Harris VP pick Tim Walz accepts nomination

Washington, Aug 22 (IANS) Tim Walz, governor of the US state of Minnesota, has formally accepted the Democratic party's nomination for vice-president, and said that he was "ready to turn on the page on former President Donald Trump and his running mate J. D. Vance".

Walz delivered the acceptance speech on a night packed with star speakers who spoke before him, such as former President Bill Clinton, former talk show host Oprah Winfrey, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives Hakeem Jeffries her successor and legendary entertainers Stevie Wonder and John Legend.

"Leaders do not spend all day insulting people and blaming others," Walz said, referring to Trump.

"Leaders do the work. So I don't know about you, I'm ready to turn the page on these guys. So go ahead and say it with me. We're not going back."

Walz is a former military veteran, school teacher, American football coach and a former member of the House of Representatives and is currently serving his second term as governor of the state of Minnesota. He has impressed allies and Democrats as a plain-speaking average American who has often mocked his Republican rival Vance’s elite schooling at Yale University.

"It's the honour of my life to accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States," he said, formally accepting the nomination on Wednesday. Vice President Kamala Harris will accept the Democratic nomination for president on Thursday.

"I had 24 kids in my high school class, and none of them went to Yale," Walz said about growing up in Nebraska state, with a shot at Vance who went to Yale.

"But I'll tell you what, growing up in a small town like that, you'll learn how to take care of each other. That family down the road. They may not think like you do, they may not pray like you do. They may not love like you do, but they're your neighbours, and you look out for them, and they look out for you."Walz spoke in detail about his middle America upbringing and career as a school teacher, saying two of his siblings also went into teaching and he married a school teacher Gwen Walz, who sat in the VIP enclosure of their son Gus and Hope, who all seemed emotionally overwhelmed by the occasion and robustly cheered the VP nominee during his acceptance speech.

"When Republicans use the word freedom, they mean that the government should be free to invade your doctor's office, corporations free to pollute your air and water, and banks free to take advantage of customers," Walz said, drawing the distinction between contrasting visions of the Democratic ticket from the Republican rivals."But when we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean the freedom to make a better life for yourself and the people that you love, freedom to make your own health care decisions and yeah, your kids, freedom to go to school without worrying about it."