#Minnesota conventions

[twincitiesgeek]

Join Twin Cities Geek at CONvergence 2024!

Will you be at CONvergence 2024? Stop by the Twin Cities Geek table to say hi, get some swag, and enter to win a Deadpool & Wolverine friendship necklace set! #CVG2024

CONvergence, Minnesota’s largest fan-run science fiction and fantasy convention, will be at the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Minneapolis on July 4–7, 2024. Last year, CONvergence returned to its traditional 4th of July weekend dates and introduced one-day passes for the first time in its history, an option that continues this year. If you waited until now to register for CONvergence, you can…

[tomorrowusa]

Let me make a case for Kamala Harris choosing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.

Tim Walz b. 06 April 1964 (just a few months older than Kamala)

Second term governor of Minnesota.

Midwestern born, bred, and educated.

Taught social studies for 20 years.

Served 24 years in Army National Guard (decorated).

Served 12 years in the US House representing a heavily rural swing district.

Excellent progressive record as governor.

Married - has wife, son, and daughter.

Folksy but intelligent.

Gov. Walz oozes Midwestern credibility. Hillary took the Midwest for granted in 2016 and carried just Minnesota and Illinois. Walz was born in Nebraska and moved to Minnesota for grad school.

He represented a House district in Minnesota which has usually been held by Republicans. He understands the problems of rural America better than more urban Democrats.

He served in the US House for 12 years. He knows how things get done in Washington. He's not some n00b who could get rolled by slick operators.

His record as governor of Minnesota would make liberals smile. After his first term with a split legislature he quickly pushed through progressive programs after Dems took control of both chambers in 2022.

Tim Walz is a team player. He seldom talks about his administration without mentioning Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. This is from his re-election site. The phrase "Tim and Peggy" is mentioned 20 times.

Accomplishments - Tim Walz for Governor

Unlike Trump or Vance, Tim Walz is actually likeable.

Unlike Trump who hates pets, the Walz family has two: Honey the Cat and Scout the Dog.

[offbrandevents]

www.philefest.com

[fathercharlesoffdensen]

Are you registered to vote yet?

"That’s what this is all about. The responsibility we have to our kids, to each other and to the future that we’re building together, in which everyone is free to build the kind of life they want.

"But not everyone has that same sense of responsibility. Some folks just don’t understand what it takes to be a good neighbor. Take Donald Trump and JD Vance.

"Their Project 2025 will make things much, much harder for people who are just trying to live their lives. They spend a lot of time pretending they know nothing about this. But look, I coached high school football long enough to know and trust me on this: When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re going to use it.

"And we know, if these guys get back in the White House, they’ll start jacking up the costs on the middle class. They’ll repeal the Affordable Care Act. They’ll gut Social Security and Medicare. And they will ban abortion across this country, with or without Congress.

"Here’s the thing. It’s an agenda nobody asked for. It’s an agenda that serves nobody, except the richest and the most extreme amongst us. And it’s an agenda that does nothing for our neighbors in need.

"Is it weird? Absolutely. Absolutely. But it’s also wrong, and it’s dangerous. It’s not just me saying so, it’s Trump’s own people. They were with him for four years. They’re warning us that the next four years will be much, much worse." - Tim Walz (DNC, 22 Aug. 2024)

P.S.: Here is your Moment of Zen. P.P.S.: VOTE!!!

[state-of-minnesota-official]

GUYS I KNOW WE HAVE GRANDPA TIMMY WALZ BUT I GOTTA ACTUALLY HAVE OPINIONS IN THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF THE STATEVERSE

HELP

[wolfspaw]

Powerful Man

Tim Walz: Gwen and I have two beautiful children because of reproductive health care like IVF," after a ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court determined that embryos created through IVF should be considered children, which potentially subjects them to laws governing the wrongful death of a minor.

"This issue is deeply personal to our family and so many others. Don't let these guys get away with this by telling you they support IVF when their handpicked judges oppose it."

