Tim Walz was a dud as vice presidential pick. He added zero to the ticket. In his one big moment \u2014 the vice presidential debate with JD Vance \u2014 he got beat. Badly. And looked hopelessly out of his depth.<\/p>\n
None of this is to say that if Kamala Harris had picked someone other than Walz she would be president right now. History tells us that VP picks almost never make any real difference. And I think that\u2019s true this time too. Had Harris picked, say, Josh Shapiro, she still would have lost.<\/p>\n
To my mind then, Walz was a sort of historical blip. Plucked from relative obscurity by Harris and then, after losing, sent back to that relative obscurity. Which isn\u2019t nothing! Being a governor of a state is a big deal! Being the VP nominee is a huge deal!<\/p>\n
But, in politics, water usually finds its level. And Walz\u2019s level was not \u2014 and is not \u2014 national politics.<\/p>\n
This is obvious to anyone who has spent any amount of time covering or watching politics. It is not obvious, however, to Tim Walz.<\/p>\n
Since the election loss, Walz has slowly but surely tried to fashion a narrative that he was under-utilized during the campaign. And that had he been properly deployed a) he would have shined and b) Harris might have won.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n