PHILADELPHIA — A crowd of thousands went absolutely nuts over Vice President Kamala Harris’ new running mate, the previously little-known Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who energized an audience at a Temple University arena into almost ear-splitting decibels of excitement on Tuesday.
“He drove the economy into the ground, and make no mistake, violent crime was up under Donald Trump — and that’s not even counting the crimes that he committed,” said Walz, the crowd erupting in yelling, cheering and foot-stomping for several seconds.
It was remarkable considering this was the first time that many here had heard directly from the governor — who was chosen, in part, because he’s a well-rounded, plainspoken “white dude” from the Midwest.
But Walz, 60, made it immediately clear that Democrats should not expect his tone on the campaign to be all Midwestern nice, and that Harris likely also chose him because he’s good at getting nasty about Trump.
“Don’t believe him when he plays dumb. He knows exactly what Project 2025 would be,” Walz said, citing the authoritarian blueprint for a second Trump term spearheaded by Trump’s allies at the conservative Heritage Foundation. Trump has tried to distance himself from Project 2025, as well as calls from some in the GOP for a deeply unpopular national abortion ban. But Walz said Trump cannot be trusted.
“Even if you wouldn’t make the same choice yourself, there’s a golden rule — mind your own damn business!” he said, again to thunderous applause.
Walz: In Minnesota we respect our neighbors and their personal choices that they make. Even if we wouldn’t make the same choice for ourselves, there’s a golden rule, mind your own damn business. pic.twitter.com/TRQNlbySlE
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 6, 2024
Walz is known for originating the “weird” dig Democrats have begun using against Republicans. On Tuesday, he again suggested that Republicans are the party of no-boundaries weirdos with a reference to JD Vance and a couch, a nod to a bogus story about Vance describing having sexual relations with a couch in his memoir that nonetheless took on a life of its own online.
Walz made a sarcastic nod to the fact that he and Vance both hail from the Midwest. Walz is from Minnesota and was born in Nebraska. Vance famously grew up in Ohio and wrote about it in his best-selling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which gave him cred as someone who understood the motivations of poor white Americans who voted for Trump in 2016.
“Like all regular people I grew up with in the heartland, JD studied at Yale, had his career funded by Silicon Valley billionaires, and then wrote a best-seller trashing that community,” he said. “C’mon, that’s not what middle America is. And I tell you, I can’t wait to debate the guy. That is, if he’s willing to get off the couch.” Walz seemed delighted at his own joke while Harris grimaced and tried to stifle a laugh in the background.
During remarks from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was reportedly the runner up for the job of Harris’ No. 2, the crowd erupted in a chant of, “He’s a weirdo!” about Vance for almost 20 seconds.
Source huffpost.com
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