I need to correct my assertion that Walter Mondale was Lutheran. The only other Lutheran to have been nominated, and served, as Vice President was Hubert Humphry.
PS. Mrs Gramps and I are having adiscussion on how to pronounce his last name. She says it is a soft z, I am arguing it is a hart tz. I think I may have won the argument because she admits when her ancestors came from Germany, they added the tz to their name to keep it in line with the German pronunciation.
Point to Mrs. Gramps, I’m afraid.
While in German Walz would indeed be pronounced valts, the only pronunciation that matters is how Tim Walz pronounces it. And he, I believe, pronounces it walls.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump is on Truth Social begging Joe Biden to come back. Seriously.
What are the chances that Crooked Joe Biden, the WORST President in the history of the U.S., whose Presidency was Unconstitutionally STOLEN from him by Kamabla, Barrack HUSSEIN Obama, Crazy Nancy Pelosi, Shifty Adam Schiff, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, and others on the Lunatic Left, CRASHES the Democrat National Convention and tries to take back the Nomination, beginning with challenging me to another DEBATE. He feels that he made a historically tragic mistake by handing over the U.S. Presidency, a COUP, to the people in the World he most hates, and he wants it back, NOW!!!
Trump sounds like he's nostalgic for his days as a professional wrestling barnacle. " . . . and then I come out of the crowd and hit Biden with a folding chair!"
Tim Walz is genuinely blue collar unlike the other guy who claims to be a hillbilly.
Just listened to their campaign stop @ Temple Stadium in Philidelphia. Shapero is indeed a great speaker. Walz is good, but I can see why Harris finally picked him. He is as blue as they come. Retired from the National Guard as Command Sargent Major. The highest ranking noncommissioned officer to serve in Congress for 12 years. The seat he held had not been Democrat since 1890. After he stepped down to run for governor, the seat immediately reverted back to a Republican. The High School football coach who agreed to be the advisor to the school's gay/straight alliance.
During his second term as governor of Minnesota, having complete control of the state legislature, they have passed the most progressive agenda in any given state.
I liked his golden rule for politics: Mind your own damn business. I think he was referring to the freedom of reproductive choice.
I need to correct my assertion that Walter Mondale was Lutheran. The only other Lutheran to have been nominated, and served, as Vice President was Hubert Humphry.
Whatever became of Hubert, I wonder? (...Has anyone heard a thing...?)
(Sorry, the Tom Lehrer song springs to mind every time I hear of him...)
Meanwhile, Donald Trump is on Truth Social begging Joe Biden to come back. Seriously.
What are the chances that Crooked Joe Biden, the WORST President in the history of the U.S., whose Presidency was Unconstitutionally STOLEN from him by Kamabla, Barrack HUSSEIN Obama, Crazy Nancy Pelosi, Shifty Adam Schiff, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, and others on the Lunatic Left, CRASHES the Democrat National Convention and tries to take back the Nomination, beginning with challenging me to another DEBATE. He feels that he made a historically tragic mistake by handing over the U.S. Presidency, a COUP, to the people in the World he most hates, and he wants it back, NOW!!!
Trump sounds like he's nostalgic for his days as a professional wrestling barnacle. " . . . and then I come out of the crowd and hit Biden with a folding chair!"
Heh!
I’m pretty sure I’ve said it before, but reading that, dare I say it, weird Truth Social Post, I get serious Capt. Queeg vibes from Trump:
Ahh, but the strawberries! That’s—that’s where I had them. They laughed at me and made jokes, but I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt and with—with geometric logic—that a duplicate key to the wardroom icebox did exist! And I'd have produced that key if they hadn’t’ve pulled the Caine out of action! I, I, I know now they were only trying to protect some fellow officers . . . .
Now that I think of it, Trump gives everyone else a nickname. I’d say “Old Yellowstain” fits him pretty well. Somebody give him a pair of steel balls to roll around in his hands.
The High School football coach who agreed to be the advisor to the school's gay/straight alliance.
