‘Bringing back the joy’: Walz’s first day keeps Democrats’ buzz going
By: Patrick Svitek and Taylor Lorenz (The Washington Post)
The unbiased liberal press and partisan influencers have three assignments for the next 11 days. The first assignment is to define Tim Walz according to expectations. Walz is an unknown to the national electorate. But Walz does have insider political cred since he did hold a House seat for 12 years and he now chairs the Democratic Governors Association. Walz is someone the press and party apparatus can trust and work with.
The second assignment is to reshape Kamala Harris into a serious candidate. It's far too late in the election cycle to rely solely on rallies to scrape cash and generate buzz that defines campaign. Harris will need to step onto the national stage as a serious candidate. The honeymoon will be over when the DNC convention starts in less than two weeks. That's when the excitement may begin to fade. So far, Harris has been falling into the same trap that sank the Clinton campaign by appealing to donors more than to voters. The true blue base won't care but the voters Harris will need to win should be preparing for some political whiplash.
The third assignment is to manage expectations for the DNC convention. There's really nothing of importance to do at the convention other than approve a party platform. Administrative work just ain't that exciting. All the other party work has already been done. And all the political relief and excitement after Joe Biden dropped out may be expended before the convention rolls around. There is a risk the convention will turn into a buzzkill. The convention will be the launch for the Harris/Walz national campaign. If Harris fails to emerge from the convention as a serious national candidate then the election goes back to where it was before Biden dropped out.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Moments after taking the stage for their first rally together Tuesday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz thanked Vice President Kamala Harris for putting her trust in him as her new running mate. But, he added, “maybe more so, thank you for bringing back the joy.”
Just a month ago, Democrats were feeling less than joyful as they agonized over the fate of President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign after a bad debate performance. His decision to eventually drop out and back Harris as his replacement reinvigorated the party.
In his first day on the ticket, Walz appeared to give Democrats another jolt of energy.
His selection drew plaudits from elected officials along the ideological spectrum ranging from Sen. Joe Manchin III (I-W.Va.) to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). But it also gave rank-and-file Democrats another fresh face to get excited about on social media and the campaign trail, with his Midwestern folksiness and happy-warrior demeanor.
Olivia Julianna, a 21-year-old digital strategist and content creator from Houston, scored a front-row seat at the Philadelphia rally, and though Walz was not her first choice for running mate, she said she left “completely sold.”
“He just has this raw sense of humility and humanity that I feel like you don’t see from politicians very often,” said Julianna, who often posts about politics to her nearly 375,000 X followers. “He comes across as very authentic and genuine. And I think that kind of energy and authenticity will inspire hope” across the political spectrum.
It remains to be seen if the energy can shake up the race, where Harris and former president Donald Trump are still polling closely in battleground states.
Trump, during an appearance Wednesday on Fox News, sought to portray Walz as “a very, very liberal man” and “a shocking pick” — echoing lines that other Republicans have embraced in trying to discredit Harris’s selection.
“I could not be more thrilled,” Trump said, suggesting Harris had passed over better alternatives.
Vice-presidential candidates rarely fundamentally alter the race. And in politics, the best day for any candidate is often considered their first day, before the opposition’s attacks set in. But for now, Democrats see at least an intangible benefit to the fresh enthusiasm.
“Fun campaigns are winning campaigns,” Democratic operative Caitlin Legacki wrote on X. “And this is a very, very fun campaign.”
That has been especially true on social media. From Harris’s announcement of Walz until 5 p.m. Tuesday, posts about Walz on TikTok racked up over 43 million collective views. Sixty-nine percent of those views came from videos produced by progressive content creators and 28 percent came from politically independent creators, according to CredoIQ, a social media analytics firm.
The Harris campaign has helped stoke the online fervor, selling a camouflage “Harris Walz” hat after some supporters suggested it as a play on a similar-looking hat made popular by singer Chappell Roan. A campaign official said the product sold out in a half-hour.
