Travelin' the North Country Fair

My first thought when I heard about the VP pick was, “Welp, you just don’t get no more middle America than Tim Walz.” He taught high school social studies and coached football. He served 24 years in the National Guard as an enlisted man and non-commissioned officer. He was elected to Congress from a Republican district and won covered dish competitions while there.

(I do have an issue with his “Turkey Trot Tater Tot” recipe: he uses a single clove of garlic for a pound of green beans, a pound of ground turkey and a package of Tater Tots.)

He’s also signed laws guaranteeing all Minnesota schoolchildren access to free breakfast and lunch, ensuring paid sick leave for all Minnesota workers and restoring voting rights to convicted felons who’ve completed their carceral sentences. No wonder the Republicans hate him so much.

Walz is not afraid to ride the big dad energy. He’s made several videos with his daughter Hope (conceived via IVF, which Republicans have now officially turned against) on topics like the hands-free driving law and visiting the Minnesota State Fair:

So our song today is Minnesota native son Bob Dylan, singing “Girl from the North Country”. It’s early Dylan—1963—and definitely evokes English ballads (like “Scarborough Fair).It’s old-fashioned and evocative. Like Walz.

Here’s Bob singing it in the original release.

 

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