Those Who Can

Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz has much to teach the Democratic Party and the American people.

“Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.”  Most of us have heard this snarky little phrase uttered at some point.  The phrase's origins have been traced to George Bernard Shaw’s 1903 play Man and Superman.  The line from Shaw’s play was meant to describe the roles played by revolutionaries, not belittle teachers. But over the past century, it has become a favorite saying of miserable souls bitter about their tax money contributing to public education. Often this disdain for educators is paired with a cynicism toward the ability of government to provide any positive benefit to society.  No one has ever encapsulated and perpetuated this cynical view of public servants better than Ronald Reagan in his 1981 inauguration address, “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”  The notion that public school teachers are “can’t do” losers fits seamlessly into this broader view of government as the cause of all our problems.  Now that the Republicans find a former high school teacher in the Vice President slot of the Democrat’s 2024 ticket, it would be no surprise to hear Trump and friends lump Tim Walz into the category of “those who can’t.”

Despite their barely concealed hatred for public education, Republicans would be wise to avoid making Walz’s teaching experience an object of ridicule.  On a superficial level, the average American will likely be surprised and relieved to learn that Walz will be the first Democrat without a law degree to be nominated as President or Vice President in nearly a half-century.  Say what you want about teachers, but they invariably score higher than lawyers on surveys of trust and respectability.  

On a deeper level, Walz’s background as a teacher could also uniquely position him to make the most of that peculiar institution we call Vice President of the United States.  While theoretically second in line to the most powerful person on earth, Vice Presidents have often struggled with their own irrelevance, feeling more like “those who can’t” than “those who can.”  As our first Vice President John Adams complained to his wife Abigail, “My country has in its wisdom contrived for me the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.”  Adams would be the first but not the last Vice President to complain about the insignificance of his role in the federal government.  FDR’s VP John Nance Garner dismissed his role as "not worth a bucket of warm piss.”   Where Garner only saw piss, others saw lemonade to be made, and the greatness of a Vice President should be measured by their ability to make the most of this supposed “those who can’t” position.  When reviewing a recent survey by academics on vice presidential greatness, political scientists Justin Vaughn and Brandon Rottinghaus noted, “Successful vice presidents provide advice, work with Congress, and carry the president’s message.”  Sounds a lot like a teacher: tasked with educating the President on strategy, educating Congress on the administration's goals, and educating the public on the administration’s vision for national policy.

Even before getting the Vice President nomination, Tim Walz was already teaching lessons to a Democratic Party still trying to use fear and guilt to convince Americans that a struggling Joe Biden was our only hope against the apocalypse of another Trump presidency.  Walz’s branding of Trump and J.D. Vance as “weird,” provided a critical shift in focus for the Democrats.  Rather than shaming voters for being racist, sexist, or stupid like Democrats have done since Hillary Clinton’s shock loss in 2016, Walz’s “weird” strategy took scrutiny away from the citizens, instead focusing its attack on the widening gulf between the bizarre fixations of the MAGA elite and the concerns of the average American.  Under the tutelage of teachers like Walz, Harris has shifted away from the “Defend Democracy” and “Stop Trump” doom-mongering of the Biden campaign, injecting a much-needed sense of fun and optimism into the Democratic message.  As Walz noted during his first speech as VP nominee in Philadelphia, much of the momentum Kamala has harnessed comes from her “bringing back the joy” to the Democratic Party.  The electricity in that audience and Kamala’s bounce in the polls prove that the Democratic Party was wise to heed the lesson taught by Walz’s weirdo strategy: politics should be fun for those who take the time to get involved and relatable to those still unsure about their vote. 

The fact that the Harris campaign has learned valuable lessons from Walz’s folksy, funny style should not detract from Kamala’s leadership in shifting the vibe of the Democratic Party.  In particular, Kamala deserves credit for trusting her gut and picking Walz over following the dubious conventional wisdom of going with a swing state governor. It was most likely Walz's contentment to be a humble teacher and strong supporter that gained him the nod over runner-up Josh Shapiro, who may have aspired to a more active and prominent role as Vice President. Like any great teacher or Vice President, Walz gets satisfaction not from bringing glory to himself but in seeing those who he has taught shine and succeed.  His stated lack of interest in running for president in 2032 demonstrates that Walz is all-in for Kamala and is truly satisfied with the bountiful teaching opportunities that come with the office of Vice President.

If the good times keep rolling for Kamala all the way into the White House, Walz can use his Social Studies teacher skills to provide the American people with desperately needed lessons in civic pride.  He must help purge Americans of the poison lurking within the common misperceptions that “Government is the problem” and “Those who can’t, teach.”  From Reagan to Trump, Republicans have succeeded in indoctrinating Americans with a cynicism that sees our democratically-elected government as not only inefficient but insidious.  Democrats have failed for the past four decades to educate voters with a positive counter-narrative to this cynicism, instead often parroting the same “Washington is broken” line that plays right to the hands of Republicans who thrive on shattering Americans' trust in government. As Vice President, Walz must teach Americans that patriotism requires gratitude not disdain for the government that our Founding Fathers created nearly 250 years ago.  

Of course, any great teacher knows that lessons must be taught not just with words, but also with action.  Drawing on his progressive successes as Minnesota’s governor, Walz must teach Harris and Congressional Democrats not to be self-satisfied by merely keeping Republicans out of office.  Americans’ faith in government will not be restored by the kind of incremental changes trumpeted by the Biden Administration.  While oil and gas extraction hit record levels during the Biden Administration, Walz must educate his party establishment on the urgency of climate change, an impending crisis compelling him to set Minnesota on one of the nation’s most aggressive plans for a carbon-free future.  While Biden claims he “Beat Big Pharma” by getting insulin capped at $35 for Medicare recipients, Walz needs to educate his party and the nation that Americans are still stuck with the most expensive and one of the least effective healthcare systems in the developed world.  While Biden and Harris are promoting “Middle-class” tax breaks within a Revenue Code so bloated and complex that no one individual citizen could ever come close to comprehending it, Waltz needs to educate America that even the progressive reforms he instituted in Minnesota have not been enough to stop the widening wealth gap that threatens the stability of society and confidence in government.  These efforts by the Biden Administration have undoubtedly been a good start in tackling critical issues. But hopefully, the teacher and football coach in Tim Walz will tell Harris and Congressional Democrats that good starts are not good enough.

As Walz said about his career in Congress, “I learned the art of compromise without compromising my values.” The important lessons Tim Walz must teach will only take root in the hearts of Americans if he can convince Democrats to hold tight to values that they have too often compromised in the name of electability and practicality.  Time will tell whether Walz can inspire Kamala, Congress, and the American people to take bold, meaningful action to stop climate change, healthcare unaffordability, and wealth inequality.  But if Walz succeeds he will have taught Americans the most valuable lesson of his lifetime: that vice presidents like teachers are “those who can” inspire us, lead us, and restore our faith in the goodness of government and the greatness of America.