Who will be Kamala's VP?

[Unagi]

Yeah, I was a little miffed that Shapiro decided now was a good time to provide anything but 'How can I help' ?

[msteelers]

This piece from CNN on the VP vetting process pretty much confirms Harris picked Walz because (1) he’s not ambitious, doesn’t plan to run for President, and won’t outshine her in the same way Shapiro might have; and (2) Shapiro was seen as a liability because of attacks from the left regarding Gaza.

I get it. But I feel like having Shapiro on the ticket might have been a smarter long-term move to the extent - if the players could put their egos aside - it might have paved the way for an exciting future for the Dems.

But, on the other hand, we’re not really in long-term planning mode right now, are we? There’s one prime directive and it’s paramount: Beat Trump and the MAGAts. If Walz offers the best chance of that, sign me up.

It reads more to me that Walz not wanting to be president was a factor, not the factor. He’s likable, can appeal to rural voters that switched to Trump, and has gone from winning a red district as a moderate to being seen as a popular progressive governor. His “weird” attacks have also struck a nerve and resonated over the past few weeks.

[LordMortis]

Yeah, I was a little miffed that Shapiro decided now was a good time to provide anything but 'How can I help' ?

I guess I don't have the attention span to read the whole thing. I read a very short bit of "sources" said and nothing from Shaprio himself and most of the bit was Walz.

Literally on a wall of text all I saw was this:

Shapiro – who was favored by some of the Democratic Party and anti-Trump Republicans as a more moderate selection – did not go over as well with Harris’ team during his vetting interview, sources familiar with the process told CNN. While Walz came across as deferential and cooperative, Shapiro struck some as overly ambitious, with “a lot of questions” about what the role of the VP would be.

And while Shapiro did “very well” in his in-person meeting with Harris on Sunday, multiple sources said, Walz was seen as a pick that would come with less drama and palace intrigue – both on the campaign trail and, if they win in November, at the White House.

“It was a striking contrast” between the two, said the source familiar with the meeting.

OtOH, I see lots of CNBC from the right opinion telling me no Shapiro is hard evidence of antisemitism rampant on the radical left. It took until 1100 yesterday and then it became the mantra before turning the TV off. TV was on 5 seconds at 0630 this morning and then right back off again.

[Zaxxon]

https://twitter.com/DougJBalloon/status ... 2531272100

[Scraper]

I assume Hepcat had an orgasm over Walz's line last night at the rally about debating Vance if Vance can get off the couch. That line and the fact that Walz can sell it tells me he's a much better public speaker than Vance.

[El Guapo]

This piece from CNN on the VP vetting process pretty much confirms Harris picked Walz because (1) he’s not ambitious, doesn’t plan to run for President, and won’t outshine her in the same way Shapiro might have; and (2) Shapiro was seen as a liability because of attacks from the left regarding Gaza.

I get it. But I feel like having Shapiro on the ticket might have been a smarter long-term move to the extent - if the players could put their egos aside - it might have paved the way for an exciting future for the Dems.

But, on the other hand, we’re not really in long-term planning mode right now, are we? There’s one prime directive and it’s paramount: Beat Trump and the MAGAts. If Walz offers the best chance of that, sign me up.

It reads more to me that Walz not wanting to be president was a factor, not the factor. He’s likable, can appeal to rural voters that switched to Trump, and has gone from winning a red district as a moderate to being seen as a popular progressive governor. His “weird” attacks have also struck a nerve and resonated over the past few weeks.

I don't know that I put a lot of weight on this type of behind the scenes gossip from unnamed sources. That said, it's a little funny to me that "he asked a lot of questions about what he would be doing as VP" was supposedly a negative in an interview to be VP.

[ImLawBoy]

This piece from CNN on the VP vetting process pretty much confirms Harris picked Walz because (1) he’s not ambitious, doesn’t plan to run for President, and won’t outshine her in the same way Shapiro might have; and (2) Shapiro was seen as a liability because of attacks from the left regarding Gaza.

I get it. But I feel like having Shapiro on the ticket might have been a smarter long-term move to the extent - if the players could put their egos aside - it might have paved the way for an exciting future for the Dems.