“Walz has gone from virtual unknown to household name overnight,” said Brendan Gahan, chief executive officer and co-founder of Creator Authority, a digital and influencer marketing agency. “This surge in popularity isn’t just driven by political pundits; he’s having a viral moment.”
Harris had a similar experience after Biden withdrew. Social media filled with celebratory memes referencing her May 2023 remarks recalling how her mother would question young people if they think they “just fell out of a coconut tree.” The singer Charli XCX gave Harris another boost online when she posted on X, “kamala IS brat,” referring to the singer’s term for a carefree lifestyle.
Harris’s devotees became “coconut-pilled.” And before long, advocates for her to pick the Minnesota governor were “Walz-pilled,” impressed with his down-to-earth appeal and liberal policy achievements in Minnesota, such as making school lunch free.
Harris leaned into Walz’s folksiness during their first rally together Tuesday in Philadelphia. As he laughed and applauded effusively alongside her, she repeatedly called him “Coach Walz” and noted how he also went by “Mr. Walz” when he taught high school students.
“And in 91 days, the nation will know Coach Walz by another name — vice president of the United States,” Harris said to big cheers.
Speaking after Harris, Walz offered no shortage of lighthearted moments. He shouted out to “old White guys” in the crowd, alluded to a baseless internet joke about Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) — the crowd roared with laughter — and reprised the jab that helped make him a serious vice-presidential contender in the first place, calling the Republican ticket “just weird as hell.”
Julianna said Harris’s campaign has been smart to leverage all the online exuberance about Harris and Walz in a way that energizes highly engaged supporters but is still accessible to everyday voters.
“I think it’s just really, really brilliant,” said Julianna, who rose to prominence in 2022 after using online ridicule from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to raise money for abortion access.
Lindsey Gamble, an online marketing and digital strategy consultant in Boston, also praised the Harris campaign for tapping into the online energy, saying she “has been really digital first throughout this campaign.”
“It’s like FOMO [Fear of Missing Out], when you see someone tweeting about [Walz] or posting about him, it’s sparking interest to dive deeper and learn more about him,” Gamble said.
The hours before the rally saw abundant jokes on social media about what some called his “Midwestern dad vibes.” Enthusiasts circulated a five-year-old video of him and his teenage daughter trying to record a message about the start of hands-free driving in Minnesota, bickering with one another while seated together in the front seat of a car.
“Tim Walz 100000% stands at his doorstep when it’s raining and says ‘we needed this,’” the prominent gun-control activist David Hogg said Tuesday on social media, spawning many other posts applying stereotypical dad behavior to Walz.
As Democrats celebrated, Republican sought to exploit what they argue are Walz’s weaknesses.
While some Republicans went after Walz directly, others also used his debut to question Harris’s judgment. Vance said it “just highlights how radical Kamala Harris is.”
“This is a person who listened to the Hamas wing of her own party in selecting a nominee,” Vance told reporters, referring to Harris’s decision to pass over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, whose Israel positions had drawn some liberal opposition.
Other Republicans took to social media to also criticize Harris’s decision to pass over Shapiro — and express surprise that she did not pick the popular governor of a swing state.
As Republicans started attacking Walz in dark terms — Trump said in an email to supporters that Walz will “unleash HELL ON EARTH” — some supporters responded with joyful past photos of the governor, including of him laughing heartily while holding a piglet.
“Coconut-pilled. Walz-pilled,” the former Barack Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau said on X as the news of Walz’s selection broke. “What else can the internet manifest for this election??”
Tags
Who is online
554 visitors
The Harris campaign staff has a lot of work to do. Harris introduced Tim Walz in front of a rally audience. And Walz was the only white guy on the screen. Not the best optics for a national campaign. The Trump campaign should be able to get a lot of mileage out of optics like that.
That picture is worth more than a thousand words. Trump could work to define Walz as a white apologist and designated scapegoat. Tim Walz is willing to sell out national security, American values, and the Midwest blue collar worker for the sake of DEI. J.D. Vance was right after all.
