Democratic VP nominee Tim Walz’s Monday tour of friendly interviews concluded on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, where he and host Jon Stewart gathered to plot strategy, gush over Kamala Harris’s vision for the country, assure the far-left that Dick and Liz Cheney won’t actually affect their governing philosophy, and allow one guy in the audience to shout, “We love you, Tim.”
The Daily Show, and Stewart in particular, like to lampoon the media for what they consider to be an obsession with superficial matters like polling analysis or campaign strategies, but that didn’t stop Stewart from asking, “What's been an effective argument that you have felt has pulled people closer to you?”
Walz replied with a story about how, “A Republican introduces me in Omaha, he said, “I can't stand with this guy anymore, that’s not the party of Reagan, this isn’t freedom,” whatever it may be. It’s a lot of those folks that are trying to find permission to get off the MAGA stuff and move over. So, they’re still listening. They're finding a way.”
Stewart then sought to elaborate with what he thought were trivial critiques of Walz’s Minnesota governorship, “Is the concern they have that a Harris-Walz, you know, team would be too liberal or, you know, is it, do they point to 'Oh, in Minnesota, you allowed tampons in different bathrooms and trans people were allowed to play sports, and oh, my god, we are all going to be communists?' Like, what are they—”
Eager to portray Republican critiques as overblown, Walz agreed, “Our children are eating breakfast and lunch,” as Stewart continued, “What do you find is a barrier to them being able to place at?”
Walz declared, “For a lot of them, they've never crossed over that line.” He also claimed, “They don't have a home anymore, and I think for a lot of cases, they hear the noise that is out there; that is why I'm out there talking to them. We talk about tax cuts to the middle class, talking about home ownership. Talking about— the one that makes a difference, especially in rural areas because it is an older population, expanding home care for Medicare, and then all of a sudden, they are like, ‘Oh, that’s a damn good idea.’”
Stewart clearly liked that answer, “I got to tell you, that may be my favorite policy.”
Later on, Stewart was still strategizing, “How do you convince them that the things that will be done in your administration will impact their lives in a tangible way?”
Walz discussed the importance of meeting voters where they are on the economy, but further along, a dismayed Stewart wondered, “The Cheney thing—do we really have to do that?”
Not calmed by Walz’s mentions of Bernie Sanders and Taylor Swift, Stewart tried again. “What country did Taylor Swift get us to invade?”
Walz did his best to assure Stewart not to worry, “I think Liz Cheney and Dick Cheney give permission to those folks who want to find a reason to do the right thing. It doesn't mean they agree with us. We’re not going to take their foreign policy decisions and discussions, you know, and implement those.”
Finally, Stewart concluded with a T-ball question, “What is the proudest thing that you instituted in Minnesota during your time as governor?”
Walz repeated his earlier bit about “free breakfast and lunch for kids,” but added, “the philosophy we have, and this is what I know Kamala agrees in, you’re either going to buy school buses and school meals or prison buses and prison meals.”
A sarcastic Stewart replied, “Well, we appreciate you coming here. It’s clear that a lot of our audience is undecided,” to which an audience member shouted, “We love you, Tim!”
The love was clearly in the air as Walz was able to go another interview without being asked about his long record of making things up about his life.
Here is a transcript for the October 21 show:
Comedy Central The Daily Show
10/21/2024
11:24 PM ET
JON STEWART: Have you met people that appear to be — because what I know, people who say, "Oh, I am undecided" you talk to them for 30 seconds and you are like, "Oh, you’re a libertarian." They have what their deal is already set up. They just sort of place themselves in this "I don't know yet." Have you, what's been an effective argument that you have felt has pulled people closer to you?
WALZ: Well, it’s a lot of— the folks I'm talking to on that, they're folks that are probably, they are Republicans and they say it. A Republican introduces me in Omaha, he said, “I can't stand with this guy anymore, that’s not the party of Reagan, this isn’t freedom,” whatever it may be. It’s a lot of those folks—
STEWART: Right.
WALZ: — that are trying to find permission to get off the MAGA stuff and move over. So, they’re still listening. They're finding a way.
STEWART: Is the concern they have that a Harris-Walz, you know, team would be too liberal or, you know, is it, do they point to “Oh, in Minnesota, you allowed tampons in different bathrooms and trans people were allowed to play sports, and oh, my god, we are all going to be communists?” Like, what are they—
WALZ: Our children are eating breakfast and lunch.
STEWART: Right, but is that, what’s the battle here? What do you find is a barrier to them being able to place at?
