Democratic Vice Presidential hopeful Tim Walz is being accused of coming across as a fake after a new campaign add shows him working under the hood of his car with inexplicably clean hands.
The 60-year-old Governor of Minnesota can be seen working on his pale blue 1979 International Harvester Scout in a video lasting almost three minutes.
But while Walz’s attempts to come across as relatable, a member of the middle class and down to earth, that notion is blown away as viewers see Walz’s immaculate hands, despite him tinkering with various contraptions in the vehicle’s dirty engine.
The clip is part of a carefully choreographed video for the Harris/Walz campaign as they try to portray the former six-term congressman and two-term governor as someone who is outdoorsy and handy with tools.
Campaign strategists are able to see right through the ‘sincere’ attempt with carefully orchestrated campaign videos the bedrock of the Democratic campaign.
‘Having a good shtick is part of being a good politician,’ Republican communications strategist Brendan Buck, who was an aide to GOP Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan, told The Atlantic.
‘Walz always struck me as a bit of a loudmouth, who was one of those guys on the Hill who maybe seems to be trying a little too hard,’ Buck said.
‘While it doesn’t make Walz a bad person or especially unique among politicians it doesn’t give him special status as the Authentic One, either,’ he added.
Another political commentator suggests Walz also benefits from the fact many people pay little attention to anything in-depth anymore with voters with embracing Walz’s persona as a high school football coach and teller of dad jokes.
Blois Olson, a longtime political commentator says he believes Walz has proved to be a talented political performer but that his pretending to be uneducated and unsophisticated is simply an act.
‘Oh, he is totally full of s***,’ Olson said of Walz. ‘And he’s also really good at being full of s***.’ Olson said in a backhanded compliment.
Walz will have the chance to introduce himself to a millions more potential voters when he and Senator JD Vance of Ohio meet on Tuesday for their first and only scheduled vice presidential debate.
Their meeting comes five weeks before Election Day with the pair crisscrossing the country to introduce themselves to the electorate, paying special attention to the handful of battleground states that will determine the winner.
Since being picked by Harris as her running mate, Walz has largely steered clear of the national media despite being a vocal presence earlier in the summer.
Harris too has also been shielded and is on track to grant the fewest interviews of any major party’s presidential nominee ever.
Since President Biden ended his re-election bid on July 21, his 59-year-old VP has given just seven sitdowns, leaving both her allies and critics wanting more.
Vance, by contrast, has been present in the media throughout, although often appearing on GOP friendly outlets such as Fox News.
Polls suggest that Walz is far more likable than his Republican counterpart with a broader cross-section of the population making up his voting base.