In the pantheon of political brilliance, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is carving out his spot by showcasing one of the most daring strategies of our time—blaming literally everyone but himself for the state of his state. Recently, Walz made waves by declaring, “We can’t afford four more years of this!” Now, given that he’s been the one steering the ship in Minnesota for years, you might think that was a moment of self-reflection. But no, this was classic Walz, executing his signature move: blame Republicans for the mess he created.
Walz is the type of leader who never misses a chance to point a finger anywhere but inward. He seems to have perfected the art of governing in the twilight zone—where the longer you’re in power, the more everyone else becomes responsible for your decisions. If Minnesota’s economic policies have stalled, don’t look at his tax hikes or regulations; clearly, this is the fault of Republicans in some far-off land. Did crime rates rise during his tenure? That’s because of the “extremist rhetoric” of conservative media, obviously. And if schools in Minnesota are failing? Well, surely that’s a national problem that local Democratic leadership can’t possibly be expected to fix!
Of course, the funniest part of Walz’s declaration is that he seems to be the only one in denial about who’s been at the helm for the last few years. He’s stood by, waving the flag of “progressive leadership,” while unemployment rose, businesses shuttered, and crime rates ballooned in major cities like Minneapolis. But when Walz says we can’t afford four more years of this, he’s not talking about the destructive policies that have left many Minnesotans shaking their heads. He’s actually warning against some dystopian future where Republicans get blamed for what’s already happening under his watch.
Walz’s commitment to dodging responsibility is so deep that he’s practically an Olympic-level athlete at it. When the George Floyd riots devastated Minnesota, leaving businesses in ruins and community trust shattered, Walz sat back and calmly reassured everyone that the real issue was not the burning city around them, but a lack of social justice reforms. After all, when your state is literally on fire, the thing to do isn’t to put out the flames—it’s to throw more fuel on the fire and call it progress.
In education, Walz has also been a beacon of leadership. Take his stellar handling of schools during the pandemic: classrooms were closed for months, students were forced into a Zoom learning purgatory, and test scores plummeted. But what did Walz do? He took credit for keeping everyone “safe,” even as it became clear that students were falling further behind, particularly those from low-income households. But in the Walz world, a failed education system isn’t something to fix; it’s something to deflect, blame the Republicans, and double down on remote learning policies that clearly didn’t work.
His genius extends to Minnesota’s economy as well. Tax hikes and over-regulation have choked small businesses, while his administration has continued to spend lavishly on every pet progressive project. And when the economic slowdown hits home? Don’t worry—Walz will blame someone else. After all, his policies have been too progressive to fail, so the real problem must be those greedy business owners who just don’t want to pay their fair share.
And then there’s Walz’s crowning achievement: crime. As violent crime has surged in the Twin Cities, Walz has, of course, pointed the finger at everything from police training to societal inequities. What he hasn’t done is take responsibility for the defund-the-police rhetoric and policies that have made Minnesota less safe. But, true to form, the problem isn’t his; it’s Republicans for not getting behind his progressive criminal justice reforms fast enough.
In this grand strategy of blame-shifting, Tim Walz has proven himself a master tactician. We may not be able to afford four more years of failed policies, crumbling schools, economic stagnation, and rising crime—but Tim Walz will make sure we all know who to blame when it all falls apart. Spoiler: it won’t be him.
So, bravo, Governor Walz. If your goal was to govern Minnesota into the ground while pointing fingers at everyone else, you’ve succeeded brilliantly.