Let’s remember that this was in 1999. Four years before Lawrence v. Texas. Gay sex was a crime in a lot of the U.S., including Minnesota. A lot of people forget what a different world it was for LGBTQ+ Americans just a quarter century ago. It probably took a lot of courage and empathy for Walz to take that role.
Having the football coach be the advisor to the GSA may very well have prevented other students from turning into bullies, so there’s that too.
Tim Walz is the type of neighbor who will mow your lawn if you break your leg.
JD Vance is the type of neighbor who will report your overgrown lawn to the HOA.*
I saw a hilarious thread on Twitter that started with the suggestion that Gov. Walz should go to Four Seasons Total Landscaping and talk about nothing but lawn and garden care.
If you don't know why that'd be hilarious, Google "four seasons total landscaping giuliani" for background.
The Harris/Walz campaign has embarked on a multi-state series of rallies in the lead up to the Democratic National Convention next week. The Trump/Vance campaign's response to send JD Vance to stalk them have rival rallies in nearby locations.
Today Harris and Walz will have an afternoon rally in Eau Claire, WI and and evening rally in Detroit, MI. So far 47,000 people have requested admission for the event in Detroit, which caused the campaign to search for a larger venue. JD Vance made a speech earlier today at the Sterling Heights Police Department in Macomb County, Michigan and will speak at a manufacturer in Eau Claire, WI later this afternoon.
Tomorrow Harris and Walz will be in North Carolina. Vance was going to be in North Carolina as well but has cancelled, allegedly due to the anticipated arrival of the remnants of Tropical Depression Debbie that day.
So what's Donald Trump doing? Probably golfing. The only thing on his schedule that I can find is a rally in Bozeman, MT on Friday (9 August). There may be fundraising dinners on his schedule but those are harder to track down.
Tomorrow Harris and Walz will be in North Carolina. Vance was going to be in North Carolina as well but has cancelled, allegedly due to the anticipated arrival of the remnants of Tropical Depression Debbie that day.
Unless something has changed since last night, Harris and Walz have also postponed their visit to Raleigh, also because of Tropical Storm Debby.
“There’s a time for writing, reading, and book tours – and a time to put down the books and go fight like hell to take back our country,” the book’s author, Kevin Roberts, told RealClearPolitics, which first reported the news.
“That’s why I’ve chosen to move my book’s publication and promotion to after the election.”
Roberts is president of the Heritage Foundation, a hard-right Washington thinktank. His book, Dawn’s Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America, was due to be published in September. It will now come out on 12 November, a week after Donald Trump and Kamala Harris square off on election day.
That, plus the title change, convinces me that Mr. Roberts really does have the cowardice of his convictions. "Circle the wagons and load the muskets" indeed!
JD Vance is now attacking Tim Walz' military service. While Mr Walz rose through the noncom ranks in the Minnesota National Guard for 24 years, he never directly served in a combat zone. His unit did support the operation in Iraq while stationed in Italy but never in country. Walz retired from the Guard in 2005 two months before his unit received orders to prepare to deploy to Afghanistan, but fellow soldiers said Walz served honorably.
Vance served in the active Marines for four years as an enlisted combat correspondent. He separated from the Marines as a corporal.
In other news Republican critics are also calling Tim Walz "Tampon Tim" because he signed into law, a bill that mandates menstrual products — including pads, tampons and other items — “must be available to all menstruating students in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12 according to a plan developed by the school district.”
Note: it does not limit the dispensation of menstruating products to female or nonbinary restrooms, but all restrooms regularly used by the students.
Gov Walz had previously issued an executive disorder declaring Minnesota a safe-haven for transgender youth. Which would mean there might be persons transitioning from female to male using male restrooms.
The deal of it is 28 states already have similar laws (guess which ones--hint: most of them are blue
I'm failing to see why giving access to menstrual products is a bad thing. Do they think only cis men vote?
"You wanna have kids who menstruate then you pay for them! Why should my tax dollars pay for your sanitary products? Your responsibility to make sure your kid has what they need, not mine!"
Yeah, that's the way some folks think.
