A titian tyrant tantrum happened Tuesday after Vice President Kamala Harris selected Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate in the 2024 presidential race.
Source: Joe Raedle/ James Brickwood / Sydney Morning Herald / Getty
Walz, so far, is being praised by Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans alike who view him as a solid VP pick who is progressive enough to energize a younger, more progressive base, and moderate enough that more centrist voters aren’t going to go running for the hills. And with his extensive resume as a military veteran, educator, and state leader, Republicans are going to have a difficult time finding mud to sling at him.
There simply doesn’t appear to be much criticism for Walz, 60, that would be immediately obvious—unless, of course, you happen to be Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt who really doesn’t seem to like Walz… or liberals… or California… or caron-free emissions.
“It’s no surprise that San Francisco Liberal Kamala Harris wants West Coast wannabe Tim Walz as her running-mate — Walz has spent his governorship trying to reshape Minnesota in the image of the Golden State,” Leavitt said in a statement, according to The Hill.
“From proposing his own carbon-free agenda, to suggesting stricter emission standards for gas-powered cars, and embracing policies to allow convicted felons to vote, Walz is obsessed with spreading California’s dangerously liberal agenda,”she continued.
You can tell Republicans only really know how to shout and shake their collective fists inside their own echo chambers because Leavitt is out here hitting Walz with attacks over issues that aren’t even really all that controversial to anyone outside of the world of angry, white and perpetually aggrieved MAGA minions.
Leavitt thinks she’s describing the horrors of felons who have served their time being allowed to vote on the legislators whose policies affect them and evil regulations aimed at—*checks notes*—making the Earth less polluted, when, really, she’s just threatening sensible Americans with a good time.
Even if one disagrees with these policies, they would have to admit they’re not exactly issues that will galvanize the people en mass. These issues, while important, are pretty mundane politically, unless you ask the Trump campaign, in which case: “TIM WALZ WILL UNLEASH HELL ON EARTH!”
Source: Stephen Maturen / Getty
From the Hill:
In an email last week, Trump vowed to “unleash hell” at his rally in Atlanta, shortly after Harris made a stop there.
On a fundraising site, Trump reiterated the line and criticism of Walz.
“He’ll unleash HELL ON EARTH and open our borders to the worst criminals imaginable,” the site said. “He’ll rubber stamp Kamala’s GREEN NEW SCAM and light TRILLIONS of dollars on fire.”
Who knew environmentally friendly policies and initiatives were products of the devil?!
Speaking of the devil (no pun, kinda), maybe he possessed Trump Tuesday because he had a meltdown on Truth Social claiming that “Crooked” Joe Biden wants the Democratic nomination back while erratically calling Dems names.
“He feels that he made a historically tragic mistake by handing over the U.S. Presidency, A COUP, to the people the World he most hates, and he wants it back, NOW!!!” wrote Mango Mussolini.
Anyway, I suppose Republicans will actually find plenty to attack Walz on that will get people fired up who never had any intention of voting for anyone besides Trump. After all, Walz was governor of Minnesota during the summer of protest following the murder of George Floyd, and he did ban cops from using chokeholds, introduce de-escalation training for police officers, and establish an independent board to investigate police officers who have killed citizens.
He also doesn’t appear to hate women and LGBTQ+ folks, so, you know.
More from the Hill:
Republicans are likely to criticize Walz on his policy positions on abortion and LGBTQ issues, painting him as a radical liberal, as they have sought to do with Harris.
“If Walz won’t tell voters the truth, we will: just like Kamala Harris, Tim Walz is a dangerously liberal extremist, and the Harris-Walz California dream is every American’s nightmare,” Leavitt said.
Nah, Walz isn’t “every American’s nightmare.” He’s just the new boogie man hiding under the beds of bigots, felon haters, toxic Earth lovers, and people who don’t believe women should have the agency to choose what to do with their own bodies.
It’s just not the attack they think it is.