Vice President Kamala Harris selecting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate on Tuesday caused NBC's cast of characters to gush with praise. Throughout the coverage, Walz would be called a “moderate” who can win over Republicans and a "progressive" who can appease Muslim and Arab voters upset with President Joe Biden on Israel while also being lauded for looking “like a lot of dads,” while the Harris-Walz ticket was described as a “beautiful mosaic.”
White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez’s biography of Walz recalled, “After moving to Minnesota, he volunteered for John Kerry’s presidential campaign, and in an upset, he was elected to Congress in 2006. Walz served in Washington for the next 12 years, establishing himself as a moderate Democrat. Then, he ran for governor in 2018 winning in a landslide.”
“In an upset he was elected to Congress in 2006. Walz served in Washington for the next 12 years, establishing himself as a moderate Democrat...” – NBC’s @GabeGutierrez pic.twitter.com/CuJAqnmct1
— Brent Baker 🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@BrentHBaker) August 6, 2024
Later, senior national correspondent Jonathan Allen claimed Walz will help Harris when back those who are upset with Biden on Israel, “Tim Walz is someone who has been elected in a state with a significant Muslim population that is very much behind him and has appreciated his governorship, and that’s something that they might be able to tout as they go forward, someone who has that relationship as the Democrats try to bring back some of those voters.”
Anchor Lester Holt then asked, “Is he going to be a unifying force within the party?”
Allen then tried to have it both ways. He claimed Walz is both a progressive, but also moderate enough to win over Republicans, “Here is somebody who is basically a progressive, but has been able to win over a significant number of independent Republican voters in his own state, and that’s something, if he's not the exciting candidate on the ticket, I think that will be fine with Kamala Harris, she is bringing the energy, but absolutely somebody that will assure a lot of Democrats, both Midwestern and moderates, and also the Progressives.”
Later still, presidential historian Michael Beschloss gushed of Walz, claiming his selection disproves the idea of Democrats being coastal elites and hyping his ordinary physical appearance, “The point I'm making is that for anyone who wants to say the Democrats are coastal elites and they’re urban and they’re in the cities in the, and they cannot talk to anyone else. As you know, Lester, I come from Illinois, and all I can tell you, I don’t know Tim Walz, but he looks like an awful lot of public school teachers I had in school, and also like a lot of dads.”
Holt followed up, “I am wondering what the model is for Vice President Harris. Obviously she understands her relationship with President Biden, but what will we look for to see how she is reflecting on that relationship and previous president-vice presidential relationships.”
Beschloss waxed poetic, “Well, Kamala Harris has been vice president for almost four years and has talked to a lot of vice presidents, certainly knows how to make this relationship work, knows that this is key in running the United States government, but at the same time, it is important in the political culture to have a president and vice president who seem to embrace, as much as possible, the diversity of America. Jimmy Carter called the American society ‘a beautiful mosaic’ of all kinds of people. You take a look at this ticket, this does it pretty well.”
Cringe aside, if Allen is correct and Harris picked Walz in order to appease people who think that Biden has been too mean to Hamas, is that really “beautiful”?
Here is a transcript for the August 6 show:
NBC Now Special Report
8/6/2024
9:15 AM ET
GABE GUTIERREZ: A working class politician from a rural background, Minnesota’s Tim Walz is known for not pulling punches.
TIM WALZ: This is not about the Second Amendment, this is about the safety of children and our community.
GUTIERREZ: A self-described white dude for Kamala Harris, the popular governor will not run alongside the nation's first woman of color on top of a major party ticket. Walz grew up in small-town Nebraska and joined the National Guard as a teenager. He served in the National Guard for more than two decades eventually becoming a schoolteacher. After moving to Minnesota, he volunteered for John Kerry’s presidential campaign, and in an upset, he was elected to Congress in 2006. Walz served in Washington for the next 12 years, establishing himself as a moderate Democrat. Then, he ran for governor in 2018 winning in a landslide.
…
JONATHAN ALLEN: Well, I think, there are a couple ways, Lester, that it aligns Democrats. Number one is as Ryan was attesting to, you know, this is someone that's very familiar to Democratic activists, to the Democratic core, he'll have to be introduced to the broader electorate within the party and outside of the party, but Tim Walz is very experienced as a campaigner.
I also think there is a little sub rosa thing going on here, Lester, which is Democrats have been having difficulty because of President Biden and Vice President Harris's position on Israel, they have had difficulty with Arab voters, with Muslim voters, most notably in Michigan. Tim Walz is someone who has been elected in a state with a significant Muslim population that is very much behind him and has appreciated his governorship and that’s something that they might be able to tout as they go forward, someone who has that relationship as the Democrats try to bring back some of those voters.
LESTER HOLT: Is he going to be a unifying force within the party?
ALLEN: Oh, absolutely, Lester. Here is somebody who is basically a progressive, but has been able to win over a significant number of independent Republican voters in his own state, and that’s something, if he's not the exciting candidate on the ticket, I think that will be fine with Kamala Harris, she is bringing the energy, but absolutely somebody that will assure a lot of Democrats both, Midwestern and moderates, and also the Progressives.
…
MICHAEL BESCHLOSS: The point I'm making is that for anyone who wants to say the Democrats are coastal elites and they’re urban and they’re in the cities in the, and they cannot talk to anyone else. As you know, Lester, I come from Illinois, and all I can tell you, I don’t know Tim Walz, but he looks like an awful lot of public school teachers I had in school, and also like a lot of dads.
HOLT: Yeah, and I am wondering what the model is for Vice President Harris. Obviously she understands her relationship with President Biden, but what will we look for to see how she is reflecting on that relationship and previous president-vice presidential relationships.
BESCHLOSS: Well, Kamala Harris has been vice president for almost four years and has talked to a lot of vice presidents, certainly knows how to make this relationship work, knows that this is key in running the United States government, but at the same time, it is important in the political culture to have a president and vice president who seem to embrace, as much as possible, the diversity of America. Jimmy Carter called the American society “a beautiful mosaic" of all kinds of people. You take a look at this ticket, this does it pretty well.