But, on the other hand, we’re not really in long-term planning mode right now, are we? There’s one prime directive and it’s paramount: Beat Trump and the MAGAts. If Walz offers the best chance of that, sign me up.

It reads more to me that Walz not wanting to be president was a factor, not the factor. He’s likable, can appeal to rural voters that switched to Trump, and has gone from winning a red district as a moderate to being seen as a popular progressive governor. His “weird” attacks have also struck a nerve and resonated over the past few weeks.

I don't know that I put a lot of weight on this type of behind the scenes gossip from unnamed sources. That said, it's a little funny to me that "he asked a lot of questions about what he would be doing as VP" was supposedly a negative in an interview to be VP.

I mean, how many times can you answer "Go to state funerals for lesser allies" before it starts getting really annoying?

[YellowKing]

The Harris campaign has proven itself to be super sharp so far, so I've got to trust that they did the calculations and figured Shapiro's risks outweighed his benefits.

The media keeps making hay like not picking Shapiro was a mistake, as if he'd guarantee her Pennsylvania. But there's literally no historic evidence to back that up. They also seem to be hyper-focused on Walz not being from a swing state, and ignoring the broader appeal he brings to the ticket.

It's funny because in these same articles they often mention that the first rule of VP picks is "do no harm," which is exactly what she did.

[Exodor]

This piece from CNN on the VP vetting process pretty much confirms Harris picked Walz because (1) he’s not ambitious, doesn’t plan to run for President, and won’t outshine her in the same way Shapiro might have; and (2) Shapiro was seen as a liability because of attacks from the left regarding Gaza.

I think the steady drumbeat of Shapiro "scandals" probably scared them off a bit too even though most of them were nothingburgers.

I think Walz is a great pick at VP and Shaprio would be great as AG. Has an AG ever run for president?

[LawBeefaroni]

This piece from CNN on the VP vetting process pretty much confirms Harris picked Walz because (1) he’s not ambitious, doesn’t plan to run for President, and won’t outshine her in the same way Shapiro might have; and (2) Shapiro was seen as a liability because of attacks from the left regarding Gaza.

I think the steady drumbeat of Shapiro "scandals" probably scared them off a bit too even though most of them were nothingburgers.

I think Walz is a great pick at VP and Shaprio would be great as AG. Has an AG ever run for president?

RFK...didn't turn out great.

[hepcat]

Christ, the deplorables on social media are laser focused on portraying Kamala as a slut who slept her way into office. This is when they're not ridiculing Walz's military service while ignoring Trump's complete lack of one.

Hillary was right. They are deplorable.

[Scraper]

Christ, the deplorables on social media are laser focused on portraying Kamala as a slut who slept her way into office. This is when they're not ridiculing Walz's military service while ignoring Trump's complete lack of one.

Hillary was right. They are deplorable.

Yes a long time ago they had proven that they are Deplorable. Also, Jordan Klepper had the perfect response to the sleeping her way to the top issue, on the Daily Show last night. He straight up asked the magat making the claim how it was possible that she slept with the entire city counsel back in the day or with the millions of people that voted for her. The magat had no response once faced with having to think.

[LawBeefaroni]

Christ, the deplorables on social media are laser focused on portraying Kamala as a slut who slept her way into office. This is when they're not ridiculing Walz's military service while ignoring Trump's complete lack of one.

Hillary was right. They are deplorable.

Yes a long time ago they had proven that they are Deplorable. Also, Jordan Klepper had the perfect response to the sleeping her way to the top issue, on the Daily Show last night. He straight up asked the magat making the claim how it was possible that she slept with the entire city counsel back in the day or with the millions of people that voted for her. The magat had no response once faced with having to think.

It doesn't matter. It's an appeal to misogyny and unfortunately it has legs. Remember, the base wants women in their place as chattel. Any women outside of that are whores or childless cat ladies.

[Kraken]

I don't know that I put a lot of weight on this type of behind the scenes gossip from unnamed sources. That said, it's a little funny to me that "he asked a lot of questions about what he would be doing as VP" was supposedly a negative in an interview to be VP.

