Democratic vice-presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pa., on Aug. 6.Matt Rourke/The Associated Press
You’d think, having spent several years in Canada as a high-school student, that Kamala Harris would know better. Know better than to say at a Philadelphia rally on Tuesday, while introducing running mate Tim Walz, that “only in America” could people from humble origins like the two of them reach the very top.
“Only in America!” she kept repeating. The conceit about the American dream trotted out by so many is such a crock. In democracies everywhere, citizens have risen to the pinnacle from hardscrabble backgrounds. In the case of Canada, to name just a couple, there was John Diefenbaker and then Jean Chrétien.
But that nonsense aside, Ms. Harris was impressive, brimming with confidence on the podium in defending her choice of the lunch-bucket Minnesota Governor.
She smartly made a big deal of the 60-year-old Mr. Walz’s background as a high-school football coach. There is nothing leftish or wokeish about a football coach; a guy on the gridiron is imagery that connects. Democrats should refer to him as Coach Walz throughout the campaign. He looks the part too, though his features are also a tad like those of Senator Bernie Sanders, the big-time lefty who is one of his strong supporters.
The Republicans love that. They’re trying to depict the Democratic ticket, to quote Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, as “the most left-wing ticket in American history.”
CNN’s Jake Tapper helped them along on that score, saying Harris-Walz was the most left-wing pairing since George McGovern and Sarge Shriver were crushed by the Nixon Republicans a half-century ago.
In fact, as a congressman from 2006 to 2018, Mr. Walz – a gun-owning, Army National Guard veteran – had a rather moderate record. But since becoming Governor in 2019, he’s been a big-spending liberal, giving right-side critics a target with policies favouring background checks for gun owners, climate crisis controls, recreational marijuana use, abortion rights and expanded school-lunch programs.
He also brought in measures making it easier – Donald Trump should like this one – for convicted felons to vote.
Republicans, as well as many Democrats, were surprised at the pick, thinking Ms. Harris would select Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who could help win that critical swing state and make the Democratic ticket more moderate as well. Trump advisers were reportedly relieved that Mr. Shapiro was passed over.
It’s a good question, however, whether they still were pleased after witnessing Coach Walz’s opening act performance on the Philadelphia stage. He delivered a tour de force, a barnburner that could have motivated any team. His oratory combined blowtorch put-downs with Midwestern, down-home charm. It’s a Doug Ford type of appeal, far afield of elitism, and one with blue-collar reach.
Since Minnesota is safely in the Democrats’ column, Mr. Walz doesn’t bring a state but rather, as party strategist David Axelrod put it, “a state of mind.”
He also showed something that is rare for Democrats – a bit of wit. “Violent crime was up under Donald Trump,” Mr. Walz said. “And that doesn’t even count the crimes he committed.”
Hillary Clinton chose Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as a running mate in 2016. He was a bore and a bust. By comparison with Ms. Harris, Ms. Clinton was wooden. She’d been around so long she was shopworn. Ms. Harris, by contrast, has not been very visible in her four years as Vice-President. There is no Kamala fatigue. Thus far, she is fresh and compelling.
The Republicans are hitting her hard, however, with ads depicting her as a dangerous liberal extremist who supported the Green New Deal, who fuelled the immigrant crisis at the southern border.
They are smarting from Mr. Trump’s pick of running mate, J.D. Vance, who has been on the defensive over some of his past ignorant remarks.
At the moment it looks like Ms. Harris has made a better running-mate selection. But if the Democrats end up losing the election on account of Pennsylvania, there will be a lot of finger-pointing at her for overlooking Mr. Shapiro, who is so popular in the state.
The Trump team, expecting a different opponent, hasn’t done much opposition research on Mr. Walz. But they’ll be hard at it now. They will no doubt manufacture a lot of dirt from his background – he’s spent a lot of time in China – that will test how tough he is.
The old coach’s first impression on the national stage was stellar. But there’s a three-month campaign ahead. It may not hold.