DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Palus Politicus Harris Selects Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as Running Mate

Clem, normally I love your posts but I have to take issue with you saying that trump has been convicted of 34 felonies.
While technically true it is misleading.

The only reason he has been convicted of 34 felonies is that he has been able to successfully delay the other trials.
If these cases ever get to trial (the only way they don't is if he is elected president and instructs his hand picked DOJ),
then he will most certainly be convicted of many more.

So she said that she left the windows open because it was a touchstone to what was happening. I can sort of see that - it's not like she did it because she relished the smell or something (which to me is the way the tweet is framed).

What I have a bigger problem with - and seems typical of social media 'news' and echo chambers whether it's right or left. There's a statement about leaving the windows open - we can debate what she meant by that or why she did it if you don't agree with my first comment above. But then there is this add on sentence written as fact - "Her daughter also coordinated with rioters to let them know that the National Guard would not be activated one night." - so because one "fact" about the window was substantiated by the video and we hear her say the words written ... suddenly we are supposed to accept that she coordinated with rioters that the National Guard would not be active ? ... I think I need a little more proof and context.

To me the tweet insinuates she loved the smell of the rioting because that was something that she wanted to happen - and then she also participated in orchestrated and coordinated the rioting, violence and break ins. I doubt any of that is accurate.

It has a really crazy effect on people when a cop is videotaped with his knee on the neck of a man who’s trying to gasp out the words “I can’t breath” and is strangled to his death.

Nobody wants to talk about that IC

j/c

All the white noise is so precious. But one thing we all know is that Joe Manchin actually left the Democratic party because he felt they simply became too liberal and were out of touch. So he switched to Independent. He's certainly not a fan of the far left. And of course anyone turning to randos on Twitter posting things that are obviously not true or accurate is doing it strictly to troll.

There are other moderate voices out there even though nobody seems to listen to them very much. Let's see what the most moderate voices in politics has to say about the Walz pick in their own words.......

Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., a centrist who caucuses with the Democrats, seemed pleased that Walz isn’t too liberal of a choice, in his view, writing that the Minnesota governor will “bring normality back to the most chaotic political environment that most of us have ever seen.” Walz will “bring balance back to the Democratic Party," he said, adding: "I look forward to continuing work with him to bring normalcy back to Washington."

The Lincoln Project, a group founded by anti-Trump Republicans, also commended the pick and followed up their initial tweet of a smiling Walz hugging a group of schoolchildren with a video of the same, writing: “Can't wait to watch MAGA twist themselves into a pretzel trying to convince America this guy is evil.”

Writers for The Bulwark, a conservative anti-Trump site, supported the choice although their initial pick was Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, The Guardian reported.

“As a matter of modern politics … this one shouldn’t have shocked us," two staff writers there wrote. “In an era where vibes rule everything around us, Walz, by the end, was the guy riding the zeitgeist."

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., a fierce critic of Trump, also approved of Harris’s pick. He wrote on X: “I served for years with @GovTimWalz in the house. We always got along well, and when we would argue issues it was always with respect. He will make a great VP to @KamalaHarris.”

Former Gov. Larry Hogan, R-Md., who is running for Senate in his blue state, also extended his congratulations, writing on X: “We had the chance to work together as fellow governors, and while we come from different parties, I have always appreciated his dedication to public service.”

Businessman Mark Cuban, a moderate, also approved the choice, writing on X: “On the @tim_walz choice, I think people who don’t like it are missing the lesson of the switch to Harris. She went from worst to first as people got to know her. It’s not a reach to think the same thing will happen with Walz.”

“People are tired of the ideologues and hate from both parties," Cuban continued. "They want to vote for normal people they can relate to. Walz can sit at the kitchen table and make you feel like you have know him forever. That’s an incredible skill these days."

https://www.salon.com/2024/08/06/br...tes-praise-harris-selection-of-tim-walz/

The problem these days is those on the far right no longer understand what a moderate is. Anything that doesn't walk the MAGA chalk line is considered to be evil and socialist. They're trying to use a paint by numbers tactic of labeling a moderate as some far left extremist and nothing could be further from the truth. They claim it's all the far left California liberal ticket. Somebody needs to wake them up and explain to them that Minnesota isn't California. And obviously they can't recognize a good and decent man since all they seem to support these days are convicted criminals and people that spew hate.