I imagine Harris has a very clear idea of what her VP's role should be after spending four years in the job herself. Presumably Shapiro had strong opinions of his own that didn't mesh with hers.

Christ, the deplorables on social media are laser focused on portraying Kamala as a slut who slept her way into office. This is when they're not ridiculing Walz's military service while ignoring Trump's complete lack of one.

That, and she was a DEI hire. The only DEI hires the MAGAts like are Don Jr, Eric, and Ivanka.

[Unagi]

Imagine making a big stink about people sleeping their way to the top, and then having to look Melania Trump in the eyes.

I suppose that's when you take solace from the vacancy in her eyes.

[YellowKing]

The GOP can't seem to understand that the arguments that work for them don't work on non-MAGA people. Because they don't have the ability to put themselves in other people's shoes, they just assume everyone shares the same hates, biases, etc. that they do.

[El Guapo]

The GOP can't seem to understand that the arguments that work for them don't work on non-MAGA people. Because they don't have the ability to put themselves in other people's shoes, they just assume everyone shares the same hates, biases, etc. that they do.

One downside to a media bubble is that those inside it lose the ability to understand how other people think and see the world.

[Unagi]

The whole "Tampon Tim" thing is an example of that.
They are trying to make dirt out of something most people think is actually a very good dead.


I mean, is there some element out there that genuinely is upset that girls had access to tampons in school? WTF

[ImLawBoy]

That, and she was a DEI hire. The only DEI hires the MAGAts like are Don Jr, Eric, and Ivanka.

They're not DEI hires, they're nepo babies. And that's OK, because nepotism is the foundation of monarchy.

[Jaymann]

The GOP can't seem to understand that the arguments that work for them don't work on non-MAGA people. Because they don't have the ability to put themselves in other people's shoes, they just assume everyone shares the same hates, biases, etc. that they do.

Good point. Deplorables gonna deplore.

[Skinypupy]

I mean, is there some element out there that genuinely is upset that girls had access to tampons in school? WTF

From what I can tell, their primary issue seems to be that he made them available in both boys and gender-neutral bathrooms as well.

Because there's never a scenario where a boy might need to grab supplies for their girlfriend and trans people don't actually exist, I guess.

[YellowKing]

I mean, is there some element out there that genuinely is upset that girls had access to tampons in school? WTF

They were upset because the bill made them available in ALL bathrooms, regardless of gender. Because somehow I guess if your son sees a tampon in a boys restroom he might suddenly sprout a vagina.

Edit - Skiny beat me to it.

[pr0ner]

I mean, is there some element out there that genuinely is upset that girls had access to tampons in school? WTF

Yes. Yes there is.

[hitbyambulance]

i am personally interested in seeing Peggy Flanagan's turn as Governor of Minnesota. (fun fact: she was a regular attendee of Twin Cities improv shows back in the day. also i just found out she grew up in the same town i was born in)

[hepcat]

I mean, is there some element out there that genuinely is upset that girls had access to tampons in school? WTF

Yes. Yes there is.

At this point, just assume that any act of compassion will have a far right group pissed at it.

[$iljanus]

I mean, is there some element out there that genuinely is upset that girls had access to tampons in school? WTF

They were upset because the bill made them available in ALL bathrooms, regardless of gender. Because somehow I guess if your son sees a tampon in a boys restroom he might suddenly sprout a vagina.

Edit - Skiny beat me to it.

Scene from a middle school:

A group of friends in the boys bathroom

“Hey what’s that box?”
“I don’t know…you touch it!”
“No way man! I heard if you touch it your penis will fall off!” (Gets shoved and bumps against tampon box)
“Hahaha! Your dick fell off!”
(Child runs to nurse to check penis. Nurse bitches about how little she’s paid for this shit)

[Unagi]

Yeah, I failed to realize it was more than in girl's restrooms. Now it's obvious.

Specifically; they want trans boys who may be menstruating to only use the girl's restroom.

[Jaymann]

Yeah, I failed to realize it was more than in girl's restrooms. Now it's obvious.

Specifically; they want trans boys who may be menstruating to only use the girl's restroom.

