Tim Walz on Principles & Values Democrat

Turned down pay raise every year as Governor

Democracy is bigger than winning an election

JDV: We don't have to agree on every issue, but we're united behind a basic American First Amendment principle that we ought to debate our differences. We ought to argue about them. We ought to try to persuade our fellow Americans. Kamala Harris is engaged in censorship at an industrial scale. She did it during COVID, she's done it over a number of other issues. That is a much bigger threat to democracy than what Donald Trump said when he said that protesters should peacefully protest on January 6th.

Jan 6 was not Facebook ads: it was overturning an election

WALZ: Donald Trump refused to acknowledge that he lost this election. 140 police officers were beaten at the Capitol that day. Several later died. To deny what happened on January 6--the first time in American history that a President or anyone tried to overturn a fair election and the peaceful transfer of power--and here we are four years later in the same boat.

VANCE: Hillary Clinton in 2016 said that Donald Trump had the election stolen by Vladimir Putin because the Russians bought, like, $500,000 worth of Facebook ads.

WALZ: January 6th was not Facebook ads. Donald Trump is still saying he didn't lose the election. I would just ask that: Did he lose the 2020 election?

VANCE: Tim, I'm focused on the future. Did Kamala Harris censor Americans from speaking their mind in the wake of the 2020 COVID situation?

WALZ: That is a damning non answer.

If you don't like my choices, mind your own damn business

Walz's line has been adapted in subsequent speeches to read: "In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and their personal choices that they make. Even if we wouldn't make the same choice for ourselves, there's a golden rule: Mind your own damn business."

So what does Walz mean when he preaches the 'golden rule' of "mind your own damn business"? Simple really. He means there should be unfettered access to abortion nationwide. Of course, the oft-repeated idea that being pro-life is anti-freedom ignores the freedom interests of the unborn.

Born and raised in Nebraska; college and career in Minnesota

Born and raised in Ohio; college in Ohio and Yale

Vance earned a B.A. in political science and philosophy from Ohio State University in 2009 and a J.D. from Yale University Law School in 2013. His career experience includes co-founding Narya, founding Our Ohio Renewal, and working as an intern for Republican state senator Bob Schuler, a law clerk for U.S. Senator John Cornyn and U.S. District Court for Kentucky's Eastern District Judge David Bunning, a litigation associate with the Sidley Austin law firm, the director of operations at Circuit Therapeutics, a principal at Mithril Capital Management, a venture capitalist with Revolution, LLC, and an author.

Started "weird" meme to describe Trump/Vance

That changed with Walz's first appearance two weeks ago on Morning Joe, the MSNBC proving grounds for the would-be running mates to perform their routines.

"What I know is, people like J.D. Vance know nothing about small-town America," Walz said. He described a state of divisiveness in the country where "we can't even go to Thanksgiving dinner with our uncle because you end up in some weird fight that is unnecessary." After that got a chuckle, he added, "Well, it's true--these guys are just weird. They're running for 'He-Man Women-Haters Club' or something."

"Weird" took off, earning a battlefield promotion to the top of Democratic talking points against Donald Trump and Vance--both of whom offered plenty of material afterward to earn the descriptor.

Minnesota Lutheran, a Midwestern cultural subtype

He does not often discuss his faith publicly but has posted about attending worship during Christmas and other services at various Lutheran churches. Walz refers to Pilgrim Lutheran Church in St. Paul--a congregation in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a mainline denomination--as "my parish."

Walz sometimes describes himself as a "Minnesota Lutheran," an identity he frames as a sort of Midwestern cultural subtype. "Because we're good Minnesota Lutherans, we have a rule: If you do something good and talk about it, it no longer counts," Walz said in April. "So what you have to do is to get someone else to talk about you."

The only previous vice president connected to the tradition was another Minnesotan, Hubert Humphrey, who was raised Lutheran but ended up attending a Methodist church.

GOP endorser: Walz serves calmly & humbly, without bluster

Tim and I represented different political parties--he as a Democrat, and I as a Republican--yet we found common ground and worked together on numerous issues for the betterment of our constituents and our nation. More than ever, America just needs a normal guy to help lead our nation and bring us together. I'm excited Vice President Kamala Harris has selected Tim as her running mate.

Refreshingly, and sadly increasingly uncommon in D.C. today, Tim did not advocate issues to improve his partisan political standing or increase his social media presence. Instead, Tim demonstrated a simple commitment to policies that would improve people's lives regardless of any political advantage.

Trump's weirdness is simply what we're observing

A: What I said was, President Biden was delivering. I applaud Joe Biden. I think he made the right decision in terms of the ability to prosecute this case against Donald Trump's weirdness.

Q: You have gotten some attention this week for calling Trump and Vance and Republicans in general weird.

A: When you just ratchet down some of the scariness or whatever and just name it what it is, I got to tell you, my observation is, have you ever seen the guy laugh? That seems very weird to me that an adult can go through six-and-a- half years of being in the public eye. If he has laughed, it's at someone, not with someone. That is weird behavior. And I don't think you call it anything else. It's simply what we're observing.

Coaching HS football taught grit, resilience, teamwork

To the astonishment of everyone who had watched us at the beginning of the season, we qualified for the state playoffs. We went on to win to claim the state championship. I don't think we would've won if we hadn't lost at the beginning of the season. It taught us grit, resilience, and the true meaning of teamwork.

Nonviolence the only way to move hearts and create change

Got political when students were turned away from Bush event

Endorsed National Dems' "Front line incumbent retention" target.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has added nine candidates to its `Red to Blue` list, a designation singling out strong campaigns in open or Republican-held districts. The list now includes two categories: targeted districts and `emerging` districts which may be targeted later.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is funding two programs [mostly via PAC-funded TV advertising] in the 2014 cycle: `Red-to-Blue` in Republican-held districts, and `Frontline` to defend Democratic-held districts.

Press Release from DCCCDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel named 26 of his colleagues to the Frontline program, a committee program designed to protect their most vulnerable incumbents. `We call this program Frontline for a reason--these Members are on the vanguard of protecting and expanding the middle class,` Israel said in a written statement. `While the 2014 campaign will be dominated by a strong offense taking on the Tea Party Republican Congress, our success begins with our Members,` added Israel, a Democrat from New York. `These battle-tested men and women have proven time and again that they can win because no one better reflects the values of their districts.`

Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn. will spearhead the program as its chairman. He`s a Frontline alumnus as recently as the 2012 cycle. Otherwise, the list includes several freshman members and Blue Dog Democrats: