Republicans are struggling to paint Tim Walz as a villain

MicroWave@lemmy.world to politics @lemmy.world – 694 points – Republicans Are Struggling to Paint Tim Walz as a Villain
rollingstone.com

The GOP is scrambling to find a line of attack against Kamala Harris's VP pick — and it's not going well

Tim Walz has made his debut as Kamala Harris’ running mate, and Republicans are struggling to apply their standard villainization playbook to the Minnesota governor. 

Walz has been making waves for weeks now as a good-natured, relatable politician with a particular aptitude for dressing down the Republican agenda in terms that any voter can understand — and the GOP hates it. 

Republicans are scrambling to paint the governor-turned-VP candidate as a devilish Marxist hellbent on running the country into the ground — their usual stuff — while leveling a bunch of other really weird attacks. Here are some of their most pathetic attempts to turn voters against Walz.

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LOL if "he gives away tampons" is the only thing you can find to criticize about your opponent, then you're in pretty deep fucking shit

Bet they wanted a Shapiro VP pick so bad. It would've been antisemitic space laser conspiracy theory bullshit 24/7 until the vote. Now all they've got is "how dare this man ensure school children have full bellies and necessary sanitary supplies every day."

as it turns out, the strategy of "lets force everyone to have more babies, and then when kids go hungry, blame the parents specifically for having too many babies" isn't panning out the way they hoped

I've always felt that "have more babies but also fuck you for ever having sex" was a bit of wildly contradictory policy stance.

No, I actually get it. You ever seen a toddler jump in a puddle and then get upset that their legs got wet and dirty? It's like that

Fucking toddler logic.

That's giving them far too little credit for their cruelty.

This tactic of picking someone that the Republicans didn't expect and haven't had time to build a narrative about is working extremely well.

If I put my conspiracy hat on for a split second I want to say this is a machiavellian (sp?) move by the DNC. I'm reluctant to give them that much credit though.

But hey, now they can claim that not picking Shapiro was antisemitic! 🙄

Never mind the tiki torches and chants of "Jews will not replace us" in the distance...

Isn't antisemitism a hard sell to Harris who is a Presidential candidate that is married to a Jewish man?

You would think so, but I've heard it on talk radio already. Verbatim: "Harris didn't pick Shapiro because Democrats hate Jews!"

Uh, there's one major party that is so hard-up for votes that they now welcome neo-Nazis to their convention, and it's not the Democrats...

I mean, I've also heard them parrot Russian propaganda that Zelensky is a nazi despite being, you know, jewish. Logic doesn't really enter their minds.

Yes, Harris, whose husband is Jewish, hates Jews.

I know reality means nothing to them, but it makes their floundering all the more funny.

They call Bernie Sanders antisemitic. Factual reality is absolutely irrelevant to the shit spewing from their mouths.

From the same folks who were just calling Kamala Harris a "DEI pick."

Conservatives don't give a shit about what's actually getting criticized – if they're told that they need to think Walz is bad, then anything he does can be used as an example of him being a "villain". Could be fucking "he donates to charity" and they'd find a way to doublethink that into being a bad thing

True, but if only the deep maga cultists are buying your attacks, then it is not changing the election result

The goal of the attacks is either to motivate some kind-of-conservative that doesn’t care that much about the election and might not vote to vote; or to demoralize a democrat voter into not voting

In this case, it's not landing because they were already being called weird for similar behavior, and that is landing. It's easy to dismiss the entire attack with a deadpan "that's a weird thing to say".

Holy shit. They're struggling to find stuff so they default to "he put tampons in schools", "let Minneapolis burn to the ground" (which it didn't, I lived downtown during the protests) or "rocks and cows" quote.

That's about it.

Yeah, that was weird how they kept on telling me the city had burned down and shit when I could turn my head 90° and see the skyline same as it ever was, nary a cloud or indeed plume of smoke in the sky

Luckily we have Fox News and random strangers on the internet who are willing to magnanimously inform us about the desolation of our own city.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go scavenge for hot dish in the smouldering ruins of Saint Paul.

Exactly. And I love how they got the whole burning down thing from main stream media that they bitch so much about.

I lived downtown during the protests

So how's the ghost life treating you?

