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Notes -
https://archive.ph/IHPLW
Tim Walz isn't seeking reelection.
It's been interesting watching the reaction in my various social circles as this plays out. It seems like it's rapidly coalescing into two distinct narratives depending on tribal alliance:
I don't know if either are actually true, but it's an interesting thing to watch develop in real time.
Does the “spotlight” really matter in this case? The Trump Train is going after him regardless of his job. If they can tie him to the ongoing fraud cases, they will.
Likewise for potential lone wolves. He’s going to be in the news whether or not he has a gubernatorial security detail. But I rate that risk pretty darn low, and I expect he does, too.
The real takeaway is that VP candidates don’t usually do much.
Hell, with one big, elderly exception, elected VPs don’t even do that much. You have to go back to Bush Sr. to find someone who actually advanced in their career after they were out of the Executive Branch.
I'm not sure if I buy that. Trump has a terrible track record of actually using the force of law against his political opponents. Even if Walz is guilty of a crime, it seems more likely that his AG will show up and give a speech on Fox News rather than actually indict.
Arguably, Trump himself is living proof that the court of public opinion matters more to politicians than actual criminal processes: in that vein, the AG discrediting an opponent on Fox News is quite possibly more career-ending that finding, say, 37 felonies to charge and convict. I could imagine Walz continuing to campaign if indicted, but here he's been forced out of town.
Not endorsing, just observing.
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