The heart of many Right Wing positions is "not my problem". Being threatened with death in your own country? Not my problem. No home? Not my problem. Can't afford food? Not my problem.
I need to correct my assertion that Walter Mondale was Lutheran. The only other Lutheran to have been nominated, and served, as Vice President was Hubert Humphry.
I've just seen something questioning whether Walz is really Lutheran
I'm failing to see why giving access to menstrual products is a bad thing. Do they think only cis men vote?
"You wanna have kids who menstruate then you pay for them! Why should my tax dollars pay for your sanitary products? Your responsibility to make sure your kid has what they need, not mine!"
Yeah, that's the way some folks think.
The heart of many Right Wing positions is "not my problem". Being threatened with death in your own country? Not my problem. No home? Not my problem. Can't afford food? Not my problem.
I think the objection is more that the products were being put in boys' washrooms as well, for presumed use by trans female students.
I need to correct my assertion that Walter Mondale was Lutheran. The only other Lutheran to have been nominated, and served, as Vice President was Hubert Humphry.
I've just seen something questioning whether Walz is really Lutheran
I'm failing to see why giving access to menstrual products is a bad thing. Do they think only cis men vote?
"You wanna have kids who menstruate then you pay for them! Why should my tax dollars pay for your sanitary products? Your responsibility to make sure your kid has what they need, not mine!"
Yeah, that's the way some folks think.
The heart of many Right Wing positions is "not my problem". Being threatened with death in your own country? Not my problem. No home? Not my problem. Can't afford food? Not my problem.
I think the objection is more that the products were being put in boys' washrooms as well, for presumed use by trans female students.
Trans girls/women wouldn't need them, but trans boys/men might.
FiveThirtyEight has suspended their prediction model.* Their poll-of-polls has Harris ahead by ~2% Nationally at the moment.
Obviously it comes down to the key states.
I am a lot less worried than I was a month or so ago.
Trump consistently underperformed compared to his polling numbers in the primaries.
Harris/Walz has the current momentum.
Since 2020, the GOP has consistently underperformed compared to their polling numbers in all special elections and the midterms.
There is an energy about the Harris/Walz campaign which is very encouraging.
Moreover they seem to have found some key and effective messaging suddenly. By which I mean "Weird" / "It's none of your Damn business" etc.
It will take a little while for the prediction models to catch up but I think the odds favour a Harris/Walz win. It's probably something like 60/40 at this stage.
Now. Just to be clear. That means that if you run the election 100 times, Trump wins 40 of them. We only get to run it once, obviously, so in this context Trump still has a good chance of winning.
AFZ
*Nate Silver and 538 have been slated a lot by those on the left. Especially since the midterms. Moreover, their attempts to predict UK elections has been very poor. However, as I said here, their modelling was by far the best in 2016.
I need to correct my assertion that Walter Mondale was Lutheran. The only other Lutheran to have been nominated, and served, as Vice President was Hubert Humphry.
I've just seen something questioning whether Walz is really Lutheran
Care to say more? Something from a credible source? I’ve seen numerous reports that he’s a Lutheran (specifically ELCA Lutheran) from a number of generally reliable news sources, including the New York Times.
Tim Walz is a registered member of Pilgrim Lutheran Church in St Paul, Minneapolis. Some information about his religious affiliation is here..
Now, conservatives are complaining his congregation does not call God "him." It also supports reparations and participates in Pride marches. That is here.
Trump has announced via Truth Social that he will be holding what he calls a “General News Conference” at 2:00 pm today (presumably Eastern Daylight Time) at Mar-a-Lago. My guess is that it’s an attempt to get media attention back on him, probably by re-creating his awful and interminable COVID press conferences.
I need to correct my assertion that Walter Mondale was Lutheran. The only other Lutheran to have been nominated, and served, as Vice President was Hubert Humphry.
I've just seen something questioning whether Walz is really Lutheran
I'm failing to see why giving access to menstrual products is a bad thing. Do they think only cis men vote?
"You wanna have kids who menstruate then you pay for them! Why should my tax dollars pay for your sanitary products? Your responsibility to make sure your kid has what they need, not mine!"