Interesting observation from Cuban that "being normal" is an "incredible skill these days." The majority of us embody that nature without much effort, but it definitely is a unicorn in politics. I don't know much about Walz, and I need to research him, so I can't confirm that he fits the bill yet. However, when you watch certain frontrunning political personalities - HRC and DeSantis come to mind readily - they fall flat on their face just trying to interact with normal people.

I believe the choice caught the trump campaign by surprise. They seem to be scrambling for fodder but all they have is mostly name calling and the parroting of trump by his minions.

Interesting article by CBS:

https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-governor-tim-walz-accomplishments-setbacks/

Reflections on the good:

1. Walz mentions how Minnesota is a top 5 business state and ranks in the top 3 for happiness. I confirmed per CNBC that Minnesota was ranked 5 in top states for businesses. Wallethub and Business Insider rank Minnesota at 4 for happiness.
2. Walz, an avid hunter, signed a public safety package later that year including a "red flag" law that allows family members, roommates or law enforcement to petition the courts to remove firearms from the possession of anyone deemed a danger to themselves or others.
3. I think both those on the left and the right in this forum can see the good in him taking away two high profile cases from Mary Moriarty. Here is a quote from the article:

In April 2023, Walz became the first Minnesota governor in three decades to reroute a criminal case from a county attorney to the state attorney general's office.

The case involved the 2022 murder of 23-year-old Zaria McKeever. The father of her young child was sentenced to life in prison earlier this year for orchestrating her death. Two teenage brothers, one of whom fired the fatal shots inside her Brooklyn Park apartment, were also sent to prison.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty originally put together a plea deal for the brothers that would've seen them serve time in juvenile detention instead of being sent to adult facilities. The move angered McKeever's family and community members, and their outcry led Walz to intervene and place the case in the hands of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.

Earlier this year, Moriarty faced fierce criticism for charging a White Minnesota state trooper in the death of a Black motorist in 2023. Her office eventually dropped the charges, and Walz told reporters soon after he had planned to intervene again if Moriarty hadn't made "the right decision."


Divisive Reflections:

1. Strong advocate of pro-choice. Framing it as a women's healthcare issue.
2. Very stringent on his COVID response with mask mandates.
3. I debated putting this in the "good" group, but with everything being so divisive anyhow...Walz is a big advocate for LGBT rights going back to the 90's when he was a football coach who helped a high school establish an LGBT Alliance. The quote from him was "You have an older, White, straight, married, male football coach who's deeply concerned that these students are treated fairly and that there is no bullying." He also banned "conversion therapy."
4. In May 2023, Walz signed a law creating a state-run program to provide paid family and medical leave for Minnesota workers, funded by a 0.7% payroll tax on employers, by 2026.
5. Legalized marijuana.
6. Allowed for drivers licenses for people of all immigration status.
7. Restoration of voting rights for former felons.
8. Universal school meals.

Reflections on the bad:

1. Took a long time to call in the national guard to respond to Floyd protests when they got violent.

So your point is that if he isn't elected, these other cases go to trial and he'll be convicted of more than the 34 counts? Correct!

Who the heck is Dustin Grage?

I mean when you read what he said then listen to the video, it's NOT anything out of the ordinary. NOT at all bizarre!

It would be more accurate to say he has been convicted of 32 felonies with 54 (by my best count) felony charges in process

You probably have never set foot in California, let alone lived there. I have. I won’t be returning to Ohio anytime soon. I still follow the Browns, but know it is a different and for me a better life. And I voted for Arnold twice.

Ohio is more closely defined as a hellhole to me. And I can say that.

Trump praised Minnesota Gov. Walz in 2020 for response to unrest over Floyd's murder, audio shows

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/trump-praised-minnesota-gov-walz-2020-response-unrest-112664833

“What they did in Minneapolis was incredible. They went in and dominated, and it happened immediately,” Trump told Walz and other governors and officials in a phone call on June 1, 2020.

Trump, in the June 1, 2020, call, described Walz as “an excellent guy” and later said: “I don't blame you. I blame the mayor.” The president didn't criticize the governor at the time.

“Tim, you called up big numbers and the big numbers knocked them out so fast, it was like bowling pins,” Trump said.

Here's they audio itself: https://x.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1821289551954112882

But, wasn't it 34 felonies? I can live with it, but just wondering.

I think you are right
Thanks for correcting my numbers

Republicans really put their foot in their mouths referring to him as Tampon Tim.

All they do is continue the great policies he enacted in Minnesota. And honestly, it just make Republican and Republican voters seem really weird for attacking him over that.

