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Josh Shapiro or Tim Walz: Who gets the rose?

Hello and happy Tuesday. 90 days until the election. Kamala Harris has promised to announce on Tuesday which white man will be her running mate, to be honored with a dramatic performance of a single woman handing out a stay-or-nothing rose.

But first, folks, about bears. I can't stop thinking about Baby Bear..

You're driving down a mountain road in New York and you see a mass of black fur – the dead body of what was just a cute little bear cub minutes ago. What do you think?

a) Think to yourself, what a tragedy.
b) Do you want to park your car, throw the score in the trunk, peel it and eat it?

If you're presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., it's a no-brainer: Bugs ate part of his brain, and that's a good thing.

Be the first to grab tasty treats and rugs.

I'm referring, of course, to the insane video RFK Jr. released on Sunday night in which he says some bizarre things to MAGA comedians. Roseanne Barr According to anecdote, The New Yorker magazine was preparing to publish — and that's weirder than just picking up roadkill.

Kennedy argues that After stuffing a cub into a trunk in 2014He spent the day falcon hunting, then rushed off to New York City for a dinner party that lasted so late it was impossible to get Baby Bear home in time for his flight out of town.

The solution: He left the bear under an old bike in Central Park, apparently thinking it would be funny for anyone to find it.

Yes, it's very funny. When Walker found the baby bear, flies were buzzing around the rotting flesh. A police investigation was launched and a taxpayer-funded autopsy was performed. The case scared people and It became a big media topic.

“If animals can do this, surely humans can too,” one bystander said in a television interview.

Kennedy did not come forward until The New Yorker magazine broke the story. He decided to explain himself on social media. Meanwhile, his running mate, Silicon Valley dilettante Nicole Shanahan, Complaining about raw milk.

Folks, this toxic candidate should withdraw from the race. We shouldn't lose our democracy just because two narcissistic socialites have the money to get our attention. But Kennedy/Shanahan could theoretically garner enough votes. Battleground states like Pennsylvania To do just that.

Kennedy's antics may sound like punchlines, but his campaign could be the surprise attack that decides the election.

A pedestrian walks past a sign supporting Kamala Harris in Madison, Wisconsin, last week.

(Kayla Wolf/The Associated Press)

Contact the Vice President immediately.

Okay, enough bear talk. The topic of the day is who Harris will pick as her running mate. By Monday night, rumors were flying and the field had narrowed down to two likely candidates: Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

She announced her decision on social media late Tuesday and promised to hold a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night with her new No. 2.

The main takeaway here is that Gavin Newsom has no plans to run for president anytime soon, which has you wondering if Domino's Pizza is hiring. Sure, things looked bleak after Harris was called up, but now he has more likeable white guys lined up in front of him than the cowboys who flock to a Zach Bryan concert this weekend.

You will probably spend the day looking at polls and pundits' predictions on which running mate will garner the votes in the battleground states. I'm not making any predictions because, frankly, JD Vance is a terrible running mate and Harris' pick of Baby Bear would do better.

Instead, I'm going to tell you some interesting but probably irrelevant and unimportant things about Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Waltz, and, just for fun, I'll also tell you what Republicans will say about which one was elected.

First, Shapiro

Shapiro, like Harris, is a former state attorney general and has known her for more than 10 years. He supported Harris in the 2019 presidential election. He also supported Obama in 2016, going against Hillary Clinton. The two maintain a good relationship.

Some have argued that Shapiro's distinctive intonation resembles that of the former president. The Daily Show spoke to Shapiro about the similarities.Vance thinks so too, and it's true: once you hear it, you'll never forget it.

But Shapiro faces some problems, most notably progressives who dislike him and are lobbying him against Harris for more than one reason, most recently focused on Israel: Shapiro is Jewish (and will be the first Jewish vice president) and has spoken out against perceived anti-Semitism on college campuses during the Gaza protests.

He has also said he supports a two-state solution. But with emotions (rightly) running high over the Gaza conflict and protests expected at the upcoming Democratic National Convention, choosing Shapiro could anger young and Muslim voters in battleground states like Michigan.

Shapiro also lacks the support of workers. United Auto Workers President Sean Fain He said Shapiro was not on the list of candidates because he supports school vouchers and allowing taxpayer money to be spent on private schools.

Most salaciously, criminal investigation experts are asking Shapiro some questions. When he was attorney general, his office reviewed the infamous case of teacher Ellen Greenberg. He allegedly stabbed himself 20 times and then committed suicide.Greenberg's parents, including her back, have been fighting since her death in 2011 to have the case certified as a homicide, and recently won a landmark ruling that allows the case to go to the state Supreme Court.

There is no evidence to support the insinuation that Shapiro committed any wrongdoing in the Greenberg investigation, but the Trump Vance team would surely bring up the subject if he is selected.

Next is the Waltz

Honestly, if you find any dirt on Waltz, please let me know.

This man is a true Minnesotan in the best sense of the word: He served in the National Guard for 24 years, was a football coach, a social studies teacher, and the advisor for his high school's first LGBTQ+ club.

since then, He has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ rightsIn the region, there is often little political capital to do so.

He signed laws protecting gender-affirming medical care, ended bans on books because they encompass gender issues, protected abortion rights, and banned so-called conversion therapy, the controversial practice of trying to free people from homosexuality through religion or other means.

Perhaps most notably, he was the one who started the labeling of Vance, and Republicans in general, as “weird.” This stroke of understated genius has taken hold, completely changing the dynamics of the race by putting Republicans on the defensive. A few days ago, Trump was injured on the playground“Nobody has ever called me weird. I'm many things, but I'm not weird.”

Perhaps most adorable of all, he posts videos with his daughter. I hope you are a genuine dad. The real Fargo humor comes through (yes, I know it's North Dakota, it's close).

Additionally, if the Harris-Walz coalition wins, Walz's lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan, would become the first Native American governor in U.S. history.

No one knows what Harris will do. Other contenders on the shortlist include Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.

But I'm a waltz fanatic.

What else to read

Must Read: What are the emerging tensions between Harris and the left?
terrible!: Concerns over slowing U.S. growth rattle markets around the world
LA Times Special: Defend the 'Blue Wall' or light up the Sunbelt? Harris seeks path to US battleground

P.S.: Here's Waltz and his daughter Hope at the state fair debating whether turkey is vegetarian.

Please see here.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed a ban on so-called conversion therapy in 2021 during a ceremony at the state Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota.

(Associated Press)


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