Jeff’s Notes (AKA, A Brief History of the Last 24 Hours in US Politics) for August 8, 2024:

• The Republicans have begun their attacks on Governor Walz, and seem to focus on a couple of lines of attack:
  • “Tampon Tim” – As Governor, he signed a bill that made feminine hygiene products available for free to high school students. I’m personally not sure how this is a bad thing. LINK
  • His military service – Both Senator Vance and Walz served in the military: Vance as a journalist liaison, and Walz in the National Guard. Walz retired from service after 24 years (4 more than required) a few months before his unit was deployed to Iraq — not something he would have had knowledge of, and at a time when he was beginning his first run for congress. Regardless, denigrating a soldier’s service is something that the GOP would have considered unthinkable a few years ago. LINK
  • He’s a member of the “radical left” – Regardless of who VP Harris would have picked, this is what their opponents would have claimed. It’s become a bit of a cliche at this point. And doesn’t reflect Walz’s positions in either Congress or the Governor’s office. LINK
• Former President Trump just held a press conference in which he stated repeatedly that his campaign has “agreed” to multiple debates on Fox, ABC, and NBC. Once again, no word on whether or not the Harris campaign has been consulted at all for this “agreement”. LINK