And Walz was the only white guy on the screen.
I watched and this is not true. Post a photo of what you are talking about or admit it’s a lie.
Speaking of poorly planned backdrops …
Still can see the "Chaos" on the sign no matter how badly Democrats want it hidden.
Nothing chaotic about her nomination, except for how much campaign money she is raking in.
Actually undemocratic. No one voted for her in the primaries. And she is still the presumptive because she only has enough committed delegates. The convention puts the seal on the nomination.
Injected by the party bosses not by a vote of the people.
Chaos, “democracy” chaos ….
That is a picture from the rally. I count 10 people behind the candidates and six of them look "white" to me.
Actually undemocratic.
Besides Trump and his supporters, who is complaining? Don’t worry about us, just worry about the path your wannabe dictator is dragging you down.
But for diversity's sake, shouldn't she have gone with a man or woman of color or perhaps someone of Muslim roots, rather than another pasty faced old white guy?
Those tight camera shots can really screw up a narrative.
No. The committee held a virtual vote with Harris getting 99% of the delegate vote last Friday, The Convention will hold an in person ceremonial vote. The official certified paperwork with both the names of Harris and Walz was signed last night, by Party Chair Jaime Harrison and Democratic National Convention Committee Chair Minyon Moore. It will be sent today to all 50 state elector's offices so ballots can be printed.
Then what is the point of holding the convention I wonder?
lol. There are white people all over the place in YOUR photos.
Sounds like, I think this is the correct phrase, sour grapes to me.
Look what they're stuck with!
LOL
What was the point then of holding that freakshow of an RNC convention I wonder?
Considering 99.999% of the time a convention starts we already know who's going to win, the point is to pump up the base with a big party. The Dems had the virtual vote setup long before Biden dropped out so as to not give Ohio Republicans any excuse to try and exclude the Dem nominee.
As I said, Walz is the only white guy on the screen. Yeah there are white women. True blue Democrats may not be able to distinguish between men and women but those true blue voters are not who will decide the election.
Do you see where the Tampon Tim jibe comes from now?
He had competition and anything could have arisen although it didn't seem anything would.
And have a drunkfest and maybe land some strange.................
Anytime large groups of people meet and alcohol is served things get...strange. And Grinder did say it had a high use volume during the RNC so... yeah? All we can say is we hope people make good life choices and that includes all the protesters that go to these cities in some vain attempt to make themselves feel like they're doing something with their lives.
Someone needs an eye exam.
It was a freakshow. Plain and simple.
huh? Is that what you do??????????????????
I'm sure everyone realizes that I'm NOT the Democrats' buzz.
Wonder when Kamala is going to do a press conference? Anyone can read from a teleprompter
Trump admitted he couldn't, but as usual he blamed it on someone else.
Does the Post change a few words when they run the campaign press release as "news" to maintain plausible deniability or does it just say run it verbatim, knowing that no one expects any better?
Tampon Tim somewhat resembles Nikita Khrushchev,[✘]
I think we shall call him.....................TIMPON.
Only good for 1 period and no second string?
So manly
Waiting with to hear Walz explanation of his military record.
He has some splaining to do.
JD already slammed his "record" and boy is the liberal press defending the shit out of Walz.
JD here............
and liberal defenders here............
jd is a fucking asshole to slam Walz's honorable service.
Fuck jd
There's nothing to slam in Walz's record.
There's nothing to slam in Walz's record. Why did that asshole go there?
A clueless comment.[✘]
nothing? Just wait. It’s early in the honeymoon season.
No explaining to do whatsoever.
Another uninformed comment
Funny thing is the Minnesota National Guard commander called Waltz out for misrepresenting his rank on retirement which was Master Sergent rather than Command Sergent Major, which Waltz never qualified for.
At minimum, a bad chit for lack of character and integrity