VP picks are usually diversity hires. They’re chosen specifically for who they are (and who they can appeal to) rather than anything they can actually do. How many times has a presidential candidate from the North east chosen a running mate from the south to appeal to southern voters? It’s basically a tradition. The thing that makes it racist is to only notice when non-white people are involved.
Technically, it doesn’t mandate that. But it does mandate that no elector can vote for both a President and Vice President from their own state, so it would open up the possibility of a split administration. Which is why parties avoid it.
It was amusing to see people float Gavin Newsom as Harris’s VP pick for that reason. With that rule, and the outsized number of Electoral votes that CA has, it’d practically guarantee a Harris/Vance administration if she won.
As a Minnesotan, I’m disappointed to be losing our governor. He’s done great things for our state, but I’m hopeful that the Lt. Governor who will be taking his place will be a good replacement.
Walz’s ascension to the ticket leaves questions for Minnesota. Under the state Constitution, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan would become governor if Walz resigns, but he’s not on the ballot in Minnesota this fall, meaning he could wait until after the November election to step down. Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Nation, would become Minnesota’s first woman and first Native American governor.
Peggy Flanagan seems great and seems like she will be great for the state, but unfortunately she isn’t nearly as electable in MN as Walz was. Walz was a down to earth highschool teacher, where Flanagan is a city born life long activist. I don’t think she’ll be able to swing the rural votes when reelection comes up. She comes across as very cosmopolitan which isn’t a bad thing but it won’t win her any rural votes in a state which is mostly rural.
Minneapolis Star-Tribune - News Source Context (Click to view Full Report)Information for Minneapolis Star-Tribune:
> MBFC: Left-Center - Credibility: High - Factual Reporting: High - United States of America
> Wikipedia about this source
Rolling Stone - News Source Context (Click to view Full Report)Information for Rolling Stone:
> MBFC: Left - Credibility: High - Factual Reporting: High - United States of America
> Wikipedia about this source
Conservatives only account for a little more than 30% of the population, most of them are older too.
They know that young, average Americans dislike their policies, which is why they made this playbook. They need to get someone in power who can execute all of their fantasies before they lose all chances of getting elected in our current system, and they need to change the system so they can cling to power.
In order to energize their remaining voters, they need to make the alternative to them appear threatening, so they fabricate all of this nonsense like migrant crime and culture wars, to make the current America seem like a violent and dangerous place, when the actual numbers show that this is literally the safest time to be alive in American history.
This is the lashing out of an old, dying beast. But they are still incredibly dangerous, as Project 2025 shows. They have a plan to seize power and maintain it through political appointees and the usurpation of the checks and balances we have left. Once they control most of the government, it will be impossible to route them out without crippling the country.
They published the damn plan for anyone to see, and if even half of it goes through we won’t be the same country anymore.
Conservatives only account for a little more than 30% of the population, most of them are older too… They know that young, average Americans dislike their policies, which is why they made this playbook.
It’s comforting to believe this, but look at pics of the Charlottesville march, or even of Jan 6. They aren’t that old.
Hundreds of people, yes, maybe a couple thousand at charlottesville and Jan 6th, but there’s almost 400 million Americans. If they were really that popular, I’d expect 10s of thousands of people at protests like that.
Conservatives only account for a little more than 30% of the population, most of them are older too… They know that young, average Americans dislike their policies, which is why they made this playbook.
The sheer number of under-40 hardcore conservatives is going to be rather staggering to you if you leave Lemmy. And many of them are gun-clutching, boot-licking, fox-news-parrotting racist homo/transphobic bud-light-hating election deniers just like the evil older crowds. And they’d happily vote in P2025.
When Biden was mad at the mass protesting at universities about the genocide, he did mention getting a meme writer to remedy the situation. Maybe this was the outcome?
They really must have thought no one would read it.
All they had to do was say they wanted to cut veterans’ benefits and they already lost enough people to tell Project 2025 to fuck off.
There are over 16 million veterans in this country and who knows how many people in their families that rely on them and the benefits they receive. That sort of thing getting out is just poison.
