Cynthia M. Allen: Harris’ VP pick of Minnesota’s Tim Walz is a gift to Donald Trump. Here’s why

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Until Tuesday morning, it looked like Vice President Kamala Harris was going to help her chances of winning in those unpredictable swing states by choosing Pennsylvania’s popular governor, Josh Shapiro, to be her presumptive running mate.

Instead she chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a candidate whose liberal bona fides equal her own. The pick clearly was intended to mollify the left flank of her party.

In so doing, she has potentially handed Donald Trump and the Republican Party the greatest gift they could hope for at this stage of the campaign — a Democratic ticket without room for moderates.

Shapiro, considered the top contender as late as Monday night, is Jewish and staunchly pro-Israel. That made him an unfavorable selection for the vocal left, but he’s more aligned with the views of most Americans.

His selection would have moderated Harris’ pro-Palestinian inclinations.

Walz instead shares Harris’ sympathies; his selection should be viewed as a shift away from current administration policy on Israel.

Also Walz, unlike Shapiro, does not govern a swing state.

Pennsylvania will be crucial in the November election, and passing over Shapiro may make it less secure for Democrats.

Minnesota, while a political oddity, generally has been a progressive stronghold.

Under Walz’s watch, Minnesota was the epicenter of the George Floyd riots of 2020, which were punctuated by the destruction of swaths of Minneapolis.

The state government — again, with Walz at its helm — has also been implicated in a series of scandals, including a $250 million fraud scheme involving the use of federal pandemic relief funds.

Walz’s policy record on abortion — he signed a law codifying the right to obtain the procedure — and gender transitions is to the left of many in his own party.

His selection is telling, to say the least.

It’s also not without precedent.

Harris picking Walz is effectively the same as Trump picking Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.

The choice doubles down on Harris’s most extreme policy positions and indicates not only the direction she intends to take her party but her confidence in that course.

If Trump’s selection of Vance was propitiation of the populist right, the Walz pick is much the same for the left: a clarion call that the party is going to become a less and less comfortable place for the middle.

It’s a bold and risky move.

In an election cycle as unpredictable as this one, it’s hard to know what happens next.

But it seems like Trump and his campaign has been handed a gift. What they do with it is anyone’s guess.

Cynthia M. Allen is a columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Her email address is cmallen@star-telegram.com

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Other voices: Welcome to the big leagues, Gov. Walz

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Given the time constraints, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris conducted a cautious and orderly process as she vetted her various options for vice president. It was pretty clear by Monday that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was going to get her nod over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, but we were impressed that what is now known as the Harris-Walz campaign avoided leaks. It was a skilled rollout of a man who is well liked by the Democratic Party’s attentive progressive base but who is little known to most Americans.

Indeed, according to an NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll released Tuesday and conducted over the last few days, more than 70% of Americans have no opinion of the 60-year-old Walz, either favorable or unfavorable. That’s a high number, given the focus on the race.

And we’ll wager that had we gone out on the streets of Chicago a month ago, relatively few Chicagoans would even have heard of the 41st governor of Minnesota, a West Point, Nebraska-born graduate of Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska; a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives who served for 24 years in the Army National Guard; and an educator who once taught geography and coached football at Mankato West High School in Mankato, Minnesota.

West Point, Nebraska, for the record, has a famous name and a population of 3,459.

As fellow Midwesterners, we congratulate Walz and his family on his ascendancy to this candidacy and note the distinctive nature of that achievement: it is far from easy for the child of a school administrator and community activist in small-town Nebraska to achieve such heights and his biography suggests he did it the hard way, on his own. Whatever your political views, this year’s two vice presidential candidates, the other being JD Vance of Middletown, Ohio, shine a spotlight of those who spent their formative years in bedrock Midwest communities, became undergraduates at public universities and served their country in the military.

Now Walz has to introduce himself and explain his positions to Americans even as his Republican rivals try to fill that gap first.

We’re also waiting for the person at the top of the Democratic ticket this fall, Vice President Kamala Harris, to find some time to answer some independent reporters’ questions on matters of substance. And we are calling for all candidates to arrange the debates that are so important to Americans learning about those who aspire to the nation’s highest offices.

— The Chicago Tribune

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Today in History: August 9, U.S. bombs Nagasaki

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Today is Friday, Aug. 9, the 222nd day of 2024. There are 144 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 9, 1945, three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, a U.S. B-29 Superfortress code-named Bockscar dropped a nuclear device over Nagasaki; the bombing and subsequent radiation poisoning killed an estimated 74,000 people.

Also on this date:

In 1173, construction began on the campanile of Pisa Cathedral—better known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

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In 1854, Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden,” which described Thoreau’s experiences while living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts, was first published.

In 1936, Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics as the United States took first place in the 400-meter relay.

