point.
Shapiro would at least not have been another Christian. But his Jewish identity hurt him with the supposedly "progressive" base.

But if Whitmer didn't want it, so be it. VPs do have a harder time of getting to the White House.

White House is literally just across the street from the Eisenhower Building.
No, seriously, "harder time" compared to what? Veeps definitely enjoy a big advantage getting the nomination. However, it may be harder for anybody from the president's party to win after eight years, veep or not (see Hillary). Sometimes it works out - Bush 41, sometimes it doesn't - Gore. I also think Biden would have had a much better chance than Hillary winning in 2016.
Another thing with Veeps. When they are on a losing ticket for reelection - like Mondale was in 1980, they are at a disadvantage four years later (Mondale 1984 was a disaster) and Dems should probably have nominated somebody else (although Reagan was popular and no Dem would be likely to win).

Shapiro would have been better positioned to seek presidency in 2032 than the much older Walz. Although, if Kami were to win in 2024 and 2028, I do not think any Democrat would stand much chance after 12 years of Dem rule. Americans like change.

 

[Derec]

I was thinking there was one other benefit of Walz over Shapiro. The issue is the 'elite' coastal Democrats.

What do you mean "coastal Democrats"? Pennsylvania has no Atlantic coastline, and a shorter Great Lakes shoreline than Minnesota.
Also in his politics, I think Walz is far more Californiaesque than Shapiro. That's why you fauxgressives prefer him - see Janice's comments too.

Off for now, so I won't be posting for a while.

 

[TomC]

You are still going with that nonsense?

What nonsense are you talking about?

Walz is a straight WASP dude. Harris is not. Walz is a child of the big green place coastal elites fly over to get somewhere important. Harris is not.

Walz balances the ticket demographics, adding a traditional looking politician to the black chick upstart from (OMG) "California".

I know little about him, I'd never heard of him before this presidential election campaign.
But so far, choosing him looks like political brilliance on Team Harris' part.
Tom

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

You haven't seen her ads apparently. Harris is running on a history of being a Prosecutor... but being fair. She'll hit notably on the Law and Order, but softening the edges in order to get the suburban vote.

In 2019, she ran away from being a prosecutor. Instead she embraced a smörgåsbord of left-wing positions such as banning fracking and off-shore drilling, as well as private health insurance. This clip won't play well in Pannsylvania, and picking Shapiro would have helped.

She had an identity crisis, trying to find the right positions. Didn't work well in the end in 2019. PA is sufficiently fracked. With fracking crashing natural gas prices, that in itself likely led to fracking slowing down.

It even has her trademark cackle at the end.

Yes, please, we need more pettiness in politics.

I'd say Walz provides the Midwestern folk part to a West Coast main candidate.

I don't know. His politics would fit with West Coast.

Not relevant. What is relevant is he is a Midwestern guy.

Gov. Whitmer would have been better as I don't think the DEI pick of a white male was necessary.

You and pood are really running with that particular talking point.

Yes. Yes we have. Granted, DEI became Meme fodder, after the misogynists decided that was the more important thing after their Presidential choice was shot at.

Shapiro would at least not have been another Christian. But his Jewish identity hurt him with the supposedly "progressive" base.

No, I don't think that hurt anything. Shapiro is PA. PA is the NE. A lot of America feels more comfy with a Midwestern American. Worked for Monda....

The wall is crucial. And I think the Midwest appeal is to help with WI and MI, and in proxy a part of PA. Walz plays more in PA than Shapiro would have in WI.

But if Whitmer didn't want it, so be it. VPs do have a harder time of getting to the White House.

White House is literally just across the street from the Eisenhower Building.
No, seriously, "harder time" compared to what? Veeps definitely enjoy a big advantage getting the nomination. However, it may be harder for anybody from the president's party to win after eight years, veep or not (see Hillary). Sometimes it works out - Bush 41, sometimes it doesn't - Gore. I also think Biden would have had a much better chance than Hillary winning in 2016.
Another thing with Veeps. When they are on a losing ticket for reelection - like Mondale was in 1980, they are at a disadvantage four years later (Mondale 1984 was a disaster) and Dems should probably have nominated somebody else (although Reagan was popular and no Dem would be likely to win).

Okay, so we've established that a VP becomes President once a generation. That isn't too often.

Shapiro would have been better positioned to seek presidency in 2032 than the much older Walz. Although, if Kami were to win in 2024 and 2028, I do not think any Democrat would stand much chance after 12 years of Dem rule. Americans like change.

Americans are stupid like that. Granted, Gore and Clinton did win the popular votes for the 8 to 12 year period election.

 

[Toni]

I know of nobody who only has one ancestry except for maybe some folks down in the Deep South.

Oh, they definitely do not have just one ancestral line leading to Europe and Europe only.

 

[Toni]

Walz is the pick. Breaking news.

And Kami continues her tradition of poor judgment.

Appeasing islamofascists is not a good strategy.

Walz supports Islamofascism?

Well Minnesota Somali immigrants and other Muslims are not relegated to interment camps so yea: Walz is an islamofascist.

Racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia are all alive in Minnesota. Don’t be fooled by the blue.

 

[thebeave]

I heard a story about Walz this morning on the radio. He was busted for going like 90+ mph in a 50 mph zone. When pulled over he told the cop he was deaf, like that was a valid excuse. This was when he was about 30 years old.

That strikes me as really weird. Not RFK and dead baby bear weird, but it's up there.

 

[Toni]

I heard a story about Walz this morning on the radio. He was busted for going like 90+ mph in a 50 mph zone. When pulled over he told the cop he was deaf, like that was a valid excuse. This was when he was about 30 years old.

That strikes me as really weird. Not RFK and dead baby bear weird, but it's up there.

I know that Walz has some hearing loss but that is a story I had not heard. If that’s the worst they can come up with….

 

[pood]

I think it’s much weirder to be convicted of making hush money payments, convicted in a civil court of sexually abusing a woman, and facing some 80 more indictments for stealing government secrets and trying to overthrow the government, among other things. That’s pretty darn weird.

 

[GenesisNemesis]

I heard a story about Walz this morning on the radio. He was busted for going like 90+ mph in a 50 mph zone. When pulled over he told the cop he was deaf, like that was a valid excuse. This was when he was about 30 years old.

That strikes me as really weird. Not RFK and dead baby bear weird, but it's up there.

The boomers should love him then. I don't see the problem.

 

[Jarhyn]

I know of nobody who only has one ancestry except for maybe some folks down in the Deep South.

Oh, they definitely do not have just one ancestral line leading to Europe and Europe only.

Well, the joke was that everyone has, at the barest minimum, two ancestral (trees). Usually. Unless the tree is more a ladder.

 

[pood]

Ulysses S. Grant got arrested for speeding (in a horse and carriage), while president, and even had to post bail! I guess he just didn’t have the wit to say speeding was part of his official duties as president.

 

[Toni]

I know of nobody who only has one ancestry except for maybe some folks down in the Deep South.

Oh, they definitely do not have just one ancestral line leading to Europe and Europe only.

Well, the joke was that everyone has, at the barest minimum, two ancestral (trees). Usually. Unless the tree is more a ladder.

Well yeah if you’re going to get all science based on me.

 

[pood]

Everybody has ancestral lines leading to the universal common ancestor (UCA).