Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but that makes ridicule the most condescending form of contempt.
The race for the White House is likely to once again come down to the so-called “Blue Wall” states, which have already won the last two states before.
Before Election Day 2016, no Republican candidate had won the electoral votes of Michigan or Pennsylvania since 1988.
The Republican drought in Wisconsin stretched back four more years, to 1984.
But eight years ago, Donald Trump won all three constituencies and the White House, ushering in a new era in which the Rust Belt became the epicenter of presidential politics.
Enter Tim Walz.
In the days since Harris named the Minnesota governor her No. 2, Walz has been described as “folk” and “all-American” by his idolized allies.
“There is something attractive about a man who is said to be just as comfortable in a T-shirt and baseball cap as he is in a suit or tuxedo,” marveled CBS’ Gayle King.
“To characterize him as left-wing is completely unrealistic,” insisted Nancy Pelosi, before calling him a “Democrat from the heartland of America.”
Andrea Mitchell wondered aloud whether Walz was a “regional choice” designed to “appeal to white men.”
Mitchell is almost there where the nail hits the head.
It’s clear that Harris is aware of the importance of rebuilding the Blue Wall for her campaign – which is why she has spent the last three days holding rallies there.
And it is also clear that she sees Walz as an asset to her region; that is why he stuck by her side throughout her tour of the region.
So yes, Walz is trying to court voters in these states – but he is a fraud.
Harris hopes to convince Democrats that they share her values by presenting them with a sympathetic caricature of her appearance and her ideas about swing voters in the Midwest.
This is certainly not the case.
Yes, Tim Walz was a football coach.
But no, he cannot be trusted to protect the industry that has revitalized Pennsylvania’s economy.
Yes, Tim Walz took a cute video with his child at the State Fair.
But no, he will not join the rest of the civilized world in protecting your children from experimental, irreversible sex change treatments.
Yes, Tim Walz taught social studies.
But no, he does not understand or respect the First Amendment.
Yes, Tim Walz has hunted before.
No, it will protect your Second Amendment right to bear arms.
Yes, you can probably imagine Tim Walz in the supermarket saying something like, “Grandpa, let me squeeze past you.”
No, he does not take his responsibility to enforce immigration law seriously.
Walz is a radical with Bernie Sanders’ instincts and not the average voter.
Instead of trying to appeal to swing voters in the blue wall states with substantive arguments, Harris is trying to get them to support her by hiring an extra from “Fargo” as her running mate.
“These idiots don’t care about politics, they just want some idiot to remind them of themselves,” she thought to herself.
This is a risky endeavor; as election guru Steve Kornacki explained on MSNBC, there is no evidence that Walz has any special appeal in the Rust Belt.
His strength in Minnesota is the strength of Democrats everywhere, with urban voters.
The vice president is counting on being able to hide the Harris-Walz ticket’s devastating political agenda from the residents of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin under a Carhartt glove.
But it is more likely that she confuses her own superficial naivety with that of her colleagues.
