This editor had no idea that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was "America's dad" until the Lincoln Project expressed its eagerness to see J.D. Vance debate America's dad. Walz is a dad — thanks to in vitro fertilization, or so he claimed for weeks to score points against Vance. Gwen Walz came forward Tuesday and said she'd not had IVF; the Harris campaign said that Walz was just talking the way normal people talk.

We're finding out a whole lot about Walz, which explains the Democratic National Convention's efforts to make him the role model for "healthy masculinity," according to David Hogg. He's not talking policy and he's not addressing all the claims of stolen valor, made by nearly everyone in his unit.

Chris Cillizza says he didn't get the whole Walz thing before his DNC speech, but now thinks the man oozes authenticity.

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1/ I didn't really *get* the Tim Walz thing before last night.

I knew of him when he was a Congressman. And when he got elected governor.

But the political world never touted him as a rising star. Not "someone to watch."

So, I underestimated him...

— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) August 22, 2024

2/ When Kamala Harris picked Walz, I thought it was a mistake.

Josh Shapiro made much more sense in terms of raw political considerations.

— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) August 22, 2024

I was thrilled when she picked Walz over Shapiro because it was a mistake.

3/ But what Walz has -- and it's rare in politics these days -- is that he's totally comfortable in his own skin. He knows who he is. He's authentic. And he doesn't try to be someone else.

And authenticity is the coin of the realm. He oozes it.

— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) August 22, 2024

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He doesn't try to be someone else? Seriously?

"He's authentic."

That man has lied about every aspect of his past. He's lied about his DUI arrest, his military service, and his own children's conception.

This is a bad take.

— Josiah Lippincott (@jlippincott_) August 22, 2024

He has lied about basically every detail in his life.

Sounds a lot more like he's comfortable in someone else's skin, Mr. "Journos Don't Root For A Side."

— Grateful Calvin (@shoveitjack) August 22, 2024

... Except he desperately wants to be someone else.
A retired Command Seargent Major,
a combat veteran off OEF,
someone who stood on the tarmac of Bagram airbase in Iraq,
a head coach that led his students to the State Championship,
and the parent of IVF children.

— Josh McClure (@JoshMMcClure) August 22, 2024

Au contraire, he is an empty suit, who has created a persona to further his ambitions. If he is "totally comfortable in his own skin", why is Harris’ Communications Director repeatedly required to step in and attempt to clean up his "misspeaks"?

— RaeSM (@RaeSM3) August 22, 2024

Speaking of coins, have you seen his challenge coin? With a rank shown on it that wasn’t his??

Yeah, we have.

Real fucking authentic, @ChrisCillizza.

— 🇺🇸 (@BosunPipe) August 22, 2024

That's the problem with pathological liars. They're perfectly comfortable lying.

What's your excuse lying for him?

— LockeUpLiberty (@Vingancia) August 22, 2024

He literally lies to enhance his clout almost every time he speaks in public.

— SILAWZ (@stucknLAwzmbies) August 22, 2024

Other than the whole pathological lying about his biography thing

— Gary in DFW (@LakerGMC_) August 22, 2024

This editor doesn't get it either. Videos tell the story: he considers socialism just being neighborly and doesn't believe that freedom of speech covers hate speech or misinformation. All the guy is is misinformation.

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