Which revelation is actually most helpful and beneficial. I mean ultimately a 2 or even 3+ party system, where each party is serious about doing the best for all of the US and the world would be ideal. And for Nov 2024, GOP needs to lose and lose hard.
It was fine until the SC immunity ruling. Nobody was reading the 900 page policy book, and it sounded like conspiracy theory crap to normal folk.
This was actually very clever, since there’s so much braying about conspiracy bullshit everywhere, most not-terminally-online people just react with eyerolls to anything that sounds too outrageous, which this did. Remember that the prevailing wisdom out there is that politicians are liars and both sides exaggerate to score political points, with us calling them fascists and them calling us communists, etc etc.
But then the SC came around and said Presidents get to commit crimes. This is a simple principle everyone can understand, so it can be communicated very easily, and that’s exactly what happened. And lo-and-behold, it was not an exaggeration, that is exactly what the SC said.
This made everyone take the proj 2025 thing much more seriously, turning what had been fodder for supporters and under-the-radar for everyone else into a pretty big across-the-board loss. John Roberts and his more “moderate” conservatives essentially torpedoed the Heritage Foundation. lol
The real question for future historians will be: Did he do it on purpose? Before that ruling, the nation was largely sleepwalking towards authoritarianism. Now it’s a fight, and that SC ruling was the tipping point, a bit of an “is this what you want?” sort of wakeup call. I don’t think so personally, but it’s a fun question. Either way, the two things combined into a collosal self-own for the authoritarian movement.
The only good thing about fascism is that it destroys itself. If it destroys itself because of that SC ruling before it even really gets going, I won’t complain.
They really must have thought no one would read it.
I think some of those wish list items are placed in there to cut out “by reaching across the aisle” during negotiations
But for a lot of the culture war bullshit, they genuinely seemed to have fallen for their own lie about there being a “silent majority” which wanted those things
They want Saudi Arabia in America because they desire the absolute control and power the royal family in SA has over its people. The culture war bullshit is just a means to an end
If Harris/Walz want to pull large swaths of people to their side, all they need to do is focus on VA cuts and how anti-union it is. Have Walz pop into a could IBEW halls and outright say “this organization will cease to exist if you don’t vote out P25”.
Walz advocated for the legalization of recreational cannabis as governor of Minnesota.[74][75][76] As a candidate for governor in 2017, he said: “We have an opportunity in Minnesota to replace the current failed policy with one that creates tax revenue, grows jobs, builds opportunities for Minnesotans, protects Minnesota kids, and trusts adults to make personal decisions based on their personal freedoms.”[77] In 2022, he proposed the creation of a Cannabis Management Office to develop and implement the “regulatory framework for adult-use cannabis” in Minnesota.[78][79] On May 30, 2023, he signed into law House File 100 to legalize recreational cannabis in Minnesota, which went into effect on August 1, 2023.[80][81]
Economic issues
During the economic crisis in 2008, Walz repeatedly spoke out against using taxpayer money to bail out financial institutions; in late September, he voted against the $700 billion TARP bill, which purchased troubled assets from these institutions.[82] Walz released a statement after the bill’s passage, saying, “The bill we voted on today passes the buck when it comes to recouping the losses taxpayers might suffer. I also regret that this bill does not do enough to help average homeowners, or provide sufficient oversight of Wall Street.”[83] For the same reasons, in December 2008, he voted against the bill that offered $14 billion in government loans to bail out the country’s large automobile manufacturers.[84] In June 2009 Walz introduced a bipartisan resolution calling on the federal government to “relinquish its temporary ownership interests in the General Motors Company and the Chrysler Group, LLC, as soon as possible” and stated that the government must not be involved in those companies’ management decisions.[85]
Despite his votes against bailout bills that loaned taxpayer money to large banks and auto manufacturers, Walz did vote with his Democratic colleagues to support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. As a member of the House Transportation Committee, Walz saw the stimulus bill as an opportunity to work “with his congressional colleagues to make job creation through investment in public infrastructure like roads, bridges and clean energy the cornerstone of the economic recovery plan”.[86] Walz has focused heavily on job and economic issues important to his southern Minnesota district, which has a mix of larger employers like the Mayo Clinic along with small businesses and agricultural interests. In July 2009, he voted for the Enhancing Small Business Research and Innovation Act, which he described as “part of our long-term economic blueprint to spur job creation by encouraging America’s entrepreneurs to innovate toward breakthrough technological advancements”.[87][88] Walz also urged assistance for hog and dairy farmers who struggled with lower prices for their commodities in 2008 and 2009.[89]
