Make No Mistake: Harris, Walz are Socialists

(Editor's Note: The following opinion column does not constitute an endorsement of any political party or candidate on the part of Newsmax.)

Now 19 days after her nomination as Democratic presidential candidate we have yet to hear Vice President Kamala Harris hold an open unscripted press conference to address important national and international policy positions, priorities and strategies that will guide her Harris-Walz campaign.

Add to this, it’s safe to say with national elections only about three months away that relatively few citizens outside of Minnesota are familiar with the political background of current Gov. and former Democratic Congressman Tim Walz either, or on that basis, why Kamala chose him as her running mate.

However, there can be no confusion regarding one overriding common characteristic they share.

They both are far-left socialists.

So let’s briefly review what is generally known about Tim Walz that supports his own philosophy which he summed up during the Aug. 6 “White Dudes for Harris” fundraiser call: “Don’t ever shy away from our progressive values. One person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.”

The Gov. Walz Minnesota Economy:

Although Minnesota boasts a low employment rate (2.9%), nearly all of its job growth under Gov. Walz has been in industries that rely on government spending. Of 41,500 net jobs added since entering office in January 2019, this number includes 43,900 in healthcare and social assistance and 12,600 in government.

Manufacturing employment has declined by 7,500 over the past 12 months, while professional and business services have shed 22,700 jobs. Whereas job losses started before the pandemic, they accelerated during Gov. Walz's prolonged lockdowns and have increased during the last year.

Big Tax and Spend Liberal:

Minnesota job losses have been influenced by a giant tax increase signed by Gov. Walz last spring including a 1% surcharge on investment income over $1 million and reduced standard deductions for businesses such as for net operating losses.

Minnesota already has the fifth-highest top income-tax rate among the states, 9.85% at $193,000 of earnings for a single filer, and is also a rare state in levying a death tax, up to 16%, on top of the federal 40% rate.

Largely, as a consequence, many households representing roughly $5 billion in adjusted gross income left the state between 2019 and 2022, ranking Minnesota eighth in 2022 income loss after Illinois, New York, California, New Jersey, Alaska, Maryland and Massachusetts.

Free Illegal Migrant Health Care and College:

Minnesota, under Gov. Walz, has made an estimated 81,000 illegal immigrants in the state eligible for driver’s licenses, along with health insurance through the MinnesotaCare public marketplace.

The state’s “North Star Promise Program” provides free college for students with a family income under $80,000,” including illegal immigrants.

A School Choice Opponent:

Gov. Walz, a strong teachers’ union backer, has not endorsed school choice which Minnesotans overwhelmingly support which gives parents the right to use tax dollars designated for education to send their children to the public or private school that best serves their needs.

Unlimited Abortions:

Minnesota has passed one of the nation’s most permissive abortion statutes that has essentially no limits at any stage of pregnancy.

A district court judge last summer declared unconstitutional several restrictions that previous Legislatures had put in place, including a 24-hour waiting period and a parental notification requirement for minors.

Climate-Green Energy Crusader:

Tim Walz is a fervent believer in “climate action” who as governor has mandated that his state’s public utilities generate 80% carbon-free electricity by 2030, ramping up to 100% by 2040.

He also supports subsidizing electric vehicle charging infrastructure within or adjacent to new commercial and multi-family buildings.

Recall that the Biden-Harris administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021 included $7.5 billion to build 500,000 public charging stations across the U.S., although as of April, only eight had been built from that public money.

Constitutional Freedoms:

In March 2020, Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz’s administration implemented a hotline encouraging people to snitch on their neighbors who weren’t following the government’s COVID lockdown orders. The tattle-tale line remained operational until June 2022.

When asked in Dec. 2022 about penalties for spreading election misinformation, Walz told MSNBC: “There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech, and especially around our democracy.”

Recent Gun Control Convert:

Whereas early in his political career when he represented a largely rural district in Congress Walz was a darling of the National Rifle Association, this changed dramatically during his first campaign for governor in 2018 when he began supporting tighter firearm restrictions.

The NRA subsequently downgraded his rating from “A” to “F”.

Fiddled While Minneapolis Burned:

Gov. Walz reportedly waited days before calling in the National Guard, allowing anti-police protestors to burn down a police station and cause an estimated $500 million in damage.

The riots were particularly destructive to less affluent neighborhoods where numerous minority business owners lost everything, and V.P. Harris supported cashless bonds for arsonists and looters.

So, why did Kamala pick Tim Walz as her running mate?

Perhaps it’s because former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty was accurate in describing Walz as "philosophically and politically" aligned with Harris, "a sort of Bernie Sanders in hunting gear," essentially "the same product, just in different wrappers."

After all, that's saying a lot since as U.S. senator from 2017 to 2021, Kamala had a more leftist voting record than even socialist Sanders did.

Just maybe she picked him because Kamala and Tim share ideological neighborly socialistic values that would even make Bernie jealous.