And now it's his military service. You would think Captain Bone Spurs who attacked John McCain's service and is running mate who never saw combat wouldn't be trying to Swift Boat Walz. Watching all of this makes Hillary calling them deplorable quite the understatement.

They've got another one of those going right now (Vance attacking him on the end of his service).

Camp Pendleton, USMC bro. 2 years back in the 90’s. Takin the 405 to the 5. Seeing my girl about 2 hours north in LA and sometimes getting restless heading to Tijuana about 45 minutes south of base.

It’s a wasteland now thanks to Gavin and Kamala. What’s worse is that Tijuana is more inhabitable than San Francisco and San Diego.

Please, stay out of Ohio, Florida, Texas, etc. we don’t need liberal voters to turn our family-friendly states into third world hellholes.

Within the last two years, I've been to San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin, Tampa and Dallas. Liberal and Conservative areas. All cities have their pluses and minuses, but they were all great places in their own right. I enjoyed every single one of those places. Being somewhere two years in the 90's doesn't give someone the ability to call these places wasteland, or "burnt to a crisp" nowadays. Just because you want something to be bad to vindicate your own political views doesn't make it so.

All of the states are great in their own right, which is what makes this country beautiful. Napa is one of my wife's favorite places on earth. Bourbon country just south of me is one of mine. San Diego is one of the best beer cities in the nation. Are you asking me if it has to revolve around great alcohol, well no, but that surely helps

You obviously have no idea what you're talking about.

Florida ranks relatively high in crime compared to the United States, with a per capita arrest rate of 2,355 per 100,000 residents, compared to the national average of 2,182.

https://swfloridacriminallaw.com/blog/florida-crime-rate-by-city/

This grand utopia of peace and tranquility you have convinced yourself of in GOP land is a figment of your own imagination. Florida is even below average. Sort of like your post was.

I just moved from San Diego to Cinci 6 years ago. I moved because both my wife and I are originally from Ohio (Cleveland) and when our son was born we decided it was time to return home to be closer to extended family.

I'm glad we moved because I was instantly able to afford to buy a home and childcare (my wife also has a good career and works full time) doesn't consume an entire salary. Newsome is a walking liberal stereotype, and the politics coming out of Sacramento certainly make it easy to make fun of liberals. To be fair, though, once you get out of Sacramento the state is far more moderate than Fox would like you to believe.

This whole "it's a wasteland" shtick is completely asinine. Anyone that thinks this needs to take a moment and unplug from Fox News and get their brain working again. CA is something crazy like #7 in the WORLD in terms of economic strength. I also worked in Tijuana for 3 of the years I lived out there. TJ is cool and all, but the instability going on in the neighboring state has spilled over into the big commercial zones a couple times in the last decade. Saying TJ is more habitable than San Diego is especially moronic as Mexicans themselves joke that the best part of TJ is Chula Vista (a suburb of San Diego that stretches East along the border).

https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-best-economies/21697

On a quick glance, this ranking paints an honest picture of California's economy (look past the composite ranking and see the criteria and how CA did in each).

That’s because Floridians take crime seriously. They actively report and prosecute criminals. Not like NYC, Chicago, or Minneapolis, where they catch and release criminals- or don’t ever catch them at all, let alone disclose how many crimes are committed in those 3rd world wastelands.

So that's why Florica is below the national average on crime? Good to know.

That’s good OBNR, just take into account what makes Ohio a better, cheaper place to live than Cali. - Not having to pay taxes for Obama and biden’s illegals for one. Keep Ohio red and respectable. Don’t vote blue and turn it into Chula Vista. - You wouldn’t go back.

There's a thing called supply and demand. I live in the Nashville area. Home prices are through the roof compared to Ohio. Home prices remaining low in Ohio simply means the demand for housing is low and nobody wants to invest in housing there or the prices would be higher. That's not a positive thing for people investing in property. Do you really think your homes not gaining in value compared to much of the rest of the country is something to brag about? Great for first time home buyers I suppose. Terrible in terms of return on your investment as it relates to investing in property.

JMHO, Florida has lots of old goats....like myself who stay home. Point of order- does anyone else thing it surprising that Harris picked a real salt of the earth kind of guy as a running mate. As reported- Harris is 60 years old and doesn't own a house, has net worth about $330,000 and he needs every dime of his Gov job paycheck and retired military pay when he's old enough to collect it. Harris, married to an attorney has about 8 million bucks---for a politician in Washington- peanuts.

