OPINION:
A day after being formally installed as the Democratic presidential candidate on a Zoom call, Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. She made the safest choice.
The other leading contender, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, had one glaring flaw in the eyes of the party of “saving democracy.” Mr. Shapiro is Jewish, and his selection would have inflamed the party’s growing pro-Hamas wing.
Going with a governor with a track record of condoning Islamic extremism helps quell such discontent. Mr. Walz quietly ensured that pro-Hamas demonstrators at the University of Minnesota faced no consequences for violating state laws or school policies, just as he allowed the far more destructive Black Lives Matter rioters to burn and loot Minneapolis before doing anything about it.
After the deaths of two residents, the destruction of 1,500 properties and $500 million in damage, 612 charges were filed. Nearly all were dismissed a year later, with Ms. Harris helping to raise money for their defense.
Despite the high-profile incident, an NPR/PBS/Marist poll found 71% of voters have no idea who Mr. Walz is. That’s perfect, since modern Democratic campaigns avoid issues. The public wouldn’t like the policies their candidates implement once the election is over.
As Minnesota’s chief executive, Mr. Walz has been an unrepentant radical, despite the furious overnight effort of Democratic allies to redefine him as an ordinary guy. In the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, even The New York Times’ science and global health correspondent was taken aback by what she saw.
“Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota took the extraordinary step of banning people from different households from meeting indoors or outdoors, even though evidence has consistently shown the outdoors to be relatively safe,” Apoorva Mandavilli wrote.
That’s not the end of the governor’s unscientific nonsense. He signed legislation last year requiring the placement of free tampon dispensing machines in the boys’ restrooms in grade schools. Left-wing state lawmakers at the time rejected an amendment that would have limited the program’s applicability to girls.
“Not all students who menstruate are female,” said state Rep. Sandy Feist, the bill’s author. “We need to make sure all students have access to these products.”
The vice presidential hopeful also issued an executive order and signed legislation turning Minnesota into a sanctuary state so children could be brought from anywhere in the country to undergo gender transition surgery against their parents’ will.
Minnesota is also a sanctuary state for foreigners who entered the country illegally. Mr. Walz signed legislation offering illegal aliens free college tuition to go with their free health care and driver’s licenses.
Thrilled by the new Democratic ticket, former Vice President Al Gore emerged from his 10,000-square-foot mansion on Tuesday to praise Mr. Walz as a man after his own green heart, writing on X, “He is a proven leader on climate and knows the issue inside and out.”
Last month, Mr. Walz signed legislation making it easier for companies to blacken once verdant fields with vast arrays of fragile solar panels and bird-slaying windmills. A true outdoorsman would be appalled at such schemes, which benefit only the crony capitalists and Democratic donors who profit from importing the Chinese-produced technology.
Appearing on the “White Dudes for Harris” Zoom call last week, Mr. Walz described himself in unmistakable terms. “Don’t ever shy away from our progressive values,” he said. “One person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.”
He’s the perfect match for Kamala Harris.
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