From Minnesota, @short_pants weighs in on Tim Walz – The Boston Globe

So Driscoll, who was on jury duty Tuesday, agreed to provide a scouting report on Harris’s vice presidential pick.

”He’s your Midwestern uncle,” Driscoll said of Walz. “There is plainspokenness to him, but dedication. He has been the real deal for a long time.”Harris clearly saw Walz as an effective communicator, he said, noting Walz went viral after describing former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, as “weird.”

He said Harris must have been impressed with Walz’s “working family agenda,” which has included signing legislation to provide free school breakfasts and lunches to all students regardless of income, and legislation providing paid family and medical leave for Minnesotans.

Also, he said Harris must have seen Walz as a governing partner who has executive experience and is now chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.

Republicans have criticized Walz’s handling of the 2020 protests following the police killing of George Floyd. But Driscoll said, “The governor was operating under extraordinary conditions between the pandemic and civil unrest, and he provided calm and steady leadership.”

Some had expected Harris to choose a vice president from a swing state, such as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. But Driscoll noted Obama picked Joe Biden although he represented Delaware, which is far from a swing state.

While Republicans are casting Walz as far left, Driscoll said the “authentic” and “avuncular” governor will help win over Midwestern voters while combatting attempts to paint the ticket as too liberal. He said Walz never seems more at home than when he’s taking part in the opening of the fishing and hunting seasons in Minnesota.

But Driscoll joked that Walz gives off a “different vibe” than former Rhode Island Governor Bruce Sundlun, who made headlines for shooting three racoons on his waterfront estate in Newport in 1993. “He is not going to be shooting raccoons on the front lawn of the governor’s mansion,” he said of Walz.

And that brings us back to the story of why Driscoll still uses the handle @short_pants on X (formerly Twitter).

In 2008, Driscoll was a field organizer for Obama’s Rhode Island campaign when an elderly man stopped by campaign headquarters as Driscoll was charging a woman $3 for an Obama bumper sticker. A man stepped forward, saying, “Do you know who I am?” Driscoll said, “Sorry, sir, I don’t.” “I’m Bruce Sundlun!” the man boomed. Driscoll jumped out of his seat. “Do you know why I’m here?” Sundlun asked. Driscoll said, “No, sir.” Sundlun told him, “I’m here to kick your (butt)!” Sundlun, who lived in Jamestown, said he’d counted 18 John McCain signs on Aquidneck Island and not a single Obama sign. Raymond J. Sullivan Jr., then the Obama campaign’s state director, said they didn’t have signs yet but he gave him Obama T-shirts and bumper stickers. “Are they free?” Sundlun asked. Sullivan said, “Of course, governor.””Well, (expletive) short pants here is hustling bumper stickers at $3 a pop,” Sundlun said, pointing at Driscoll, who was wearing shorts.

This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you’d like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.

Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.