Being able to fly is pretty cool. But I get terrible restaurant service now. 7/10

What's the rocks and cows?

I believe he was talking about a political map and how the state was a lot of red counties/ Land area and he said something like, "there's not a lot of people there. It's mostly rocks and cows. "

At one point when he was talking about voting districts. He had referred to red districts as "mostly rocks and cows". And well.... Rural conservatives took offense to it like they do for everything. I still see billboards with that quote when I'm in the middle of nowhere.

I'm the middle of nowhere with rocks and cows?

I'm sorry, I thought not having all that "big city bullshit" (imagine that was said with a comically over the top southern accent) was a point of pride?

Like, literally, I've had family in rural Missouri and Minnesota and shit and heard that exact line before

They're only offended because a (D) said it

Didn't you know tampons ruin a young girls 'purity?'

I'm sad to say that's probably why conservatives are upset about it. They probably still think you can lose your virginity to a tampon...

I say we all give away tampons. At least we're not wearing them on our ears

"Hey, maybe you can use them to patch all these gunshot injuries that keep happening..."

Seems like the GOP are doing everything else to alienate the votes of women. That criticism from them wouldn't surprise me in the least.

Well yeah. I mean look at this man. Free breakfast AND lunch. Sounds like the devil's work to me. You have to be a good Christian like Sarah Huckabee and remove child labor laws.

I mean, who hugs kids like this anyway?

Looks like the kids are doing the hugging, and he's just basking in the pure joy of it

Bombarded with love and huge genuine smiles from the kids, hands visible? Yeah dude is doing something right

The kids in the top one are so excited about their newfound Freedom(tm) to toil away in the mines.

Look at those kids. They're wearing little suits and have right-wing political connections. Those kids are going to be running the mines.

Yeah obviously those kids should be picking themselves up by their boot straps. Sorry kids there's no such thing as a free lunch /s

I love the contrast this is painting between the far-left and far-right. On the one hand, you got fascists carrying tiki torches and chanting "jews will not replace us," and on the other you got people saying "let's make sure no children are starving." And talking heads on Fox are super pissed about the latter.

To be clear neither Harris or Walz are "far left"...

This is what actual moderates looked like.

I'm happy to have them, but we lose if we call what they're doing "far left".

We desperately need to bring the Overton Window back where it should be.

To be clear neither Harris or Walz are “far left”…

Policies that were considered centrist compromise planks back in the 70s and 80s are now "Fringe Leftist Views" in the modern media, because so much of our information is owned and manufactured by right wing extremists.

Who love to scream that the liberal media isn't right enough... the right is the absolute scum of the earth, they can shove their Fuck you I got mine attitude right up their ass

Oh, only the Wrong Wing calls them far left. Normal people know better. For one thing, they have a chance of being elected.

That's what I'm saying. Right wing talking heads are priming people to start thinking "The far left doesn't seem so bad."

Normal people know better.

We'll see. I suspect we're going to get a full-court press against Walz, particularly after the DC media circuit was shilling so hard for Shapiro and didn't get what they wanted.

He's going to get the same tarring and feathering as the Sanders campaign did, back in 2020, after Chris Matthews nearly had a heart attack on air when Bernie won Nevada.

As far as I understand, far left is anti-capitalism (communism), and/or anti-authority (anarchism), and/or maybe more recently radical ecologists who are ready to destroy property.

There is no far left in mainstream US politics. That is nothing more than republican fear mongering.

“HE FED KIDS CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE”

What is this communist germany? -republicans, soon

You joke but they unironically point out the “Socialist” in the nazi party’s name

The original image is so much better. No need to add a dipshit, just the VP nominee with a baby pig.

I don't like the whole "down to earth politician I could get a beer with" thing, but I legitimately don't think I can picture trump or vance looking happy with a farm animal, and I think that says something about them as peoplecin a way that's different than just "down to earth".

You should look like that if you're at a fair and someone hands you a piglet. It's just a funny, cute thing that's supposed to make people happy.

The closest was when Trump tried to pose for a photo op with a bald eagle and the eagle attacked him

If we were in a novel or a movie the critics would have called that symbolism too heavy-handed. Of course they also would have said it is too unrealistic to have millions of dimwits voting for a con man because they are all racist.

