wonk

“Am I a policy wonk? No, but I do approach this from a very business-minded, fiscally conservative perspective.”

The media will, no doubt, lean into Walz’s experience as a football coach — in 1999 he helped Mankato West win a state championship and political wonks love a good sports metaphor.

It sounds like the makings of theater for wonks, doesn’t it?

They also flesh out a portrait of Mr. Obama as a steady-as-she-goes, hyper-disciplined but not especially warm, policy wonk who scrolled the Brookings Institution website for ideas and had to overcome his own political mistakes.

Like an adorable boy band, the three pals each had a persona: Ryan, the policy wonk; Cantor, the blossoming leader; and McCarthy, the political animal.