Thanks for republishing this. It's a great piece, and the message is no less important now. I'm a Minnesotan, but Walz was honestly not my first choice for the VP slot. Still, the treatment he received was repulsive. Thinking back to the disastrous John Kerry presidential run, it's clear that Democrats have had a hard time positioning themselves as the party of patriotism and military valor. Republicans have been allowed to wrap themselves -- often literally -- in the flag, without much of a challenge. As a lifelong Democrat, I'm actually convinced most of my party-mates are staunch patriots, but have a hard time demagoguing it. We're going to have to work on this.
Respect the heck out of you Will, but couldn’t disagree more. Walz represented himself as a combat Vet by saying he was an ‘Enduring Freedom Vet’. That was not accurate. And he was conditionally promoted to CSM- the condition being he completed the required courses. I know of know veteran who would claim the higher rank if they didn’t follow through on the contract.
Thanks for republishing this. It's a great piece, and the message is no less important now. I'm a Minnesotan, but Walz was honestly not my first choice for the VP slot. Still, the treatment he received was repulsive. Thinking back to the disastrous John Kerry presidential run, it's clear that Democrats have had a hard time positioning themselves as the party of patriotism and military valor. Republicans have been allowed to wrap themselves -- often literally -- in the flag, without much of a challenge. As a lifelong Democrat, I'm actually convinced most of my party-mates are staunch patriots, but have a hard time demagoguing it. We're going to have to work on this.
Respect the heck out of you Will, but couldn’t disagree more. Walz represented himself as a combat Vet by saying he was an ‘Enduring Freedom Vet’. That was not accurate. And he was conditionally promoted to CSM- the condition being he completed the required courses. I know of know veteran who would claim the higher rank if they didn’t follow through on the contract.