In 1969, actor Sharon Tate and four other people were found brutally slain at Tate’s Los Angeles home; cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his followers were later convicted of the crime.

In 1974, Gerald Ford took the oath of office to become US president after Richard Nixon’s resignation; in a speech following, Ford declared that “our long national nightmare is over.”

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan nominated Lauro Cavazos to be secretary of education; Cavazos became the first Hispanic to serve in the Cabinet.

In 2014, Michael Brown Jr., a Black 18-year-old, was shot to death by a police officer following an altercation in Ferguson, Missouri; Brown’s death led to sometimes-violent protests in Ferguson and other U.S. cities, spawning a national “Black Lives Matter” movement.

Today’s Birthdays:

Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Cousy is 96.
Tennis Hall of Famer Rod Laver is 86.
Jazz musician Jack DeJohnette is 82.
Comedian-director David Steinberg is 82.
Actor Sam Elliott is 80.
Singer Barbara Mason is 77.
College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player John Cappelletti is 72.
College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Doug Williams is 69.
Actor Melanie Griffith is 67.
Actor Amanda Bearse is 66.
Rapper Kurtis Blow is 65.
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., is 64.
Hockey Hall of Famer Brett Hull is 60.
TV host Hoda Kotb (KAHT’-bee) is 60.
Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is 57.
Actor Gillian Anderson is 56.
Actor Eric Bana is 56.
Producer-director McG (aka Joseph McGinty Nichol) is 56.
NHL player-turned-coach Rod Brind’Amour is 54.
TV journalist Chris Cuomo is 54.
Actor Thomas Lennon is 54.
Rapper Mack 10 is 52.
Actor Nikki Schieler Ziering is 53.
Latin rock singer Juanes is 52.
Actor Liz Vassey is 52.
Actor Kevin McKidd is 51.
Actor Rhona Mitra (ROH’-nuh MEE’-truh) is 49.
Actor Texas Battle is 48.
Actor Jessica Capshaw is 48.
Actor Ashley Johnson is 41.
Actor Anna Kendrick is 39.

Julien keeps seeing spin with Saints, who beat Omaha on walk-off RBI single in 9th by Jair Camargo

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Edouard Julien had the type of rookie season with the Twins last season that suggested he could take a stranglehold on the second base job, hitting .263 with 16 home runs in 109 games.

The former 18th-round draft pick drew the attention of a lot of people, including opposing pitchers — which goes a long way in explaining why Julien is currently wearing a Saints’
uniform.

The 25-year-old Julien was hitting .207 for the Twins this season when he was sent down on June 4. Asked on Thursday about his offensive struggles, Julien said he was seeing more curve balls and sliders than ever before in his young professional career.

His hitting woes continued after joining the Saints, with pitchers going after him with the same approach.

“I think I’ve been getting 15 to 20% fastballs here,” he said. “They throw me a lot of spin, so it’s something I’ve got to get better at. And I am. My approach has to change a little bit, but I have to be aggressive on stuff in the zone.”

Julien was recalled by the Twins on July 20 with infielders Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda out due to injury, but returned to the Saints a week later when both players completed their rehab assignments.

With Brooks Lee also in the mix now at second base, Julien’s return to the majors becomes the much more difficult.

“I think if I want to be back, I’ve got to be better; that’s it,” Julien said. “So, for me, I don’t question anything else. I can’t point fingers or be pissed off. I’ve just got to be better.”

Being better includes continuing to make inroads on hitting the breaking ball. The more he sees in batting practice and in the batting cage, the more comfortable he’ll be in games.

“I tend to like the fastball better,” Julien said, “but when you don’t get it, you’ve got to able to put it in play. I’ve got to hit the ones that are up and put good swings on them.”

A double to lead off the Saints’ game with the Columbus Clippers on Thursday night at CHS Field extended Julien’s on-base streak to 33 games. The work he has put in is paying dividends.

“I’ve just got to keep doing it,” he said. “I’ve just got to keep having good at-bats and to show that I am able to adjust to anything.”

While his home run numbers are down — he has six with the Saints — Julien said it is not the result of sacrificing power to make contact.

“I never really swing for the long ball,” he said. “The strikeouts, I’m trying to cut down, but for me, it’s just to be aggressive on a pitch in the zone.”

Asked if he felt the ability he has shown to get on base could improve his chances of being called back up, Julien said, “Obviously, they don’t care about that because I’m still here, right?”

Briefly

Jair Camargo had an RBI single in the ninth inning on Tuesday as St. Paul beat Columbus 2-1 in a walk-off. Saints starter Zebby Matthews limited the Clippers to two hits, including a leadoff home run, over five innings. Twins infielder Kyle Farmer, on a rehab assignment, doubled in his first at bat and added a single and a walk.

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