Yeah, that's the way some folks think.
The heart of many Right Wing positions is "not my problem". Being threatened with death in your own country? Not my problem. No home? Not my problem. Can't afford food? Not my problem.
I think the objection is more that the products were being put in boys' washrooms as well, for presumed use by trans female students.
Trans girls/women wouldn't need them, but trans boys/men might.
Sorry. Yeah, I meant biological females who are transitioning to male.
I need to correct my assertion that Walter Mondale was Lutheran. The only other Lutheran to have been nominated, and served, as Vice President was Hubert Humphry.
I've just seen something questioning whether Walz is really Lutheran
Care to say more? Something from a credible source? I’ve seen numerous reports that he’s a Lutheran (specifically ELCA Lutheran) from a number of generally reliable news sources, including the New York Times.
That got posted accidentally. I myself went to find a solid source, but could not, and forgot to delete it.
I think Vance's attempts to cast military aspersions will fall pretty flat. It's not a smart or effective appeal to active rank & file military members or veterans -- it's a smear aimed to rile the MAGA-militia membership that hasn't served but see themselves as paramilitary, or MAGAs who take a categorical "pro-military" stance without knowing or understanding more than that superficial platitude, or things like... facts about his (or Vance's) time in the military.
Walz's response to the whole kerfuffle was to simply and cooly thank Vance (publicly) for his service. I thought that was great.
I think Vance's attempts to cast military aspersions will fall pretty flat. It's not a smart or effective appeal to active rank & file military members or veterans -- it's a smear aimed to rile the MAGA-militia membership that hasn't served but see themselves as paramilitary, or MAGAs who take a categorical "pro-military" stance without knowing or understanding more than that superficial platitude, or things like... facts about his (or Vance's) time in the military.
I'd like to think that, but I remember 2004's Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which contested every single one of John Kerry's combat decorations. People at the Republican National Convention were wearing band-aids with purple hearts on them to mock John Kerry's purple heart. (For those who aren't familiar with American military decorations, the purple heart is the medal given to members of the military who have been wounded or killed in the line of duty.) Chris LaCivita, who was one of the prime movers behind Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, is now a senior advisor to the Trump 2024 campaign.
I think Vance's attempts to cast military aspersions will fall pretty flat. It's not a smart or effective appeal to active rank & file military members or veterans -- it's a smear aimed to rile the MAGA-militia membership that hasn't served but see themselves as paramilitary, or MAGAs who take a categorical "pro-military" stance without knowing or understanding more than that superficial platitude, or things like... facts about his (or Vance's) time in the military.
I'd like to think that, but I remember 2004's Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which contested every single one of John Kerry's combat decorations. People at the Republican National Convention were wearing band-aids with purple hearts on them to mock John Kerry's purple heart. (For those who aren't familiar with American military decorations, the purple heart is the medal given to members of the military who have been wounded or killed in the line of duty.) Chris LaCivita, who was one of the prime movers behind Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, is now a senior advisor to the Trump 2024 campaign.
Yeah. This issue could very well have traction, justly or otherwise.
I need to correct my assertion that Walter Mondale was Lutheran. The only other Lutheran to have been nominated, and served, as Vice President was Hubert Humphry.
I've just seen something questioning whether Walz is really Lutheran
Care to say more? Something from a credible source? I’ve seen numerous reports that he’s a Lutheran (specifically ELCA Lutheran) from a number of generally reliable news sources, including the New York Times.
That got posted accidentally. I myself went to find a solid source, but could not, and forgot to delete it.
It will take a little while for the prediction models to catch up but I think the odds favour a Harris/Walz win. It's probably something like 60/40 at this stage.
If we're going on polls and vibes instead of polls and prediction models, I feel like it's still extremely close. The economy is a real question mark, as is the effect of events in the Middle East. If enough pro-Palestine voters stay home, Harris could lose.
What he doesn't appear to have are stocks, bonds and real estate. I guess that leaves IRAs? I wonder what he and his wife did with the money when they sold their house to move into the MN governor's mansion.