Contrast- Trump, who's always begging for money- and hawks everything- steaks, basketball shoes, T-shirts, hats, "everything"- and won't release his tax records is worth 5 billion or more. His VP- Vance, he of proud fighting Marines- he was Marine war correspondent/enlisted- he got his Ivy League education after service and is now worth over 10 million.......just my humble opinion--which set of folks knows about "the average American"......and support him/her/or whatever new gender is.

Who would you trust more to serve the average American......my answer is easy.

You missed the larger point of my response. Ohio is cheaper, but better is a WAY different argument.

Chula Vista (and San Diego overall) are actually pretty moderate in terms of politics, IIRC.

While I completely understand people who leave CA (I am one of them, after all), I don't understand people who trash the state. You, 'Muni, are the getting the same look that I used to give native Californian's who'd say stuff like "oh... you're going to go live out in the middle of a corn field like everyone else in OH?"

Politically speaking, Ohio is not respectable. We are currently carrying (and are responsible for) the clowns called Gym Jordan and JD Vance. The state of Ohio elected those clowns, and that's a stain we'll have to wear until they're out. The aftermath of the last special election was also telling in terms of how our Republican supermajority views the democratic process.

Those taxes I paid also went to things like non-3rd-world-country FMLA, which my wife really appreciated when we had our son. When our daughter was born here, we unfortunately found ourselves back in the stone-age. Luckily, we both have excellent jobs and health insurance.

You apparently know me about as well as you know California. If the situation were right, I would go back.

My wife was born in southern California and spent most of her adult life in northern California. Most people have no idea just how politically diverse California is politically. Even some of the southern urban areas are politically diverse. As such they simply regurgitate right wing talking points.

Do you have to try hard to sound this ignorant, like Eve putting on an act?? Or are you really this badly informed and parrot whatever you hear?

I have to admit, some of the places out there shocked me (like most places do if you have a preconceived idea about a place and then travel there).

Napa was one of them. I begrudgingly went back in 2017, thinking it would be chock full of Gavin Newsome clones, and I was waaaay wrong. Yeah, some of the areas on the main drag out there give you the dog and pony show, but a ton of the places out there you basically walk up to what most of us would view as a grape farm. A lot of places the greeting would be along the lines of: "Hi, welcome to our vineyard. This has been in our family for five generations now. Right there is our home and that over there is the barn where we do tastings. You'll see our two dogs roaming around, but don't worry, they're friendly and love to be pet!" Honestly, not far off from how the area is portrayed in the movie Bottle Shock.

I felt very at home at a lot of those places. Good, hard-working people who just want to do right by their family. The more places I go, the more I realize that describes the vast majority of the population in any given locale. If you follow most of the far right propaganda, though, you would think that all of California is burning and full of looters.

One of the biggest ploys in politics is to captivate the ignorant and fill in knowledge voids with gross misperceptions. The more we actually meet and talk with each other, and see that we're all on the human side, the worse it gets for the politicians. Right now, they have the stranglehold, though.

No doubt there are good places in every state.

Other things factor in as to whether I would move there, though.

Oh I agree. Cost of living is huge. Working for the Government in Dayton - for whatever reason - has a higher COLA than most places in the country. Probably has to do with the fact they want to attract good people to work at a central military acquisition hub is my guess. Like what oober was saying, I just built a house in his neck of the woods here in SW Ohio that would cost 4x as much in the major Cali hubs. Much easier to raise a family here, which is my goal. Plus, I'm of Irish and German decent, so I don't fare too well on the sunny beaches. Give me a yard I can mow and a place that won't bankrupt me to raise kids and that checks off my largest priorities. If I didn't have kids, though, I would explore living in a place like San Diego. The weather there is pretty perfect, they have an acquisition hub, great beer, great food and a fun, yet not crazy like LA city life.

Good post DL, I can’t argue your points. I don’t think that I’ve ever seen such division in this country. The left has gone lefter and the right has stayed put but both parties are growing further and further apart. The good thing is that our government evolves as do we, and the states are allowed to operate differently than the federal government. -Good for people like me to be able to live in a red state. Good for other people to have the freedom to move to blue states. I’ve known a few who have left California to move to, no joke, Mississippi 😂. I’ve known others who went to Catholic schools for K-12, onto
Indiana University who are looking to move to Seattle. However, as it stands, the American pride and unity that I witnessed and felt as a kid in the ‘80s and 90’s is a small fraction of what it used to be. And not to ruin the tone here, but I feel that the left are responsible for the assault on American pride and traditions. - Finding fault with everything that used to make this the greatest nation in the world.