I love it so much that this was real. The joke writes itself

I think the range of clothing I can picture them in is suit or golf polo. They just exude the energy of rich boys who don't want to do anything "beneath their station".

I bet neither has ever made their own bed.

Vance probably has as he was in the military. Even a cushy press job has to make his own bed. But I'm sure he's put that all behind him and now thinks of that as work for the servants.

The "get a beer with" thing is about trust and being comfortable. Sounds like, "handing him a piglet" is your version of this. His reaction makes you trust and be comfortable with him as a decent human.

I vote, you now use the phrase, "I'd hand that guy a piglet." And make it your own.

Makes a lot of sense when you put it like that. :)

I felt funny about it because I don't generally need my politicians to be "down to earth" because exceptional people are often not and that's fine, but I do need them to have that human joy of a baby animal, even if they're not a pet owner or anything.

Definitely appreciate the insight that it's related, but different qualities being desired. :). Definitely going to use that phrase now.

Trump couldn't pull off holding a book for fuck's sake. And this guy, he's just charming. He's a big lovable oaf.

how long before the inevitable "national guard isn't real army men!!!" talking point is flying around?

Damn, Walz made CSM?

You see, Republicans saying that exact thing would've been smart. It's both true (as an acronym for his rank), but also dangerously close to "CSAM" that idiots would be up in arms about the guy being a predator.

Still would be an incredibly scummy thing to do to attack opponents, but that might have actually achieved something for those amoral fuckwits.

Watched a video of him explaining how to fix a headlight connector and immediately know he is my man. Dude didn't need to explain to the world how to do it. He wanted to help us, in his own little way.

I don't think they'll struggle to attack him, it's just a question of whether it will stick and how much it will matter since he's only the VP pick. In some ways it's useful because it distracted them from Harris.

The attacks seem pretty obvious: he's a pedophile, he eats babies, Minneapolis burned under his watch, he retired from the national guard to avoid combat, he supported LGBTQ groups in high schools, he lived in China, he facilitated sending children to China, say China a lot, say Marxist a lot, say communist a lot, highlight Bernie and Hillary's support of him, etc.

Remember, they only need to villainize him to people that already think he's a villain, so nothing needs to be true or especially devastating. It's like the Fox cut-down that people responded to by being like "the reasons Fox says he's bad are all the reasons I like him!"

It's like, well, yes. Fox isn't trying to convince you. They're trying to make sure republican voters don't stay home.

Edit: oh, and tampons, I forgot they were attacking him about tampons.

This doesn't make sense to me. They need to villainize him for those low info voters on the fence of voting. Most Republicans are voting for Trump, not against Kamala.

Their problem is they want to energize their base to vote while not encouraging a wider turnout. That's the point of attacks, not to change opinions. Unfortunately for them, their attacks end up energizing their opponents base because they're so fucking stupid or actually pointing out things the opponents base wants.

"Kamala picks the vp endorsed by Sanders. This Democratic ticket is a horrible vehicle for progressive change that we must stop." That's the sort of attack that actually helps your opponent. If they let Kamala's campaign paint them as both radical and not looking for real change, they're cooked. And so far that's what they're doing.

Believability is the nemesis of the GOP this cycle.

Walz is a villain? Not believable

Vance fucked a couch? Believable

Trump took illegal funds from Egypt? So believable

Republicans: "LeEbRuHL!!!!"

Waltz: "Thanks!"

If Jesus were her running mate they'd find some way to double down on 'Democrats bad' by making a new hyper Christianity that's even more theocratic and fascist.

tbf, jesus is a woke brown middle eastern refugee who hates bankers and thinks food, shelter, and water should be free. they would hate him

By far, the most perfect VP pick:

Jerry “eggs-bacon-and-toast” Gergich. Dude is wholesome as fuck.

Also Republicans: screaming themselves hoarse about an Algerian woman boxer.

The weird get weirder and I'm loving this VP pick. What a 180 from just a few weeks ago, when a lot of us thought the Democrats were just going to march into a very likely loss with Biden as the nominee...most people now laugh when JD is the topic and a couch reference is made and the Republicans are proving themselves to a bunch of creepy weirdos on the daily.

NPR broke the news about the Walz endorsement this morning by interviewing a bunch of Republicans from his original House district.