Walz's response to the whole kerfuffle was to simply and cooly thank Vance (publicly) for his service. I thought that was great.
As did I. Vance is doing a great job of making himself look bad.
The conventional wisdom is that running mates don't really matter that much to electoral prospects. Of course, one reason that this is true is because presidential campaigns are typically risk-averse and will usually select the running mate as if the choice matters. The one exception I can think of is Sarah Palin, but that decision was made when John McCain was running significantly behind Obama and was taking a gamble in an attempt to shake up the race. The lack of vetting for Mr. Vance, especially when considering his very thin CV, is very far outside the norm for U.S. presidential politics. Then again, that's true of so much about Donald Trump.
I'm failing to see why giving access to menstrual products is a bad thing. Do they think only cis men vote?
There are a bunch of reasons. There's a general "the state shouldn't provide this for free; you should bring whatever you need" fiscal conservative position.
There's a "almost nobody who might need this uses the boy's bathrooms; having such products in the boy's bathrooms is going to lead to waste and silliness" fiscal conservative position.
And then there's the "You can't let boys see tampons, because then they will know that girls have vaginas and they'll get distracted by sex" lunatic conservative position.
And then there are the people who hate trans people / think they are mistaken about their gender, and oppose having sanitary products in the boys' room as a small part of their opposition to having anyone they choose to describe as biologically female in the boys' room.
Just for the record, it is quite possible for one of two restrooms to be closed for some reason, and you will then very likely have boys in the girls' room or vice versa.
Just for the record, it is quite possible for one of two restrooms to be closed for some reason, and you will then very likely have boys in the girls' room or vice versa.
IME, it's normal for schools to have more than one restroom, and closing one boy's room would typically result in boys being told to use the one on the other side of the school, rather than sending them in to the girls' room. But YMMV.
ABC says both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have agreed to a Sept. 10 presidential debate, setting up a face-off between the Republican and Democratic nominees. I will be watching this one with great interest.
Just for the record, it is quite possible for one of two restrooms to be closed for some reason, and you will then very likely have boys in the girls' room or vice versa.
The likelihood of boys being told to use girls’ restrooms, or vice versa, is almost inconceivable in American schools. I’d say impossible, but maybe in some teeny tiny school it could happen.
Donald Trump has released the latest installment of his Joe Biden fanfic on Truth Social. (See previous version here.)
This is the most Radical Left duo in American history. There has never been anything like it, and there never will be again. Crazy Kamabla is, indeed, CRAZY. I HEAR THERE IS A BIG MOVEMENT TO "BRING BACK CROOKED JOE."
The needle is moving. Cooks Political Analysis has moved Nevada, Arizona and Georgia from likely Trump to tossup now. Copy of map, here. Cooks has a paywall, but they do allow other sites to use their information.
That's what Harris and Walz were hoping for.
And Trump has agreed to debate Harris on 10 September on ABC.
Comments
While in German Walz would indeed be pronounced valts, the only pronunciation that matters is how Tim Walz pronounces it. And he, I believe, pronounces it walls.
Not that they're infallible, you understand.
Seriously, this is what happens when you have nepotism hires in charge of your campaign.
Trump sounds like he's nostalgic for his days as a professional wrestling barnacle. " . . . and then I come out of the crowd and hit Biden with a folding chair!"
Interesting side note... Walz and his wife used IVF for their family.
Just listened to their campaign stop @ Temple Stadium in Philidelphia. Shapero is indeed a great speaker. Walz is good, but I can see why Harris finally picked him. He is as blue as they come. Retired from the National Guard as Command Sargent Major. The highest ranking noncommissioned officer to serve in Congress for 12 years. The seat he held had not been Democrat since 1890. After he stepped down to run for governor, the seat immediately reverted back to a Republican. The High School football coach who agreed to be the advisor to the school's gay/straight alliance.
During his second term as governor of Minnesota, having complete control of the state legislature, they have passed the most progressive agenda in any given state.
I liked his golden rule for politics: Mind your own damn business. I think he was referring to the freedom of reproductive choice.