The attacks on reproductive rights are putting all fertility treatments at risk.

[convergencecon]

Get your weekend badge CONvergence 2024: Everyone's Invited by MIDNIGHT on Wednesday, May 15 to SAVE $20!

Weekend badge prices increase on Thursday. We really hope you and all your friends can join us for the Midwest's most unique 4-day party celebrating science fiction, fantasy, gaming, and cosplay July 4-7! Head to 👉 cvgcon.org/register

[thefunerarypyre]

#anime #animetwincities #atc #animedetour #hostiletakeover #corruption #corruptboard

[61below]

Sometimes this post-modern world feels insurmountable, but then I remember that when Mr.61below’s grandpa came back from WWII, he stole a house. Full on dragged it over the snow and added it onto his existing house, doubling their home overnight.

Let’s just say there’s a reason the wood splitter we inherited from him is welded onto a set of railroad rails ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[patrickwmarsh]

Visit me at Crypticon MN 2024

Wow. Already that time of year? What has happened? Will I fulfill every old man stereotype imaginable and constantly bemoan the natural passage of time? Anyways, yeah, it is time for Crypticon Minneapolis here in the Twin Cities. One of my favorite events of the year. It is the premier horror convention of Minnesota, and it is undeniably epic and cool and all the things. Do you know nothing…

[twincitiesgeek]

Enter for Your Chance to Attend CONvergence 2024 for Free!

Haven't registered for CONvergence? Enter our giveaway and you could attend this year's convention for free!

It’s June, and that means CONvergence is almost upon us! CONvergence is an annual convention for fans of science fiction and fantasy in all media. From July 4 through July 7 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Minneapolis, you can enjoy special guests, cosplay, panels, gaming, movies, an art show and artists alley, performances, themed room parties, and more with thousands of your fellow geeks. This…

[tomorrowusa]

« So while other states were banning books from their schools, we were banishing hunger from ours. »

— Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota contrasting his record as governor with those of book-banning control freak Republicans like Ron DeSantis (Florida), Greg Abbott (Texas), Spencer J. Cox (Utah), and Kim Reynolds (Iowa).

Gov. Walz made that point during his acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination for vice president.

Picking Tim Walz was Kamala Harris's first major decision in the campaign. It showed that she has more claim to being a "savvy genius" in politics than certain other people.

Watch out, Trump: Walz shows he’s not just Minnesota nice

[immaculatasknight]

They just can't help themselves

[hiphopvibe1]

Kamala Harris raises record-breaking $500M as election heats up

Kamala Harris raises record-breaking $500M as election heats up Continue reading Kamala Harris raises record-breaking $500M as election heats up

[anthony-usa-today]

[reasonsforhope]

Kamala Harris just announced that her vice president will be Minnesota governor Tim Walz. Based on the coverage so far I'm really reassured by this decision.

The Washington Post did an obviously great job of making a prepared article for each option, considering how long an article they had up 7 minutes after the announcement.

((Okay technically it's not an official announcement yet it's "according to three people familiar with the pick, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a decision that is not yet public." But listen. I am 99% sure this is a weather balloon. (Meaning: a deliberate leak to gauge reaction.) Because the sheer weakness or incompetence on the part of the Harris campaign that it would take for three people to all confirm that within a few hours hours of each other and the planned announcement it is massive.))

-via The Washington Post, August 6, 2024

Honestly this decision, from everything I've read and can tell, looks like it's brilliant politics.

Important Context: The vice president(ial candidates)'s job in an election is not to be similar to the president. The vice president's job on the ballot is very, very much specifically to be different from the president. Why? So they can cover each others' weaknesses. Especially regionally.

(Sidenote: I feel a bit ridiculous saying this. But genuinely if you want to get a stronger understanding of how US elections really work. Go watch seasons 6 and 7 of The West Wing. Genuinely, a lot of politicians have said - especially back in its day - that that was the most accurate depiction of an election they'd ever seen. Also specifically features an entire arc about a contested Democratic primary convention, so also very good if you're interested in understanding weird nominating convention shenanigans.)

