Tim Walz, ‘Folksy’ Socialist
The article discusses Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s selection as Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate for the 2024 election. It highlights the media’s portrayal of Walz as a “folksy” politician, emphasizing his approachable demeanor and relatability while downplaying his progressive policies. The piece contrasts the reception of Walz’s candidacy with that of other political figures, noting that while his political past is glossed over, critics tend to label other candidates more harshly based on their ideologies.
The article questions Harris’s choice of Walz, suggesting that the decision may be strategic, aimed at appealing to the Democratic base, particularly amidst rising antisemitism within the party. It touches on the implications of this selection given Walz’s liberal policies, such as supporting socialized healthcare and addressing immigration, and raises concerns about how moderates and independents will respond to this choice in the escalating political landscape. Ultimately, the commentary critiques the dichotomy between Walz’s folksy image and the actual leftist policies he espouses.
Have you heard about Tim Walz’s folksiness?
Surely you’ve noticed the “folksy demeanor” and “folksy manner” and “folksy appeal” and “folksy mannerisms” of this “folksy former soldier?” If you somehow missed it, the “folksy governor of Minnesota” exudes a “folksy … informal vibe” and “folksy relatability.” But don’t forget his “folksy rebukes” and “folksy plain-spoken and sharp-tongued approach,” either.
Kamala Harris’ vice presidential pick is a dedicated cultural and economic leftist who happens to inhabit the body of an average middle-aged bowling team drinking buddy. And because he doesn’t live in DC or NYC, the political media has settled on a non-threatening description. Who doesn’t like folksy?
Virtually every major media piece on Walz is identical in its glowing tone and content, stressing his down-home everyman appeal while deemphasizing his insane record. Then again, as Walz says, “one person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.”
When Trump announced JD Vance as his veep pick, the stories painted a picture of a dour weirdo who was “radicalized” into an “ideological ally” and “zealous follower of the former president.” Walz, on the other hand, had merely “evolved” into his “progressive” positions, as one does.
The word “folksy” typically has two definitions. One denotes having the characteristics of “traditional culture and customs, especially in a contrived or artificial way.” The other to act in “informal and unpretentious” manner. It’s certainly fair to say that Walz is more relaxed and unpretentious authoritarian than his tautology-spouting running partner.
In this case, though, folksiness has a third euphemistic meaning: “not the Jewish guy.”
Has anyone offered a single convincing reason — other than the obvious — for why Harris picked Walz for national ticket over Josh Shapiro, the popular governor of a must-win state with more working-class voters than Minnesota? It is highly unlikely that anyone wins 2024 without Pennsylvania.
Democrats are gambling that the Jewish vote is secure enough to withstand the rampant antisemitism that’s taken hold on the progressive left. It’s not a terrible bet, sadly. In Walz, Harris believes she can placate the activist base and growing pro-Hamas wing of the party while media covers her running mate as a folksy moderate.
It’s no accident that Squad members like AOC and Ilhan Omar were first out of the gate celebrating the Walz pick. Bernie loves it. Hamas apologists like the Washington Post’s Karen Attiah were tweeting like giddy teenagers, “TEAM WALZ!!!!!!!!!! ITS OUR TIME!!”
What about moderates and independents? It seems counterintuitive for Kamala, who has accumulated a grand total of zero primary votes, to tap one of the most brazenly left-wing governors in the country as she attempts to walk back a raft of unpopular positions that were staked only a few years ago.
Like Harris, the folksy Minnesota governor has proposed socializing health insurance and eliminating fossil fuels. Like Harris, Walz wants to effectively decriminalize illegal immigration by signing laws to pay for the health care and tuition of illegals, and allow them to have driver’s licenses. Like Harris, Walz has taken a maximalist position on abortion, signing a bill codifying the procedure as a “fundamental right” into the ninth month, on demand with no questions asked. Walz also signed a bill that let’s children with gender dysphoria be mutilated by doctors.
Aside from all of that, Minnesota has seen a string of scandals and fiscal mismanagement under Walz.
Walz, who set up a snitch line to report Covid rule violators, watched as minority neighborhoods in Minnesota were being burned during the BLM riots. When asked to call in the National Guard, Walz responded, “I will not patronize you as a white man without living [your] lived experiences.”
He speaks just like the average American!
Perhaps none of that will matter because vice presidents rarely matter. Some writers have speculated that Kamala believed Shapiro, a more moderate political figure, would outshine her. Walz, it is true, has never made anyone look bad.
But it’s also clear that the left is hoping voters will ignore the real Tim Walz and fall for the contrived harmless folksy fella of their imagination.
David Harsanyi is a senior editor at The Federalist, a nationally syndicated columnist, and author of six books—the most recent, The The Rise of BlueAnon: How the Democrats Became a Party of Conspiracy Theorists. Follow him on Twitter, @davidharsanyi.
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yes, I saw that ugly flag you proposed Walzi, you look like an oaf but you are dangerous. Spying on your neighbors? Sure you would , did you study “Mein Kampf”???? Loved it didn’t you?