I greatly admire U.S. President Joe Biden. I believe him to be one of the best presidents the United States has had. And he is just completing a hugely successful term which will go a long way to getting his country on the right track.

But his day is done. The infamous debate put the full stop on that. I didn’t watch the debate but I saw clips on the Jon Stewart show and it hurt to see such a thoroughly good man humiliated by such an unprincipled wretch. It was clearly time for Joe to step down and, as might be expected, he did the right thing. 

With the nomination now open, I looked forward to a vigorous competition between the many excellent potential candidates the Democratic Party has. My choice would have been Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, a very bright lady who has the ability to connect with both sides of the Democratic Party—blue collar and intellectual.

However, American presidential election campaigns are interminable affairs and with only[italics] four months until D-Day, time was short, so the Democrats sensibly rallied around the VP. Whitmer notwithstanding, the more I learn about Kamala Harris the more I like her. Her energy, her sheer joy, is infectious, just what the Democrats need. And with her experience as a prosecutor and Attorney-General of California, who better to challenge the convicted felon the Republicans are offering?

Next came her big decision—who for running mate? A friend of mine and I had thought Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, would be Harris’ pick. He is very popular and, of particular political importance, governor of a key swing state. But we missed a potential problem. Shapiro’s ardent support of Israel could make his choice impolitic, given how divisive that issue is in the party.

In any case, the lucky man is Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota. My reaction was, no doubt like many people—who is Tim Walz? Ultimately, as with Harris, the more I learn about him the more I like him.

Walz is Mid-west to the core. Grew up in rural Nebraska, served in the military, coached football—football for heaven’s sake! Along with God and guns that is the heartland’s credo. (Walz is also a hunter and fisherman so he’s got the guns bit covered.) He represents a great swath of Americans that the sophisticated lady from the West Coast needs to provide down-home bona fides for her campaign.

His friendly, folksy style is apparently sincere. He really is affable and down to earth—like Joe Biden a thoroughly decent human being. His record in Michigan is impressive—progressive, pro-union and strong on the environment. Yet culturally conservative.

Both he and Harris have devoted their careers to serving their communities unlike their adversaries who have devoted their lives mostly to making money, and Trump can’t even do that honestly. Americans would be a lucky people to have these two as their president and VP.