Education
Walz was a public school teacher for 20 years. He opposes using merit pay for teachers.[90] Voting in favor of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Walz pointed to its strong provisions in support of public school buildings.[91][92] He is on record supporting legislation to lower tuition costs.[93] In a February 12, 2009 speech, he said that the most important thing to do “to ensure a solid base for [America’s] economic future … is to provide the best education possible for [American] children.”[94] Walz has received strong backing for these policies from many interest groups, including the National Education Association, the American Association of University Women and the National Association of Elementary School Principals.[95]
Guns
While in Congress, Walz was a strong supporter of gun rights and was endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) multiple times, receiving an A grade from the organization.[96][97] Following the Parkland high school shooting in 2018, he denounced the NRA in a Star Tribune opinion piece, and announced that he would donate the equivalent of all of the campaign contributions the NRA-PVF had given him—$18,000—to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.[98] As governor, Walz expressed support for gun regulation.[99] In 2023, he signed into law a public safety bill that establishes universal background checks and red-flag laws in Minnesota.[100]
LGBT rights
Walz supports LGBTQ rights, including federal anti-discrimination laws on the basis of sexual orientation.[90] In a 2009 speech, he called for an end to the Don’t ask, don’t tell policy. Walz voted in favor of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and the Sexual Orientation Employment Nondiscrimination Act. In 2007, he received a 90% grade from the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT rights organization.[42] In 2011, Walz announced his support for the Respect for Marriage Act.[101] As governor, Walz has signed a number of bills that support the LGBTQ community. In 2023, he signed a bill that banned the practice of conversion therapy and another that protected gender-affirming care in Minnesota.[102]
Israel–Hamas war
Walz condemned Hamas’s October 7 attacks in Israel and ordered flags to be lowered to half mast in the following days. After the 2024 Minnesota Democratic presidential primary, in which 19% of voters cast “uncommitted” ballots, Walz took a sympathetic view toward those doing so to protest President Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza, calling them “civically engaged”.
Of the protests against U.S. funding of the war in Gaza, Walz said: “This issue is a humanitarian crisis. They have every right to be heard… These folks are asking for a change in course, they’re asking for more pressure to be put on… You can hold competing things: that Israel has the right to defend itself, and the atrocities of October 7 are unacceptable, but Palestinian civilians being caught in this… has got to end.” Walz also said he supports a ceasefire in Gaza.[103]
Veterans’ issues
Having served 24 years in the Army National Guard, as a freshman in Congress Walz was given a rare third committee membership when he was assigned to the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.[104] Walz has championed enhanced veterans benefits since taking office in 2007. In May of that year, the House unanimously passed his “Traumatic Brain Injuries Center Act” to set up five centers around the nation to study traumatic brain injuries and develop improved models for caring for veterans suffering from such injuries.[105]
Walz also supported the GI Bill of 2008, which expanded education benefits for veterans and in some cases allowed them to transfer education benefits to family members.[106] In 2009, Walz gave the keynote address at the American Legion National Convention in Louisville. He spoke about the need for the VA and Department of Defense to work together to make sure that returning service men and women “do not fall through the cracks when they transition to civilian life”.[107]
Walz was the lead House sponsor of the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, which directs the Veterans Administration to report on veteran mental health care and suicide prevention programs. It also gives the VA permission to provide incentives to psychiatrists who agree to join the VA medical system.[108]
Women’s issues
Walz supports abortion rights,[90] and has a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood.[42] The National Right to Life Committee gave him a rating of zero.[42] In early 2009, Walz voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.[109]
Sounds good on paper and Minnesotans seem to like him, I’ll be curious to see if he actually moves the needle any or contributes to the race. Potentially he could provide a bump after a debate with Vance, something akin to Biden’s VP debate performance against Paul Ryan after Obama seemed to flounder in his debate(s) against Romney, though I don’t think he’ll really sink the ticket any. Assuming he doesn’t make any huge blunders, he might be like Tim Kaine in 2016 and just not do anything.
