‘Kristi Noem would have just tossed a grenade through the window’: Tim Walz’s dog rescue saga proves he’s the least-weird politician around

Tim Walz is officially Kamala Harris’ running mate, and the country is practically weeping for joy. Not because he’s necessarily the most exciting choice Harris could’ve made, but because he’s just so darn drama-free.

A decade ago, we would never have guessed how much of a blessed relief it would be that a potential president or vice president was aggressively ordinary, but after it looked for a hot minute there like our only choices were an orange-hued affront to democracy and a well-intentioned if worn-out octogenarian, the presence of an archetypal good egg like Walz on the ballot is a reason to celebrate.

Social media is already starting to refer to Walz as “America’s dad,” and for the ultimate evidence of that we only need to look at a series of tweets he shared last October. In what could’ve been sent by your own father in the family group chat, Walz decided to enlighten the people of X with the wholesome saga of his dog, Scout, locking himself in his and his wife’s bedroom.

The governor of Minnesota shared the epic story in three tweets: first, his wife texting him to let him know what had happened, a photo of the dog being retrieved through the window, and then an adorable snap of Scout looking happy now that he’d been freed.

Although this is the stuff of WhatsApp chats with dads up and down the country, it cannot be stressed enough how different this is from the typical bile that our elected officials tweet about these days. Just look at the belligerent lies and bone-headed idiocy the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert spread on social media daily. And we know one potential Republican running mate would’ve handled this situation a lot differently. As one comment on this Reddit thread quipped, “Kristi Noem would have just tossed a grenade through the window.”

Everyday dog antics this might be, but the fact that the one of the most notable things Walz has done online is tweet about his prankster of a pooch is actually restoring people’s faith in the future of America. “The kind of shenanigans our country actually needs,” wrote one. Others are amazed at how different Harris and Walz are from Trump and his GOP ghouls: “Walz and Harris are humans with human problems. Modern republicans are caricatures of people in The Boys.”

Not to get ahead of ourselves, but some are even beginning to dare to dream of a time when we might not have to fear for what the next political calamity will be. “I realized recently that I don’t remember what it feels like to not spend my day worrying about what tomorrow might look like,” reads one comment, in what might be the most profound response to a thread about dogs being dumb in the internet’s history.

Tim Walz, thank you for not being a family pet-killing crazy man. And Scout, keep doing what you’re doing. America needs you both.