Whatever became of Hubert, I wonder? (...Has anyone heard a thing...?)
(Sorry, the Tom Lehrer song springs to mind every time I hear of him...)
I’m pretty sure I’ve said it before, but reading that, dare I say it, weird Truth Social Post, I get serious Capt. Queeg vibes from Trump:
Now that I think of it, Trump gives everyone else a nickname. I’d say “Old Yellowstain” fits him pretty well. Somebody give him a pair of steel balls to roll around in his hands.
Let’s remember that this was in 1999. Four years before Lawrence v. Texas. Gay sex was a crime in a lot of the U.S., including Minnesota. A lot of people forget what a different world it was for LGBTQ+ Americans just a quarter century ago. It probably took a lot of courage and empathy for Walz to take that role.
Having the football coach be the advisor to the GSA may very well have prevented other students from turning into bullies, so there’s that too.
Tim Walz is the type of neighbor who will mow your lawn if you break your leg.
JD Vance is the type of neighbor who will report your overgrown lawn to the HOA.*
*Home owner's association.
If you don't know why that'd be hilarious, Google "four seasons total landscaping giuliani" for background.
Yesterday was a big Harris/Walz rally in Philadelphia which has already been mentioned here. Vance held rally attended by about 200 people in a venue sized for 1,300. The signage made it look like he was campaigning for Kamala Harris, which I guess is what happens when you hire non-union set designers and stage hands.
Today Harris and Walz will have an afternoon rally in Eau Claire, WI and and evening rally in Detroit, MI. So far 47,000 people have requested admission for the event in Detroit, which caused the campaign to search for a larger venue. JD Vance made a speech earlier today at the Sterling Heights Police Department in Macomb County, Michigan and will speak at a manufacturer in Eau Claire, WI later this afternoon.
Tomorrow Harris and Walz will be in North Carolina. Vance was going to be in North Carolina as well but has cancelled, allegedly due to the anticipated arrival of the remnants of Tropical Depression Debbie that day.
So what's Donald Trump doing? Probably golfing. The only thing on his schedule that I can find is a rally in Bozeman, MT on Friday (9 August). There may be fundraising dinners on his schedule but those are harder to track down.
That, plus the title change, convinces me that Mr. Roberts really does have the cowardice of his convictions. "Circle the wagons and load the muskets" indeed!
BroJames, Purgatory Host
Vance served in the active Marines for four years as an enlisted combat correspondent. He separated from the Marines as a corporal.
In response, Walz thanked Vance for his service
Story here.
In other news Republican critics are also calling Tim Walz "Tampon Tim" because he signed into law, a bill that mandates menstrual products — including pads, tampons and other items — “must be available to all menstruating students in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12 according to a plan developed by the school district.”
Note: it does not limit the dispensation of menstruating products to female or nonbinary restrooms, but all restrooms regularly used by the students.
Gov Walz had previously issued an executive disorder declaring Minnesota a safe-haven for transgender youth. Which would mean there might be persons transitioning from female to male using male restrooms.
The deal of it is 28 states already have similar laws (guess which ones--hint: most of them are blue
The deal of it is, Democrats are embracing it. More to this story.
Quite possibly. They certainly wish that were the case.
"You wanna have kids who menstruate then you pay for them! Why should my tax dollars pay for your sanitary products? Your responsibility to make sure your kid has what they need, not mine!"
Yeah, that's the way some folks think.
The heart of many Right Wing positions is "not my problem". Being threatened with death in your own country? Not my problem. No home? Not my problem. Can't afford food? Not my problem.
I've just seen something questioning whether Walz is really Lutheran
I think the objection is more that the products were being put in boys' washrooms as well, for presumed use by trans female students.
Trans girls/women wouldn't need them, but trans boys/men might.
FiveThirtyEight has suspended their prediction model.* Their poll-of-polls has Harris ahead by ~2% Nationally at the moment.
Obviously it comes down to the key states.
I am a lot less worried than I was a month or so ago.
