Nancy Pelosi dismisses Tim Walz's characterization as a progressive, says he is 'right down the middle'

WASHINGTON, DC: Rep Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is working to downplay the much-talked-about progressive record of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the newly announced Democratic running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, as he faces challenges in winning over moderates, according to Daily Mail.

There are reports that the 84-year-old California Democrat has been privately pushing for Walz, who served in Congress from 2006-2019, and whom she is "fond of." 

Nancy Pelosi says 'characterizing Tim Walz as left is unreal'

Nancy Pelosi responded critically to MSNBC host Joe Scarborough when he described Gov Tim Walz as "progressive."

"Tim Walz is wonderful. He served in the House," stated the former House speaker, adding, "To characterize him as left is so unreal. He's right down the middle."

She continued, "He's a Heartland of America Democrat, and as chair of our Veterans Affairs Committee made tremendous gains for our veterans."

Meanwhile, soon after Harris named Walz as her running mate on Tuesday, August 6, Republicans began attacking him for his handling of the 2020 George Floyd riots.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis posted on X (formerly Twitter), "Harris-Walz: most left-wing ticket in American history. Minnesota was ground zero for the BLM riots of 2020. Harris egged it on and Walz sat by and let Minneapolis burn."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a former colleague of Walz, referred to him as the "most liberal 'nominee' to ever appear on a presidential ballot."

The Louisiana Republican claimed that he "has now chosen a progressive running mate who has voiced support for socialism, supports sanctuary cities, and wants to give driver's licenses to the millions of illegal aliens Kamala Harris has allowed into our country."

"No amount of spin from the campaign or the media can distract from the objective facts and the disastrous records of Harris and Walz," remarked the 52-year-old Republican.

The former and current speakers of the House have presented sharply different perspectives on the Minnesota governor, reflecting their differing objectives.

Speaker Johnson aims to remind voters of Walz's progressive gubernatorial record while Rep Pelosi seeks to portray him as a middle-of-the-road Democrat to appeal to moderate voters.

This is not Pelosi's first decisive political move in the 2024 presidential race. Reports indicate that the 84-year-old played a crucial role in conveying concerns from Capitol Hill Democrats to the White House and President Joe Biden's allies before his eventual withdrawal.

Publicly, however, she always expressed her confidence that the 81-year-old POTUS would ultimately make the right decision.

Having said that, there are reports that Biden is upset with her for her role in his withdrawal. Since his exit, Pelosi has not communicated with Biden, as she disclosed on CNN.

In response to a question from Dana Bash about whether she had spoken to President Biden since he dropped out, Pelosi replied, "No."

Bash then asked, "Is everything ok with your relationship?" to which the veteran Democratic leader offered a surprising response, "You'd have to ask him." 

Internet reacts as Nancy Pelosi defends Kamala Harris' VP pick Tim Walz as a 'moderate' 

Nancy Pelosi's remarks on Tim Walz being a "moderate" rather than a "progressive" elicited a variety of responses from netizens. 

One commented, "Well the choice is clear, do Americans want a Florida/Ohio type country or a California/Minnesota type country? Look at all of these states and decide which ones are run the way you like then vote accordingly." 

Another wrote, "Yup, he's right down the middle -of the left lane," while a person remarked, "He is not extreme liberal. he's liberal. but not extreme."

Someone else argued, "Kamala 8 points ahead in the opinion polls looks like an easy win for democrats,USA shifting to the left." Another person joked, "Dems appear conservative a year before elections."

"Pelosi is a long time master of gaslighting. She knows Walz is progressive and radical but needs to paint him as this wonderful moderate in order to dupe the people," wrote an individual. 

A netizen claimed, "No one associated with Harris or Pelosi is right down the middle of anything except corruption and delusion." 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.