Tim Walz’s hokey VP speech was Patriotism For Dummies… exactly what Democrats needed

After walking out to the strains of John Mellencamp’s song “Small Town”, with its lyrics about being born, living and dying in a small town, Minnesota governor Tim Walz took no time reminding the Democratic National Convention that he was from – can you guess? – a small town.

He went to a small school, with 24 other (presumably small) pupils, and it taught him how small communities take care of each other.

“That family down the road, they may not think like you do, they may not pray like you do, they may not love like you do – but they’re your neighbours, and you look out for them, and they look out for you.”

Is Walz’s entire candidacy a shameless attempt by the Democrats to come across as folksy and down to earth after gaining a reputation for being the party of the college educated, big city, liberal elites? Yes. Did that stop me from tearing up a little bit when his son Gus applauded and shouted “That’s my dad!”, like the proud son at the end of a Disney movie? No. I’m not made of stone.

Even if Walz’s “sports, family and warm apple pie” speech seemed ripped directly from the American Patriotism For Dummies playbook, that’s sort of exactly what the DNC needs right now.

After the disaster of the Hillary Clinton campaign, with its pitch of “been there, done that”, or the brutal necessity of the Biden campaign, with its pitch of “it’s me or more of the horrors”, the party needs to not only scaremonger about Donald Trump this time around, but offer a real vision for America that counteracts Trump’s.

Walz offers that in spades. He’s basically the anti-Trump. Walz is a small-town boy, while Trump grew up in opulence in New York City. Walz served in the National Guard (no matter what his opponents try to imply), while Trump