RM- who has caused much of the descent, who is calling everyone names and belittling every group- blacks, Latinos, veterans, fellow Republicans---check this out from one of his former "patriots"- “This is what you would call a public nervous breakdown,” said Matthew Bartlett, a GOP strategist and former Trump administration appointee. “This is a guy who cut through the Republican primary like a knife through butter. This is a guy who pummeled a semi-conscious president in a debate and literally out of a race. And now this is a guy who cannot come to grips with a competitive presidential race that would require discipline and effective messaging. And we’re seeing a candidate and a campaign absolutely melt down.”---- who is in touch with average American- 5 billion old man who's always after little man's money= hawking- steaks, basketball shoes, action figures, hats/shirts, books on and on and on--for who, just the Donald....and his conspiracy theory Ivy League lawyer worth 10 million....or a female who's not from wealth, married an attorney has net worth of several million and a VP nominee who's net worth at 60 is $400,000 and he owns no home, no stocks, living on his gov salary and eventually an Enlisted military salary- plus ex- teacher, football coach, liked by many for being just a good human being......who'd you trust to stick up for the AVERAGE American....the answer is EASY.

https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/08/07/harris-walz-camo-hat-merchandise

Speaking of hawking garbage for money, the libtards are selling a new camo campaign cap marketed as a "status symbol" Guess you all are jelly of the MAGA hats lmao. Your closet rednecks are coming out.

So my house is about 1/4 mile from the Pendleton fence line.

Still you are 30 years removed, and you read too much of the media hype.

Don’t worry about me retiring to a red state. And just to be clear, put me in the never Trump category. I am pretty moderate, which makes me a flaming liberal on this site.

Thanks Muni. I appreciate your perspective.

I find a lot of flaws on the left. I used to - and still somewhat - share your view about the lack of pride to some degree, but I think that is mostly to a subset. We all knew those people back in college who went out of their way to find fault with everything the US did. It probably dates back to the hippies during Vietnam that bashed our troops, who had no other choice. You see it now with the protests that we saw on campuses across the country. Truly irksome. I relate that more to the subset that would fit the Tlaibs and Omars that you find on the far left currently. I also take issue with the fact that comedians and comedy movies have come under attack. There is a constant need to feel like one is walking on egg shells on that front. There are other issues I have with the left, too, especially the political elites.

I will say, I have also discovered that there is a lot of pride on the left in the country. Often times in the LGBT and the minority community. You can see it in some of our Olympic athletes right now, still tearful when they take the podium and watch our anthem play. I think sometimes their issue is that they feel excluded or marginalized from taking pride in the country from those on the far right who give off the message that "You need to fall in line or be more 'traditional' to take pride in this country." However, we are all closer than we are made out to be by those who want to control our minds.

I do think we are apart in the assertion that the right has "stayed the same." I think there is a wide array of evidence demonstrating that not to be the case, but I'll just offer three "big view" scenarios. One, I am presuming that you voted for John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012. Both were the chosen nominee for the Presidential election. Now, I would ask you how each of them is viewed by the current Republican presidential candidate and his base? I think that shows a seismic shift in where the right has gone.

Two, similar to what I just said, Mike Pence is probably the most emblematic example of a Conservative politician that emerged to the forefront of the party between 2012 to 2016. It's pretty much the reason that Trump chose him as a running mate. Yet, on January 6, 2021, you had many in the MAGA division of the party asking for him to be hanged, and if not hanged, he was definitely seen as a disgrace for upholding the election. I view that as very concerning.

Three, Reagan is probably seen as the father of the modern Republican movement. I don't think when you compare him and Trump together that you would get a ringing endorsement of Trump from Reagan. They have some similar policies in their spending and tax philosophies, but not too much else beyond that, especially when it comes to engaging foreign autocrats, namely Russia and the Ukraine situation.

All that being said, I'm going down the rabbit hole in response to your post. I do still take issue with a lot on the left. I do think they are more unified, namely because they all have a common goal of keeping Trump out of power. I think that will splinter if and hopefully when Trump finally loses his grip on the party. As far as Tim Walz goes, I don't really see anything all that exciting or great about him. I personally think Kelly was the no brainer, but we'll see, I guess.

No gold tennis shoes?

"the right has stayed put "

Listen to Reagan and then listen to Trump. Then get back to me. There couldn't be a bigger contrast.

Pretty sure theirs are rainbow colored.