Everyone in the DC news circuit was furiously insisting that Shapiro had to be the guy and Harris didn't listen. So now expect this guy to get absolutely dragged in the press for the next three months.

Just had a conversation with someone about it… apparently he thinks that the reason she went with walz over Shapiro is that Shapiro tried to negotiate roles/responsibilities where Walz was like “what can I do?”

Don’t know if that’s just a rumor or fairly accurate, so don’t quote me on that.

In the paper world that is the DC circuit, Shapiro might have been the “smart” choice of political wonks.

In the real where people actually live… Walz makes more sense.

Really, the thing is that Shapiro might have helped deliver PA, where the effect Walz is having is immediate and obvious- he’s bringing a certain kind of optimism, joy, and grit.

NYT says that an insider told them the Shapiro thing. To summarize, Shapiro wanted to know his responsibilities and how they'd share the leadership, etc. Walz by contrast asked how he can help and told Harris not to pick him if he won't strengthen her chance of winning.

Ultimately, Harris told the source after the Walz interview that she liked him a lot. And to be fair, her team told her after multiple focus groups and everything that all three final choices would have a path to winning so she went with her gut. Plus, research they had suggested that Kelly nor Shapiro would guarantee their states, anyway.

The article does suggest that this won't be the last we hear of Shapiro as he does have higher ambitions.

The article does suggest that this won’t be the last we hear of Shapiro as he does have higher ambitions.

given what he said in Philly, I wouldn't be surprised to find he's not on the cabinet or something.

I love the perspective you have on this. Choosing Walz definitely increases my confidence in Kamalas decision making.

it's hard to paint someone as a villain when you're literally supporting donald trump.

Some info about the stolen valor comments:

Left national guard after two decades to run off public office

Eustice says he remembers Walz struggling with the timing of wanting to serve as a lawmaker but also avoiding asking for a deferment so he could do so.

"He had a window of time. He had to decide. And in his deciding, we were not on notice to be deployed. There were rumors. There were lots of rumors, and we didn't know where we were going until it was later that, early summer, I believe,” Eustice told ABC News.

Also, he did carry weapons of war and “in war”, unless someone wants to correct this.

Walz deployed with the Minnesota National Guard to Italy on Aug. 3, 2003, to support Operation Enduring Freedom, according to the Minnesota Guard. The battalion supported security missions at various locations in Europe and Turkey, according to the Guard, and Walz was stationed in Vicenza, Italy, until returning to Minnesota in 2004. He did not deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan.

On operation enduring freedom, part of war on terror

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Enduring_Freedom

So, in fact he did carry weapons in war. Why are people saying he didn’t?

Maybe don't make your whole political strategy about tearing people down and try to actually run candidates who are better in some measurable way

Their entire strategy since the 80s at least was to basically shit on their adversaries and never offer any real policy or anything.

He's borderline the ideal version of what a family man looks like even in their own version of reality. He's a white independently successful retired military, churchgoing, family man. Good luck with that one, couch fuckers.

I find that hard to believe. If they can’t find something true they’ll just make up something horrific and make him a villain out of that

How about spending some of that energy coming up with popular solutions to some of our country's problems instead?

You mean like protecting reproductive rights, eliminating non-competes, free breakfast and lunch in schools, free community college for low income, legalizing weed and giving people convicted of marijuana crimes to participate in the new industry, sick time requirements?

That's just part of what he'd done in the past two years.

Aren't they your country problems? Should they try solving themselves?

Well I mean as a foreigner the way I see him and is presented is a Vans 2.

Someone from the Midwest that is the real American, had a low class working life and now will fight for the Americans that feel neglected.

With Vans I get it. With the dems not so much since they never target the white working class.

What the fuck are you talking about

16hr old account, libertarian in the handle, chances of being a troll?
High

Vance did 4 years in the military right after high school and then got some kind of sweetheart deal from Ohio State. (He graduated a 4 year degree in 2 years, which just does not happen.) Then went to Yale law school. He took that degree and worked as a corporate lawyer and venture capitalist.

Walz did 23 years in the military and worked as a teacher.

One of them is cosplaying as a blue collar worker from the Midwest and one of them actually is a blue collar worker from the Midwest. Anyone voting for Vance based on that lie deserves what they get.