“America's Dad” vs. “Strange Guys”
Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Tim Walz, Kamala Harris' candidate for vice president of the United States, has taken his election campaign on a new track with one sentence. They are writing about him as “a guy who looks like someone who would be comfortable holding a piglet at the state fair.” They are calling him “America's dad.” Recordings with the Minnesota governor are going viral, quotes from his statements are dominating memes. Meanwhile, Donald Trump's team is looking for ways to deal with Walz, attacking him with everything they can.
When Kamala Harris' campaign conducted the interviews with the vice presidential candidates, Tim Walz told them that there was “something important” that they should know. You can imagine the thoughts that went through the heads of seasoned campaigners – what kind of skeleton is going to fall out of the closet? That “something” turned out to be… the inability to use a prompter (a device that displays previously written text). “I don't even have one,” Walz confessed embarrassedly. The Minnesota governor openly spoke about his weaknesses. He himself pointed out that he does not come from a swing state that is crucial to the election results – like Pennsylvania – and that he is not widely known. He also warned that he is not good at debating. Despite this, as CNN confirmed, “he did great” during the initial interview.
Above all, he made it clear that he would play as a team player, not on his own. That he would not be involved in the dramas and palace intrigues of the series “House of Cards.” Speaking about how he sees himself as vice president, Walz said that he would do his job the way he wanted to Kamala HarrisWhen asked if he would be the last to leave the office when making a decision, he said yes, if Kamala Harris wanted him there. When asked if he would ever run for the highest office, he answered without hesitation: no.
Tim Walz and Kamala HarrisMICHAEL REYNOLDS/PAP/EPA
Walz was not the favorite. Before the meetings with Harris's team and then with her, it was widely believed that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was a dark horse in the race for the nomination. Bookmakers and commentators were betting on him. But political star Shapiro fared poorly against Walz. He seemed “too ambitious” and asked “a lot of questions” about the role of vice president. Information leaked to the media that the contrast between them was striking. “Shapiro was negotiating with Kamala Harris about employment terms, while Walz was asking, 'What can I do to help?'” – one of the Democratic Party's advisers told CNN.
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