From the article:

"Harris’s choice for a running mate was among the most closely watched decisions of her fledgling campaign, as she sought to bolster the ticket’s prospects for victory in November and rapidly find someone who could be a governing partner. In picking Walz, she has selected a seasoned politician with executive governing experience and signaled the importance of Midwestern battleground states such as Wisconsin and Michigan.

Walz’s foray into politics came later in life: He spent more than two decades as a public school teacher and football coach, and as a member of the Army National Guard, before running for Congress in his 40s. In 2006, he defeated a Republican to win Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District--a rural, conservative area--and won reelection five times before leaving Congress to run for governor.

Walz was first elected governor in 2018 and handily won reelection in 2022. Though little-known outside his state, Walz emerged publicly as one of the earliest names mentioned as a possible running mate for Harris, and in the ensuing days he made the rounds on television as an outspoken surrogate for the vice president...

“These are weird people on the other side. They want to take books away, they want to be in your exam room. … They are bad on foreign policy, they are bad on the environment, they certainly have no health care plan, and they keep talking about the middle-class,” Walz told MSNBC in July. “As I said, a robber baron real estate guy and a venture capitalist trying to tell us they understand who we are? They don’t know who we are.”

Walz also has faced criticism from Republicans that his policies as governor were too liberal, including legalizing recreational marijuana for adults, protecting abortion rights, expanding LGBTQ protections, implementing tuition-free college for low-income Minnesotans and providing free breakfast and lunch for schoolchildren in the state.

But many of those initiatives are broadly popular. Walz also signed an executive order removing the college-degree requirement for 75 percent of Minnesota’s state jobs, a move that garnered bipartisan support and that several other states have also adopted.

“What a monster. Kids are eating and having full bellies, so they can go learn, and women are making their own health-care decisions,” Walz said sarcastically in a July 28 interview with CNN when questioned whether such policies would be fodder for conservative attacks, later adding: “If that’s where they want to label me, I’m more than happy to take the [liberal] label.”

Walz also spoke at a kickoff event in St. Paul for a Democratic canvassing effort, casting Trump as a “bully.”

“Don’t lift these guys up like they’re some kind of heroes. Everybody in this room knows--I know it as a teacher--a bully has no self-confidence. A bully has no strength. They have nothing,” Walz said at the event, sporting a camouflage hunting hat and T-shirt.

Walz has explained that he felt some Democrats’ practice of calling Trump an existential threat to democracy was giving him too much credit, which prompted his decision to denounce the GOP nominee instead as being “weird.”

“I do believe all those things are a real possibility, but it gives him way too much power," Walz said on CNN’s “State of the Union” regarding the Democrats’ rhetoric. “Listen to the guy. He’s talking about Hannibal Lecter, shocking sharks, and just whatever crazy thing pops into his mind.”

If Walz is elected vice president, under state law, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D) would assume the governorship for the rest of his term. Minnesota Senate president Bobby Joe Champion, a Democrat, would become lieutenant governor."

-via The Washington Post, August 6, 2024

--

This guy. Sounds like. fucking Moderate swing-state/rural/Midwestern/southern/"heartland"/working class white voter catnip. He sounds like he's also a very smart politician and strong campaigner. And he's apparently genuinely a good guy with a good record, too.

He sounds like he's going to do a really good job of appealing to voters in several of the big deal swing states without being from any of them specifically. Which means it doesn't feel like pandering to one of the states involved (and thereby spurning the others), which is also great.

(Also he was the one who started "weird" @ conservatives and I think we should take that seriously as a very good political instinct/move. Judging in large part by how it has so clearly hit an actual nerve with conservatives like so little else. Also hugely relevant: that post going around about how part of why conservatives are so upset about "weird" is because in the Midwest, "weird" specifically also implies anti-social or harmful behavior.)

Officially feeling more optimistic about Trump not winning in November