On the teetotaler – The Economist:

‘Despite his vibes, what Mr Walz also offers, and Mr Shapiro did not, is an unambiguously progressive record, at least as governor. (As a congressman, he was considered on the right of his party.) Since the dfl seized control of the state legislature, he has increased spending on public schools, introduced free school meals, created a system of paid family leave (due to start operating in 2026), legalised marijuana, expanded background checks for gun buyers and strengthened abortion rights. All of this he is deeply unapologetic for. “Don’t ever shy away from our progressive values,” he told attendees on a fundraising call in late July, adding that “one person’s socialism is another person’s neighbourliness.” Hence the love-bombing of teachers unions and other progressive groups.
On foreign policy—a key area for a potential vice-president—some of his views can be discerned from a speech he gave in 2007, when he criticised the Bush administration for its focus on security and its neglect of international diplomacy. “I would argue that one of the foundational principles of this country was the basic support of human rights and the ability to promote that worldwide,” he said, arguing that America needed to do more to “try and adjust behaviour in a non-military way”. Congress, he then argued, was “no longer listening to the rational centre”, which was why it had authorised the “destabilising” invasion of Iraq. As governor in 2022, after the invasion of Ukraine, he signed a law to divest state investments in Russia, but he has resisted calls from left-wingers to do the same with Israel.’

(…)

‘There are also a few quiet worries about his personal life. Mr Walz is a teetotaller (indeed, like J.D. Vance, Mr Trump’s pick for vice-president, he apparently loves Diet Mountain Dew, a sickly sweet soft drink). But he was not always so. In 1995, when he was still a teacher, he was arrested and charged with driving drunk, though he was eventually convicted of reckless driving.
Nonetheless, now he is Ms Harris’s pick, clips of Mr Walz being punchy on cable news seem likely to light up TikTok and other social media. Barely known outside Minnesota a month or so ago, he has become a leading light of the left of the Democratic Party. He is, in the minds of many, proof that Democrats can win without having to compromise on their core values.’

Read the article here.

I would say, win first, compromise later.

Socialism as neighbourliness? That’s more the definition of neoliberalism. Don’t count on the state, count on your neighbor.

Or is the state your new neighbor?

One thing is for sure, Biden is already forgotten. Time is ruthless.