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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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.
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.
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.
Republicans don’t know what the fuck CSAM is. “CSAM” is just the leftist euphemism treadmill for CP.
I never said the idiots had to be Republicans. “Both sides equally bad” centrists would do just fine for spreading misinformation.
Good point.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Seeing this for the first time was the best part of my day.
I love it so much that this was real. The joke writes itself
I dunno, I liked the one with the sleepy Trumplet.
how long before the inevitable “national guard isn’t real army men!!!” talking point is flying around?
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
You mean modern Christianity?
Fair.
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.
Next up: Is Santa Claus a devil worshipping pedophile communist?
Thats when you murder Santa in front of kids like this guy
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/12/evangelical-groomer-assassinated-santa-claus/
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https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/kamala-harris-tim-walz-sledgehammer-trump-vance-1235075356/
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/who-is-tim-walz-kamala-harris-vp-pick-1235074724/Why the downvotes?
Excellent thumbnail. It looks like he’s laughing at the Republicans.
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
I saw an attempt: https://www.voat.xyz/viewpost?postid=66b48351b0c7a
“I hope Tim Walz sexually assaulted teenage boys so we can use it against him” would be such an eye opener if these people had the ability to think about what they were posting.
Isn’t voat almost cheating?
Republicans: “LeEbRuHL!!!”
Waltz: “Thanks!”
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
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.
Oh, only the Wrong Wing calls them far left. Normal people know better. For one thing, they have a chance of being elected.
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.
That’s what I’m saying. Right wing talking heads are priming people to start thinking “The far left doesn’t seem so bad.”
There is no far left in mainstream US politics. That is nothing more than republican fear mongering.
This has been the contrast since the early 80s…
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?
The kids in the top one are so excited about their newfound Freedom™ 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
There is in Minnesota if you are a kid.
Looks like the kids are doing the hugging, and he’s just basking in the pure joy of it
That’s exactly right, the full video is adorable.
Bombarded with love and huge genuine smiles from the kids, hands visible? Yeah dude is doing something right
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What. A. Monster.
Someone needs to stop this guy
Only so he could harvest their adtenochrome
It’s aaaaall coming together, the sinister plot revealed at least, how could we not have seen
What is this communist germany? -republicans, soon
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Say what you will about Hitler, but he provided food and tanks for everyone.
*For everyone that liked him
There were probably a few fools who liked Hitler and then wound up in concentration camps themselves.
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.
That is what was reported in the articles I read.
