Thoughts on Walz

I have my disagreements with Tim Walz. Some of them are substantial, and I didn't support him in his first run in the DFL primary for governor. 

However, any of the issues the Right will attack him on are not those problems, and in some cases, they are somehow the inverse.

But I support his vice presidential candidacy strongly as a good choice by Kamala Harris because he is such a clear contrast with everything the current Republican Party has come to stand for, and particularly what they want men to be. 

You've probably heard that Walz was a high school geography teacher and football coach in Mankato, Minnesota, before he ran for Congress. You may not have heard that he stepped up to advise the school's fledgling Gay-Straight Alliance in the late 1980s because he figured who could be a better choice — in that town, at that time — than a married football coach. 

That's allyship, without giving it the name. And not naming it as allyship is also good, because it doesn't get into progressive jargon. He just acted in a way that I always wish straight white guys would act: like people with empathy for others. 

He set an example of confident, straight masculinity. Which has become a rare thing in this era of "men's rights," incels, and Donald Trump.

While I was ruminating on this today, a bunch of other people on BlueSky had similar thoughts:

All I’m gonna say is that Walz's brand of positive and kind masculinity is a massive tool to use going forward to teach millions of people that being a strong man isn’t about domination and fear but through compassion, kindness and not the fascist masculinity of hate and domination
@brainnotonyet.bsky.social

he’s a normal white man who isn’t fucking terrified of black or brown people. he’s an example of what white men can be if they don’t want to be like trump. a regular guy who isn’t going to pull a gun on you for driving with an old obama bumpersticker at a stoplight. a man who can experience joy!
host body mama @pnutsmama.bsky.social

From a group chat:


Jeff McMahon

Be like Tim, y'all.