Tim Walz and J.D. Vance are both staunch believers that government should intrude in economic activity and personal lives

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The tradition in American politics is that vice-presidential candidates don’t really matter beyond healing intraparty rifts and throwing a bone to a rival. But with one major party candidate of such an advanced age that he may not live through the term and the other renowned for word salads and a seemingly constant state of unpreparedness, the running mates take on special importance this year. It’s thus interesting that both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have chosen VPs that appeal almost entirely to the party faithful, with little thought to expanding their bases.

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ pick, was “considered the most liberal choice” among those in the running, according to the Wall Street Journal, “reflecting his left-leaning record since being elected governor.”

“Liberal” might not be the best description. He was a pandemic control freak, imposing restrictions on gatherings, even in outdoor spaces, and maintaining a snitch line through which Minnesotans could turn each other in for violations of public health rules.

His state health department rationed COVID treatments based, in part, on racial factors. The Cato Institute’s “Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors” awarded him an F grade for his “big-government approach to fiscal policy” that worked from the assumption that personal and business income is wasted if it isn’t taxed away for government use. Walz infamously insisted that, “One person’s socialism is another person’s neighbourliness.”........

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