Could Midwestern nice win the night?

Tim Walz and JD Vance square off in the VP debate tonight. Their tone will tell a story about the campaign.

Midwestern nice.

Both Tim Walz, a Minnesota Governor, and JD Vance, an Ohio Senator, will test the notion tonight. Based on what we’ve seen so far — it might be a pretty serious test. 

Walz opened his campaign by making an oblique joke about an internet rumor involving JD Vance and couches. Vance, for his part, has disparaged Walz’s service in the National Guard. 

Still, the idea of “Midwestern nice” exists for a reason. My career in politics was built on this concept — which I define not as being overly kind — but an essential willingness to be kind, have a conversation, and push for some common agreement. It doesn’t mean never disagreeing, but it does mean ensuring basic respect through disagreement, and hearing each other out. 

I experienced this firsthand in Kansas and Iowa.  I worked for a Democratic governor in Kansas, a heavily Republican state. She wanted to help anyone in the state, so much so that she made sure if any constituent called the Governor’s office, they would speak to a person and one of us would help that person navigate government bureaucracy.  

In Iowa, I worked on a hard-fought primary and while those can leave a bad taste in your mouth — after all it’s a bit of a family fight — you congratulate the winner and move on. 

Our Iowa Obama campaign was also built on an essential kindness, with a very Midwestern ethos of “respect, empower, include.”

In my experience this approach bore results: A Democratic woman elected twice in Kansas; a unified Iowa Democratic Party in a hotly contested governor’s race; a caucus victory in Iowa that grew into a national campaign electing the first Black President of the United States in 2008 while winning unlikely states of Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio that haven’t been in the Democratic Presidential play since. 

Sixteen years later I often wonder where that went in our politics. Are we able to be kind to each other, respect each other even when we disagree? 

Tonight we have two ostensibly genial, Midwestern Dads debating — and the smart bet would be on a toxic slugfest. 

*** 

Photo by A A on Unsplash

I remember reading Hillbilly Elegy, JD Vance’s book, when it first came out in 2016. It was a buzzy book in politics —  especially for those of us familiar with the story of the struggles of the Midwest and Appalachia.

In many ways, I could relate to JD Vance.  He wrote about growing up in a manufacturing town where glory days seemed behind it, a place that sounded a lot like my hometown.  His family struggled with drugs, specifically his mom.  Vance was raised mostly by a tough-minded grandma who took it upon herself to get him on the straightened path.  Vance’s personal story is inspiring, and evokes some of the best aspects of the American Dream.

In Hillbilly Elegy, Vance’s persistence was clear. He went into the military, graduated from Ohio State and then on to Yale for his law degree. And he struggled with  how to best help his hometown.  

Outside of telling his story, Vance veered into venture capital — without many documented successes for his home state of Ohio (though he said this was the original reason he wanted to do it). And he went into politics, running for the Senate, where it seems he lost the nuance of his book, and somewhat the Midwestern nice tone of Hillbilly Elegy. He also endorsed Donald Trump for the first time. 

Vance being Republican wasn’t a surprise to me. The second half of the book made it pretty clear to me he believed the solution to America’s woes was churches and charities, and not so much government regulation or schools.  

What has surprised me is how far he is tonally from that more reflective place. I thought we would see more of the big heart on display in his book. 

***  

I’ll admit that Tim Walz wasn’t on my Presidential radar until he was floated as a Vice Presidential candidate. It is the opposite of Vance — I had very little formed opinion of him or idea of what to expect.

Having lived in Des Moines, Iowa, though, I knew Minnesota — and Minnesota was an envy of the region.  Minneapolis attracted young educated talent.  With Fortune 500 companies, good paying jobs, young families could afford housing. An Iowa Gubernatorial candidate I worked for used Minneapolis as an example of what Iowa could be. 

“You go to Minneapolis and there are tons of young people pushing baby carriages, going to work,” he used to say.  Work ethic was a source of pride in the midwest, where Tim Walz got his start. 

I now know more about Tim Walz (although many still say they don’t know much about either Vice Presidential candidate).  He taught in public schools, he was a football coach, he served in the National Guard for 24 years, he ran for Congress.  My husband crossed paths with him when he was in Congress, and my husband was a journalist covering him.  He thought he was nice, if not terrifically memorable.  

When Walz was first announced as the Democrats’ vice presidential nominee, I must have been worried.  I had a nightmare where I got into a debate with Walz, and I was frustrated because he seemed more like an inward football coach unable to discuss the ins and outs of federal policy.  Of course this is based on exactly nothing but my internal fears.

After that literal nightmare, I asked around to both Democrats and Republicans who served with him or knew him.  Democrats loved him, said he was under the radar but effective.  Mick Mulveney, who served as President Trump’s Acting Chief of Staff, had served with Tim Walz in Congress.  He said I would love him, though Mulveney had policy disagreements, he said he was always very nice. 

Without a book or much known about Walz, tonight is a big test.  Tim Walz openly admitted to Harris when he was being vetted for Vice President that he didn’t know how to read a teleprompter, and hadn’t planned on being a national candidate. In many ways tonight is as unplanned for Tim Walz as unexpected.  

He says his students first motivated his run for office.  There are no signs that he was preparing for a bigger run, he wasn’t doing donor rounds or writing books.  And yet tonight the spotlight will shine bright on him alongside JD Vance. 

*** 

I’m curious tonight whether these two Midwestern hopefuls bring back Midwestern nice — or, as is unfortunately probably more likely, we could see the darker side of what has invaded many small towns and cities in the Heartland:  A rabid partisanship where one side, even if they have a good idea, is never right.  And worse some label each other as anti-American. 

After writing some of these columns I have heard directly from you — my readers — and I’m so grateful for your thoughts.  In one of the back and forths with a reader, he noted that because I am currently not living in the midwest, I might not be as aware of the heightened tension that’s being felt at home.  Where before we could disagree, put yard signs of opposite candidates on neighboring lawns, now there’s a deep resentment that could even, he worried, lead to violence. 

I worry about that too. In recent weeks, I’ve talked with Stephanie Grisham who though she worked closely with President Trump, when she spoke out about what she experienced, her neighbors in a small town in the midwest who support Trump turned against her fast, even when they know her well, and her family. 

We’ve heard from my friend Mohamed El-Hodiri who lived an American dream as an immigrant in Kansas.  Mohamed worries now about our future, if we’re studying enough of our history and building upon the American dream. 

And I’ve talked with my friends in Galesburg, Ill.,, who have different political perspectives but worry about talking politics with someone outside their circle because they’re afraid of the rifts it will cause. 

So what will we see tonight?  Could “Midwestern nice” rise?  Or will we see the dark side? 

And what does it tell us about post election if we can’t be civil in what might be the last debate? 

I for one will be rooting for Midwestern nice. 

*** 

Special programming note: I’m watching this debate again with my friend Brandon Cobb who joined me for the Presidential debate, as I introduced in a previous post.  After the debate we’ll be hosting a live program on Substack for subscribers.  Substack Live is relatively new so let’s see how this goes.  We’ll blast the link your way at the end of the debate to join live in the substack app. 

Whether you join tonight or not, please do let me know what you think of this debate.  As our subscriber community grows, I look forward to ways to engage you and I do hope we get back to a politics that: Respects, empowers, includes. 

I’m so grateful to this community and look forward to seeing you tonight.