Also I understand tampons work great for emergency bong hits.

[EvilHomer3k]

Christ, the deplorables on social media are laser focused on portraying Kamala as a slut who slept her way into office. This is when they're not ridiculing Walz's military service while ignoring Trump's complete lack of one.

Hillary was right. They are deplorable.

His military service amounts to making up an injury to get out of it.

[Unagi]

Never mind that Trump only "slept" because he was already at the top...

[Daehawk]

My reaction to hearing her VP pick is Tim Waltz was "Who???" ..I still only know where he is from. No idea yet why she picked him. Wonder how the ticket would do with a female VP also?...the way our country is id say not good. We are so neanderthal / tal in so many ways.

[hepcat]

My reaction to hearing her VP pick is Tim Waltz was "Who???" ..I still only know where he is from. No idea yet why she picked him.

He bested her two out of three wrestling matches

[waitingtoconnect]

I mean, is there some element out there that genuinely is upset that girls had access to tampons in school? WTF

They were upset because the bill made them available in ALL bathrooms, regardless of gender. Because somehow I guess if your son sees a tampon in a boys restroom he might suddenly sprout a vagina.

Edit - Skiny beat me to it.

Scene from a middle school:

A group of friends in the boys bathroom

“Hey what’s that box?”
“I don’t know…you touch it!”
“No way man! I heard if you touch it your penis will fall off!” (Gets shoved and bumps against tampon box)
“Hahaha! Your dick fell off!”
(Child runs to nurse to check penis. Nurse bitches about how little she’s paid for this shit)

Medical expert makes $100,000 going on Fox News and newsmaxx citing how sealed disposal boxes in all bathrooms has increase incidences of penile injuries in early teenage boys.

[waitingtoconnect]

The whole "Tampon Tim" thing is an example of that.
They are trying to make dirt out of something most people think is actually a very good dead.


I mean, is there some element out there that genuinely is upset that girls had access to tampons in school? WTF

Remember the forever north you go in Minnesota the closer you get to Canada… the liberalism is infectious….

[$iljanus]

I mean, is there some element out there that genuinely is upset that girls had access to tampons in school? WTF

They were upset because the bill made them available in ALL bathrooms, regardless of gender. Because somehow I guess if your son sees a tampon in a boys restroom he might suddenly sprout a vagina.

Edit - Skiny beat me to it.

Scene from a middle school:

A group of friends in the boys bathroom

“Hey what’s that box?”
“I don’t know…you touch it!”
“No way man! I heard if you touch it your penis will fall off!” (Gets shoved and bumps against tampon box)
“Hahaha! Your dick fell off!”
(Child runs to nurse to check penis. Nurse bitches about how little she’s paid for this shit)

Medical expert makes $100,000 going on Fox News and newsmaxx citing how sealed disposal boxes in all bathrooms has increase incidences of penile injuries in early teenage boys.

It starts with fucking waste disposal boxes then before you know it you're defiling the family sofa.

[Holman]

This piece from CNN on the VP vetting process pretty much confirms Harris picked Walz because (1) he’s not ambitious, doesn’t plan to run for President, and won’t outshine her in the same way Shapiro might have; and (2) Shapiro was seen as a liability because of attacks from the left regarding Gaza.

I get it. But I feel like having Shapiro on the ticket might have been a smarter long-term move to the extent - if the players could put their egos aside - it might have paved the way for an exciting future for the Dems.

But, on the other hand, we’re not really in long-term planning mode right now, are we? There’s one prime directive and it’s paramount: Beat Trump and the MAGAts. If Walz offers the best chance of that, sign me up.

I'm a Pennsylvanian, and I'm very glad it's not Shapiro.

He's popular, but he has also played political games that have led him to (e.g.) support charter schools in a state where the legislature has boosted charters as a way to wreck public education. These are the sorts of things that turn Dems against Dems, and Harris was wise to sidestep it.

[Kurth]

So, the attacks on Walz are sharpening:

Vance Attacks Walz’s Military Record, Accusing Him of Avoiding a Tour in Iraq
Senator JD Vance of Ohio also claimed Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota had exaggerated his service record. Mr. Walz said a decision to retire and run for Congress came months before any notice of deployment.