WALZ: For a lot of them, they've never crossed over that line. I mean it really is, you can say it about, you know, Liz Cheney and Dick Cheney, and some of those that did show some courage to cross over. They don't agree. These are folks that were told that "I'm historically Republican, I’m going to vote Republican," but they don't have a home anymore, and I think for a lot of cases, they hear the noise that is out there; that is why I'm out there talking to them. We talk about tax cuts to the middle class, talking about home ownership. Talking about— the one that makes a difference, especially in rural areas because it is an older population, expanding home care for Medicare, and then all of a sudden, they are like, “Oh, that’s a damn good idea.”
STEWART: I got to tell you, that may be my favorite policy.
…
STEWART: How do you convince them that the things that will be done in your administration will impact their lives in a tangible way?
WALZ: Yeah, they need to feel it. I often times talk about this as a teacher. You know, the Maslow's hierarchy is self-actualization, you have to have a lot of money and time to self-actualize. They're worried about — when they say that they’re worried about the economy, believe them. They are worried about the economy or they’re struggling. You can't tell them “well, inflation is down, interest rates are coming down.”
They need to see the tangible things that will make a difference. So, talk to them what a $6,000 tax credit looks like as opposed to a Trump tariff that would have 20 percent. These are folks that want to find a reason to not vote for Donald Trump. We need to get them that. So, I think in the midst of this –
I said, coming out after that opening, it is terrifying what they are doing but that is all distraction, the Trump distraction. He is dangerous. It is serious. He's not going to do, he's not going to do any manufacturing.
STEWART: It's interesting. If I judge it from, and again, New York is not a swing state, but we see the commercials. We are inundated with the commercials, mostly for down-ballot races and things like that, but if I were to look at this as an alien stepping into this election, just from the commercials, I would think that Republicans vote on two things: Stopping people from coming over the border and stopping trans people from playing sports.
WALZ: Yeah.
STEWART: Like, those are the only two commercials that I've seen.
WALZ: Yeah.
STEWART: — and the Democrats, oddly enough, run on two things as well. Stopping people coming in from the border. They’ve accepted it, like, all the Democrats that are running for Congress and for other offices here in New York, all talk about the border, and then choice legislation.
WALZ: Yeah.
STEWART: And you would think those are the only two things that are going on that anybody is talking about. So it's interesting to hear that it is more economy.
WALZ: Well, they ask people to rank the issues where they’re at, depending on where you rank it, and look, these guys figured out early, fear is a great short-term motivator. I often say, I supervised the high school lunchroom. I know fear works, but it doesn't change behaviors and I still believe that there is this aspirational piece, and really listening to where people are at.
In small towns, these are not hateful people but they are wondering, where the manufacturing jobs go? Well, Donald Trump ship them overseas, you know, — and things like that. We need to make sure that we are making the case that, looks, here’s how this is going to specifically impact you.
STEWART: Right.
WALZ: We hear you about this.
…
STEWART: The Cheney thing — do we really have to do that?
WALZ: Look, it goes farther than that. Look, Bernie Sanders, Dick Cheney, Taylor Swift —
STEWART: No, no, no. No, no. No, no. No. No.
WALZ: Having the Cheneys on board?
STEWART: You can't Dick Cheney or Taylor Swift. No!
WALZ: Perfect ten. Perfect ten.
STEWART: What country did Taylor Swift get us to invade? No!
WALZ: Don't you think, though — and I do this, I believe this.
STEWART: Yeah.
WALZ: There is still a core group of folks out there. You know, your point being, the Don't Tread on Me, the Reagan piece of this, the libertarian piece of this, the Constitutional piece—
STEWART: Yes.
WALZ: — There are a lot of people out there. I think Liz Cheney and Dick Cheney give permission to those folks who want to find a reason to do the right thing. It doesn't mean they agree with us. We’re not going to take their foreign policy decisions and discussions, you know, and implement those. We're going to take –
STEWART: Promise?
WALZ: Yes, promise. It's a stressful time.
STEWART: It’s a stressful time.
…
STEWART: What is the proudest thing that you instituted in Minnesota during your time as governor?
WALZ: Free breakfast and lunch for kids. They learn better. Couple that with, you know, early childhood, couple that with paid family medical leave, or whatever, and the philosophy we have, and this is what I know Kamala agrees in, you’re either going to buy school buses and school meals or prison buses and prison meals. It makes more sense to bulk on the front end and solve a lot of those problems.
STEWART: Well, we appreciate you coming here, it’s clear that a lot of our audience is undecided.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you, Tim!
WALZ: Thank you, thank you.