Trump consistently underperformed compared to his polling numbers in the primaries.
Harris/Walz has the current momentum.
Since 2020, the GOP has consistently underperformed compared to their polling numbers in all special elections and the midterms.
There is an energy about the Harris/Walz campaign which is very encouraging.
Moreover they seem to have found some key and effective messaging suddenly. By which I mean "Weird" / "It's none of your Damn business" etc.
It will take a little while for the prediction models to catch up but I think the odds favour a Harris/Walz win. It's probably something like 60/40 at this stage.
Now. Just to be clear. That means that if you run the election 100 times, Trump wins 40 of them. We only get to run it once, obviously, so in this context Trump still has a good chance of winning.
AFZ
*Nate Silver and 538 have been slated a lot by those on the left. Especially since the midterms. Moreover, their attempts to predict UK elections has been very poor. However, as I said here, their modelling was by far the best in 2016.
Now, conservatives are complaining his congregation does not call God "him." It also supports reparations and participates in Pride marches. That is here.
Oh, and there is the Harris Walz Cameo hat. The NRA is not happy.
Sorry. Yeah, I meant biological females who are transitioning to male.
That got posted accidentally. I myself went to find a solid source, but could not, and forgot to delete it.
You guessed it. It is the Harris Walz.
I'll ger me coat.
Walz's response to the whole kerfuffle was to simply and cooly thank Vance (publicly) for his service. I thought that was great.
I'd like to think that, but I remember 2004's Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which contested every single one of John Kerry's combat decorations. People at the Republican National Convention were wearing band-aids with purple hearts on them to mock John Kerry's purple heart. (For those who aren't familiar with American military decorations, the purple heart is the medal given to members of the military who have been wounded or killed in the line of duty.) Chris LaCivita, who was one of the prime movers behind Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, is now a senior advisor to the Trump 2024 campaign.
Which seems like a good question...
Yeah. This issue could very well have traction, justly or otherwise.
As did I. Vance is doing a great job of making himself look bad.
If we're going on polls and vibes instead of polls and prediction models, I feel like it's still extremely close. The economy is a real question mark, as is the effect of events in the Middle East. If enough pro-Palestine voters stay home, Harris could lose.
His family has a dog and a cat. Both rescues.
What he doesn't appear to have are stocks, bonds and real estate. I guess that leaves IRAs? I wonder what he and his wife did with the money when they sold their house to move into the MN governor's mansion.
OTOH, Trump and Vance are both regarded as totally weird...except by a few of our own weirdos...
The conventional wisdom is that running mates don't really matter that much to electoral prospects. Of course, one reason that this is true is because presidential campaigns are typically risk-averse and will usually select the running mate as if the choice matters. The one exception I can think of is Sarah Palin, but that decision was made when John McCain was running significantly behind Obama and was taking a gamble in an attempt to shake up the race. The lack of vetting for Mr. Vance, especially when considering his very thin CV, is very far outside the norm for U.S. presidential politics. Then again, that's true of so much about Donald Trump.
There are a bunch of reasons. There's a general "the state shouldn't provide this for free; you should bring whatever you need" fiscal conservative position.
There's a "almost nobody who might need this uses the boy's bathrooms; having such products in the boy's bathrooms is going to lead to waste and silliness" fiscal conservative position.
And then there's the "You can't let boys see tampons, because then they will know that girls have vaginas and they'll get distracted by sex" lunatic conservative position.
And then there are the people who hate trans people / think they are mistaken about their gender, and oppose having sanitary products in the boys' room as a small part of their opposition to having anyone they choose to describe as biologically female in the boys' room.
None of these positions are exclusive.
IME, it's normal for schools to have more than one restroom, and closing one boy's room would typically result in boys being told to use the one on the other side of the school, rather than sending them in to the girls' room. But YMMV.
The likelihood of boys being told to use girls’ restrooms, or vice versa, is almost inconceivable in American schools. I’d say impossible, but maybe in some teeny tiny school it could happen.
That's what Harris and Walz were hoping for.
And Trump has agreed to debate Harris on 10 September on ABC.