What... What is this feeling? I can be counted on to find moments of joy, hope, gratitude--but a whole day of feeling like I'm floating on air? Of feeling smiley, dance-y, and happy? Not even being thoroughly drenched repeatedly while running errands could dampen my mood in the slightest.
I was so hoping for Tim Walz to be picked as Harris's veep, and could barely believe it when Big A texted to tell me.
I've been a fan of Walz since last year when he signed universal free breakfast and lunch for all public school students into law in Minnesota (and to think I was paying attention to MN, only because bestie KB moved there, lol). This 48-second video was making the rounds, and I watched it like 15 times right away and sent it to multiple family and friend chats, because it's just so wholesome and joyous. The occasion itself is joyous of course--but I was also taken by how Walz, despite the photo-op nature of the moment, offers only respectful fist-bumps to the kids around him, until one kid offers him a hug... which he accepts... and then he is absolutely deluged by the other kids hugging him. Compare the tenor of this, for instance, with the meanness and despair in the picture of Sarah Huckabee Sanders repealing child labor protection laws in Arkansas.
The Walz pick gives me so much hope that our politicians can be receptive and responsive to progressive demands. That we can have leaders who can just be normal about women, kids, LGBTQ kids, indigenous peoples, public schools... and understand their job is to serve people, to fix problems like poverty, prisons, homelessness...
Also: I won 20$$$ from the family betting pool for my pick.
Pic: A quote from the Insta-poet Nikita Gill, which really helped me this week. It reads: Everything is on fire,/but everyone I love is doing beautiful things/and trying to make life worth living,/and I know I don’t have to believe in everything,/but I believe in that.
11 comments:
It's such a joyful, optimistic ticket, isn't it? I didn't know a whole lot about Gov. Walz, but since he was named, I've been researching and learning as much as I can about him. He's so genuine, so down-to-earth, and so smart. I love his videos with his daughter.
It's easy to forget that lots of people are still out there making inroads into the issues we care about, and they're doing it at all levels. Good news doesn't make the kind of headlines that sell, so we have to trust that people like us are still at it, regardless.
Good Luck.
I am excited, too! I hope everyone's enthusiasm can carry through until November!
YESSS! My son and I listened to the Ezra Klein podcast episode with Walz, and we loved him. So we were THRILLED when Harris chose him! So exciting!
Joyful! Optimistic! Genuine! Words I haven't used about politics in a while, Nance. It feels so good.
Thanks!
And no nasty October surprises, please!
Jenny--so much excitement and ENERGY! Fingers crossed!
I had not heard of him, but everything I've heard since the pick sounds good.
Steph--They're calling it "Walzmania!"
It’s so fun to feel my background sense of dread lifting a little bit.
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