Shapiro wasn't "slighted"

[pat_k]

Last edited Wed Aug 7, 2024, 02:04 PM - Edit history (4)

The decision came down to the interview:

On Edit: Shortened excerpt to comply with DU copyright notice

How a low-key Midwestern governor shot to the top to be Harris’ VP pick

Tim Walz was in the midst of his interview with Vice President Kamala Harris’ vetting team when he told them there was something important they needed to know.

He doesn’t use a teleprompter, the Minnesota governor said. He doesn’t even have one, in fact. So if he was the pick, Walz said, Harris’ team would have to get him a teleprompter and teach him how to use it.

But Walz made it clear he would be a team player.

Asked how he saw his role as VP, Walz said he would perform the job however Harris wanted him to. . . asked if he had ambitions to run for president himself one day, Walz said he did not, a point that sources said was not lost on a team looking to minimize the potential for any internal drama in a future Harris administration.

“He had a very clear understanding that it was to be a partner. . .

“It was a home run," . . .

Shapiro. . . did not go over as well with Harris’ team. . . (He) struck some as overly ambitious, with “a lot of questions” about what the role of the VP would be. . .

Walz was seen as a pick that would come with less drama and palace intrigue. . .

“It was a striking contrast” between the two, said the source. . .

. . . In the end, the bigger hurdle for Shapiro was his face-to-face meeting with Harris, where he posed “very specific” questions about the role of a vice president. . .

“He was negotiating the job with her, while Walz was saying ‘What can I do to help?’” . . .