When Tim Walz was first elected governor of Minnesota in 2018, he came in as a "moderate," specifically a Democrat who could prevail in a predominately rural Congressional District. So his selection of far leftist Peggy Flanagan as his Lt Gov put a stamp on his slogan "One Minnesota." That is, the Walz-Flanagan ticket, in their minds, was a harmonious fusion of outstate living and urban lifestyle.
When Walz was reelected in 2022, along with the DFL attaining a Senate majority to go along with the party maintaining control of the House, he felt uninhibited in letting his progressive freak flag fly. The 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions saw a radical far left agenda get jammed down the collective throats of Minnesotans. As such, Walz was the proggie rock star, appearing on MSNBC MS NOW and CNN to puff out his chest about how his state is the shinning beacon of freedom while also labeling Republicans as weirdos who don't mind their own business (ironic, considering he encouraged Minnesotans to snitch on their neighbors if they violated his "shelter in place" orders during the COVID-19 pandemic). And he was able to parlay that newfound fame into the nod as Kamala Harris's running mate on the 2024 Democrat ticket for President.
Looking back, it was at that point when Walz peaked.
Once the puff pieces of Walz possessing "big dad energy" came and went, the rhetorical kid glove treatment was replaced with harsh scrutiny. Serious questions started to emerge about his background, whether it was the details surrounding his departure from the military to his claims at being in China during the Tiananmen Square massacre to he and wife Gwen using invitro fertilization to have children. His dreadful performance in the Veep debate against JD Vance permanently dimmed the shine on his star. While that isn't the sole reason Harris lost the '24 election, Walz becoming a drag on the ticket couldn't be overcome.
Upon returning to Minnesota without a DFL trifecta rubber stamp, Walz degraded into little more than a bitter hack who lashed out at anyone remotely tied to Donald Trump. He even decided to eschew his gubernatorial duties to engage in a series of townhalls to bitch and moan about Republicans and Elon Musk. He would also take pleasure in the decline of the stock price of Musk's company Tesla, a stock which was included in the portfolio of many employees of the state which he governs.
What ultimately caused Walz to renege on his pledge to run for a third gubernatorial terms is the rampant defrauding of taxpayer dollars which have occurred largely during his tenure. It's bad enough that he OK'd the frittering away of an $18 billion budget surplus (in addition to tax increases) during the '23 session, but his admin seemed to be asleep at the switch as fraud scheme after fraud scheme continued to ramp up.
It was obvious Walz basked in the glow of being the center of the prog universe 2-3 years ago, only to be humiliated over his attempt to explain away his feeble presence on the 2024 Dem POTUS ticket. So to now be an afterthought given Minnesota Democrats are focused on electing Amy Klobuchar to replace him, Walz has now resorted to desperate measures: guiding others in puffing up his credentials.
From Blois Olson's Thursday edition of Morning Take.
Gov. Tim Walz isn’t waiting for historians — or Minnesota voters — to write the first draft of his legacy. His administration is organizing an effort to help write it themselves.
An internal document from the Office of Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan encourages administration staff to write letters to the editor and op-eds about their work, describing them as an effective way to “secure the legacy of the Walz-Flanagan Administration.”
And this isn’t just a suggestion to write a few letters.
The document amounts to a legacy communications toolkit, providing staff with a writing formula, suggested themes, word-count recommendations and detailed submission information for newspapers across Minnesota — from the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press to the Duluth News Tribune, Rochester Post Bulletin, Mankato Free Press and St. Cloud Times. Not on the list, Forum Communications.
Staff are even instructed to send the administration links or copies of published pieces so it can “track our collective impact.”
That’s a revealing phrase.
It's pretty simple. If you feel the need to entice others to help shape your legacy, then perhaps you're keenly aware it's not going to be viewed favorably otherwise.
Back to Olson.
Walz is entering the period every long-serving governor eventually reaches: the transition from governing to being judged.
The administration apparently understands that political legacies don’t simply happen. They’re constructed through policies, speeches, newspaper stories — and, apparently, letters to the editor.
The interesting question isn’t whether Walz wants to protect his legacy. Every governor does.
It’s how aggressively his administration appears prepared to help write it.
Definitely giving off a vibe of thou protesting too much methinks.
It's going to be interesting to see how Walz attempts to remain relevant. Guys like that are wholly incapable of retreating from public life.
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