Make No Names For Small Men
Whether you have met him in person, watched a speech, or listened to him on a podcast, you may know Tim Walz. He was my geography teacher in 2001, and his wife, Gwen, taught me English. There is much to say about the Walz’s, but their lunchmates from that period, including my mother, have been just as excited for them as their students. We all share a similar experience going through the events of September 11th together.
However, this group of teachers and the Walz’s who took lunch in the ‘Lower Lounge’ at Mankato West High School had an additional responsibility: their students. As many millennials concern themselves with being heard, I can attest that the Walz’s heard many teenagers' opinions and have decided to do something about it. As one of those students and the son of a former co-worker, I encourage you to vote for Kamala Harris & Tim Walz for President & Vice President on Tuesday, November 5th.
I live in Illinois and have been so encouraged by what has happened to and for Tim Walz. I have never met anyone else more deserving of an elected office in the federal government in the United States of America. In conjunction with his running mate, Kamala Harris, they have broad, yet reasonably tenured, experience in every branch of the government. If there is any team who can make Democracy intentionally work for America, it is them.
Alternatively, our option on Tuesday is the team of the one-term president and a junior Senator from Ohio. I find the need to make a comparison between them and an Illinois governor from 100 years ago — when Illinois had money.
Lennington Small is a governor whom I believe Ralph Waldo Emerson would describe as the model hobgoblin of Illinois. A 1920s-era Governor, in 2011, the Chicago Tribune denominated him ‘Perhaps the Dirtiest Governor of them all.’ Small held multiple positions during his time in Illinois state government. A Senator, Treasurer, and Governor, Small would become infamous for embezzling $17.5 million via a fake bank.
But it was at his 1920s-era trial that Small would fail at making a novel legal argument. That a ‘divine right of kings’ exempted Small from judicial review as the executive office holder. The courts disagreed at the time, and the case went forward. How different a world Small would have found himself in had he been transported 100 years into the future.
Conveniently, Small would find eight jury members who, after the trial, would become state government employees. They would be part of the Small Government that helped govern the state when Al Capone was not a memory but an active and increasing problem. I would argue that Len Small and his government subsequently served as a model for many former Illinois politicians and past presidents.
This approach mirrors the shoddy financials of at least one mover and shaker from the 2022 election cycle. While Len Small’s contributions ultimately fleeced Illinois, the vote on Tuesday, November 5th, 2024, appears to be about whether we should trust the financial ideas of Small Men.
Here is where I find solace in Tim Walz. These zero-sum politics have little purchase on a public school teacher with a demonstrated history of improving the world around him. In Minnesota, he accomplished universal basic breakfast for his students, cut taxes in every state budget, and passed the most significant infrastructure improvement bill in Minnesota's history.
The Tim Walz I knew could never be a Small man. He was the type of teacher who traded mixtapes with his students. He only took into politics when stickers on a wallet deemed his students inadmissible to a political rally. He has served five terms as a House Representative, is serving his second term as governor, and will be a great Vice President.
While I can only impress upon you what you will accept, my intent with this piece is to impart that, in Minnesota, Tim Walz was a former teacher who has shown he could do what he taught. In the White House, I think Tim Walz will be remembered as someone who met the politics of his day and helped advance our great American Experiment.
I appreciate the stress of this moment in time, but I am fortunate to take solace in the fact that there is no other person I would rather have as Vice President of the United States of America. If you have known someone in your life you hold in similar esteem, consider yourself lucky.
This essay has been for those who do not.
Kyle Palmer is a fifteen-year professional at Camping World, America’s largest RV retailer. He has covered multiple Chicago Northside aldermanic elections, catalyzed the discovery of systemic fraud in a local sports organization, and covered the viral debate about a municipal Pride Flag in North Dakota. For the 2024 election, he produced a Tim Walz Summer Playlist mixtape — the basis of which is fake news of the finest form. He would argue that none of these things would have happened without his education at Mankato West — under Tim, Gwen, and all the excellent teachers, including his parents, from his public high school.
(Hi, Mom!)