Senator JD Vance of Ohio accused Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota on Wednesday of quitting the Army National Guard two decades ago to avoid being deployed to Iraq and of exaggerating his service record to claim falsely that he had served in combat.

Both provocative charges amounted to some of the sharpest Republican attacks yet on the Minnesota governor, and appeared aimed at disrupting what has been a run of positive news coverage of the Democratic ticket since Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Biden as the party’s nominee.

“You abandoned your unit right before they went to Iraq,” Mr. Vance said.

Mr. Vance based his accusations on a Facebook post from 2018, and a paid letter to the editor to The West Central Tribune that same year in which the writers, Thomas Behrends and Paul Herr, both retired command sergeant majors in the Minnesota National Guard, accused Mr. Walz of “conveniently retiring a year before his battalion was deployed to Iraq.”

The criticisms were first leveled by Mr. Behrends and Mr. Herr during Mr. Walz’s first campaign for governor.

That one worries me a little more than the stupid 30 year old DUI. I went and read the "paid letter" to the editors from 2018, and while obviously a partisan, politically-motivated hit job, I haven't seen anything disputing any of the actual facts in the letter. I'm getting serious "Swift Boat" flashbacks . . . which would suck.

Vance's second line of attack seemed less worrisome, but who knows what the idiots in this country will seize on?

On Wednesday, Mr. Vance also seized on a remark by Mr. Walz in a video clip that the Harris campaign had promoted on social media on Tuesday, in which the governor told a crowd about support for gun control, saying that “we can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war.”

Mr. Walz never served in combat, however, which prompted Mr. Vance to accuse him of “stolen valor.”

“I’d be ashamed if I was him and I lied about my military service like he did,” Mr. Vance said.

[YellowKing]

I'm not particularly worried about either attack. Trump certainly can't attack Walz on his military service, and Vance is already such a laughingstock I hardly think anything he says is going to stick. If someone is going to ditch Harris to vote for a draft dodging felon over this, chances are they were never actually going to vote for her anyway.

[Alefroth]

Conveniently retiring a year before his unit was deployed? Umm... what? He served 24 years. What a ridiculous attack.

[Isgrimnur]

Conveniently retiring a year before his unit was deployed? Umm... what? He served 24 years. What a ridiculous attack.

What to know about Walz's military record

By 2005, Tim Walz had logged 24 years with the Army National Guard and earned the rank of command sergeant major -- the highest enlisted rank for his unit and one with considerable responsibility.
...
Walz, a vocal critic of the Bush administration's war policies and father of a 4-year-old girl at the time, opted to file his retirement papers that May and run for public office instead.

Go to war or stay home and be a father to your toddler? Hmm, real tough choice, especially after 24 years of service.

According to records by the National Guard, the 1st Battalion of the 125th Field Artillery received an alert order on July 14, 2005, – two months after Walz retired.
Joseph Eustice, another retired command sergeant major who served with Walz, tells ABC News that while there was speculation of a deployment around that time there was no firm indication that Walz’s unit would be sent to Iraq until that July alert order.

Eustice says he remembers Walz struggling with the timing of wanting to serve as a lawmaker but also avoiding asking for a deferment so he could do so.

"He had a window of time. He had to decide. And in his deciding, we were not on notice to be deployed. There were rumors. There were lots of rumors, and we didn't know where we were going until it was later that, early summer, I believe,” Eustice told ABC News.

Hey, didn't that whole War on Terror start in 2001, four years before he retired?

Walz had joined the Nebraska National Guard at age 17, later transferring to the Minnesota National Guard,

Oh, and you know who should avoid denigrating a retired veteran's service? A one-pump chump.

Was JD Vance a Marine? A look at the military record of Trump's VP pick

He joined the Marines in 2003 and served as a combat correspondent – or military journalist – until 2007, according to military news site Task & Purpose.

In his 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy, as excerpted by Military.com, Vance described the press as “the holy grail of the Marine Corps public affairs: the biggest audience and the highest stakes.”