The belief that progressive ideas are somehow outside the mainstream is simply false. Polling has shown that when you present American voters with specific progressive policies, with no politician’s name attached, those policies are broadly supported.
Voters favor progressive policies. Tim Walz brought them to Minnesota.
A Data for Progress poll from March found : 78% of likely voters support taxing billionaires to increase Social Security benefits; 77% support rental and mortgage assistance for families; 75% support investing in clean energy technology; 73% support a public option that would let people buy into government-run health care; and 71% support capping child care expenses at 7% of a family’s yearly income.
These attitudes aren’t new. Going back to 2019, a CNBC poll found 75% support for government funding for child care, 60% support for raising the minimum wage, and 57% support for free state or public college tuition.
Here’s another example. Republicans demonized the Affordable Care Act and declared it the dawn of socialist tyranny ‒ and then people found out about what it actually does, and now it has an overall 60% favorability rating .
With an affable straightforwardness, Walz is unapologetically liberal
Maybe, just maybe, progressive policies are good, and people like them because they generally involve making life better and more fair for people.
As governor, Walz made Minnesota one of the first states to protect abortion rights after Roe v. Wade was struck down; started a state-run program that gives families paid sick, medical and family leave; and signed a bill providing universal free school meals.
Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 presidential election. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
The popular two-term governor is wholly unapologetic of his liberal record, telling CNN : “My kids are gonna eat here, and you’re gonna have a chance to go to college, and you’re going to have an opportunity to live where we’re working on reducing carbon commission.
"Oh, and by the way, you’re going to have personal incomes that are higher, and you’re going to have health insurance. So, if that’s what they want to label me, I’m more than happy to take the label.”
Things are going well in Walz's Minnesota, even with all the scary liberalism
Democrats have allowed Republicans to wrongly define 'progressive'
For too long, Democrats have struggled to fend off the negatives Republicans managed to attach to the “progressive” label. But with Walz as Harris’ VP pick, they have a communicator who will help folks see through the fearmongering rhetoric.
As he was introduced to the nation Tuesday evening at a rally with Harris in Philadelphia, Walz talked about reproductive rights with Midwestern earnestness: “In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and their personal choices that they make. Even if we wouldn't make the same choice for ourselves, there's a golden rule ‒ mind your own damn business.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris campaign in Philadelphia on Aug. 6, 2024. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
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Good luck making this guy out to be a radical leftist monster. Walz is an avatar for regular Americans, people who just want to live their lives, see everyone get a fair shake and get along with their neighbors, even if they don’t agree on everything.
As such, he’s a perfect example of what those progressive policies are all about. They’re about trying to help people, trying to make the world a slightly better place for everyone.
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