1/ Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz introduced himself as Kamala Harris’ running mate during a joint rally in Philadelphia, thanking Harris for “the trust you put in me” and for “bringing back the joy.” He added: “We’ve got 91 days. We’ll sleep when we’re dead.” Walz then took aim at JD Vance as someone who doesn’t represent Middle America. “Like all regular people I grew up with in the heartland, JD studied at Yale, had his career funded by Silicon Valley billionaires and wrote a bestseller trashing that community. That’s not what middle America is. And I’ve got to tell you, I can’t wait to debate the guy — that is if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up,” Walz said, referencing the viral social media meme that suggested — falsely — that Vance once had sexual relations with a couch. [The original tweet, for reference: “can’t say for sure but he might be the first vp pick to have admitted in a ny times bestseller to fucking an inside-out latex glove shoved between two couch cushions (vance, hillbilly elegy, pp. 179-181)”]. The Associated Press then attempted to debunk the rumor in an article titled, “No, JD Vance Did Not Have Sex With a Couch,” but was then forced to retract it, claiming it had not gone through the standard editing process. In any event, earlier in the evening Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was rumored to be one of Harris’ top choices for vice presidential, took aim at Vance as he warmed up the crowd. “JD Vance – he’s not exactly off to a good start, I think we can all agree on that. But I think part of the reason why he’s not off to a good start is this – you don’t know who he is, and he’s not being honest with himself, so he can’t be honest with the American people.” The crowd responded with chants of “He’s so weird! He’s so weird!” (Salon / NBC News / Politico / Associated Press / Washington Post / New York Times / Business Insider / CNBC / CNN / Daily Beast)
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2024/08/07/day-1296/