Vice presidents are chosen for a variety of reasons. Some are chosen to fill a need and serve a base, like Joe Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris in 2020, or Donald Trump’s choice of Mike Pence in 2016. Some are chosen to make a splash and shake up the race, like John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin in 2008. Others are chosen quietly, like Hillary Clinton’s choice of Tim Kaine in 2016.
But in 2024, he might be elected vice president for saying the word “weird” on MSNBC.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) was named Harris’ running mate this week, a shocking promotion for a politician who was virtually unknown nationally until a few weeks ago. But the past month has been incredibly chaotic, with Biden’s debate gaffe, an assassination attempt on President Trump, the president’s withdrawal, and Harris’ nomination, all within 30 days.
And suddenly, Walz was on stage in Philadelphia on Tuesday, introducing himself to the Democratic Party and the country throughout the remainder of his battleground state tour with Harris.
How did this happen? The reason is that the Democratic Party’s take on Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, “They’re weird,” which was all over the news cycle last week, was owed to Waltz. He initially A casual comment On “Morning Joe” on July 23, and later that night on Jen Psaki’s primetime show, he delivered a more fully fleshed-out, 40-second rant made for TikTok. Posted Shortly after, X wrote the following with a short caption: “Just so you know, these people are weird.”
And according to reports At multiple storesThis was actually what ultimately led to him being nominated as Harris’ running mate. I thought of it He now has a shot at the presidency, thanks to the “weird” things people seem to enjoy on social media.
It was “neither revolutionary nor sophisticated.” The Associated Press acknowledgesbut it was “new framing” that just seemed to work: he got hired!
That’s where we seem to have landed as a culture in this absurd election cycle, coasting along on vibes alone. He told the liberals The publication Talking Points Memo noted that “elections are about energy, networks and mood. Waltz was clearly the mood candidate.” Politico proclaimed in an email newsletter that “Tim Waltz Passes the Mood Check.” “Tim Waltz Changes Mood.” Published by Columbia Journalism Review.
Waltz isn’t just campaigning for the vice presidential position on atmosphere alone; he’s also embracing artificial atmosphere. In his first campaign with Harris, He spoke “I can’t wait to debate John Vance,” he said, adding, “If he’s willing to get up from his couch and attend.”
The crowd went wild, knowing this wasn’t just a name-calling but a nod to the strange but effective Extremely Online push linking JD Vance to Soffer, which the “Kamala HQ” X account also endorsed. Recent Posts“J.D. Vance makes no secret of his hatred for women.”
For those unfamiliar, the sofa reference had to do with the implication that J.D. Vance likes to have sex with sofas, a revelation included in his bestselling book, Hillbilly Elegy, from 2016. Of course, that’s not true, and there’s no such passage in his book. None If there is even a shred of truth to it, it’s all complete fiction.
So where did this movement start? A guy who went by the handle X and went by the name “Rick Rude’s Calves” (a reference to the famous 1980s WWE wrestler and his calves) had around 1,000 followers. Posts Hours after Vance was named Trump’s running mate, he “admitted” to “shoving a pair of latex gloves inside out between the cushions of the couch,” the memoir states.
Random anonymous X account literally posted some nonsense that they thought was funny, and it got over 1.8 million views. Eventually, Calves from Rick Rude deleted his account, but not before a new, completely unrealistic slur surfaced.
“Rick” told Business Insider last week, He told them He’s enjoyed the journey: “It’s been really fun thinking about his team and all the idiots that are involved with him having to deal with this,” he said of the Republican campaign.
Ah, yes, the focus here is on the idiots working on the campaign, not the thousands, maybe millions, of idiots who actually believed the story, or who continue to spread ridiculous misinformation, whether they believe it or not. You know, people like Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota and now vice presidential candidate.
Michael Scherer of the Washington Post was one of the few mainstream journalists to recognize that this method of attack, while a bit bizarre, might be self-defeating.
“Does Waltz really want to joke about baseless online slander? Those couch cushions have two sides.” He posted.
My colleague Tyler Pager joined other partisans posing as intellectually honest media figures in quoting Walz based on a disparaging tweet. And added“Tim Waltz will be there.”
Yep, Tim Waltz has been there. Tim Waltz has amazing vibes. Go viral on TikTok! He makes “weird” memes on cable news hits and then leans into couch trends. He gets it.
This is all sad, of course, but it’s also obvious: American politics is in a changing atmosphere where nothing matters and it’s not going anywhere.
NewsNation contributor Steve Krakauer is the author of Uncovered: How the Media Got Cozy with Power, Abandoned Its Principles, and Lost the People and editor and host of the Fourth Watch newsletter and podcast.