I think a VP Pick could really shift things positively because this isn’t a traditional race in any sense. For starters, the pick is so late in the season and Harris was already nationally known, so a lot of enthusiasm for something fresh will fall on the VP pick.
Voice of America - News Source Context (Click to view Full Report)Information for Voice of America:
> MBFC: Least Biased - Credibility: High - Factual Reporting: High - United States of America
> Wikipedia about this source
For anyone who isn’t familiar with Walz look at what he’s done in Minnesota with a 1 seat majority- universal free school meals - legal weed - carbon free electricity by 2040 - tax rebates for the working class up to $1,300 (making under $150k per year) - 12 weeks paid family leave - 12 weeks paid sick leave - banned conversion therapy - red flag laws for guns - universal background checks for guns - automatic voter registration - free public college (under $80k) - ban on PFAS (forever chemicals)
Fargo is actually in North Dakota. There are places in northern Minnesota that feel similar, but generally MN is significantly more forested and temperate than the biting cold and drifting snow on the plains of ND.
Well, it literally is from the definition of the word… And also, if you’d ever been to North Dakota in the winter, you might even prefer words like “balmy”.
Minnesota has long been one of the best places in America to live. And the crazy part is they’re a fly over state. They’re who Nebraska could be if they stopped blaming costal States for everything and started implementing good policy. Minnesota is proof that the culture war is a big fat fucking distraction and that common sense governance can, in fact, work
I always naively believe I’ll be able to use roads as intended once the ice and snow melt, but somehow my commute gets longer during warm seasons. Thanks construction!
Global warming will “help”. Even where I live we’ve seen a marked decline in snowfall and higher average winter temps. Just consider that even though it’s relatively colder, consider you’re not baking elsewhere.
Oh, I hear ya, but I bet you’d be surprised by what you could endure on a long enough timeline (and a thicc enough jacket). Humans are surprisingly resilient when there’s enough time to adapt.
Summer’s my favorite season by a mile. Even Fall is hard to enjoy cause the drops in temp feel terrible at first. 65° positively brisk. But every year, across the state, Spring will start thawing and soon as we above freezing dudes bust out the shorts & tee’s (usually one or other, ie: hood & shorts, jeans & tees). 50° suddenly picnic weather.
But also shhh… we kind of a sleeper state. Don’t blow up my brunch joint 😂
Yeah I’m sure I’d adjust but I also know ilmy other half is pretty firmly against moving out of our area. I personally would prefer to be in Portland. (Call it what you like, I love being there. It’s the vibe that suits me best). That all being said, I might swing a vacation and see your state during some nice weather.
As a 3x resident of Minnesota (moved for schooling with family 2 different times then moved back both times) You can always add more blankets or clothing to stay warm you can only take so many clothes off when it gets too hot. It’s a pretty great state.
I’ve kinda wanted to for a while. Seems like a genuinely good place to live, plus it doesn’t get as hot (yet) as other states. I burn easy and bitch about temperatures above 70f.
Well you may be disapointed. MN is landlocked so our temps are erratic. In summer it is regularly in the uper 80s to 90s with hatefully high humidity. We can also get like 60 degree temp swings over the course of a day in the spring and fall.
Pretty used to that already (Ohio). Currently sitting at 90f 50% humidity (and rising). Is the cold season longer at least? I get like, a month each of spring and fall, and 2-4 months of mild winter. The rest is summer (I think it was 80+ in late October last year??)
Indiana here, and your weather woes are the same as mine. The one difference being our weather here is Bipolar AF. Right now it’s sunny and thunderstorming at the same time, but still 90°F. Will probably drop into the 50’s overnight.
news
Oldest
This magazine is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.