Takeaways from the AP's review of Tim Walz's descriptions of his military record

AP ^ | Aug 25, 2024 | JONATHAN MATTISE and RICHARD LARDNER

[where's_the_Outrage?]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz served in the National Guard for 24 years, rising through the enlisted ranks and receiving an honorable discharge. It is a record seen as one of his political strengths. Republicans are trying to turn it into a weakness.

They have seized on criticism from former National Guard members denouncing Walz, the Minnesota governor, for retiring from the military in 2005 to run for Congress shortly before his unit was deployed to Iraq and for overstating the rank he held after he left the service. They also have pointed to a comment Walz made that implied he had seen combat, when he had not.

It is a risky strategy for Republicans that invites comparison between Walz, with decades of military service, and former President Donald Trump, who received a series of deferments to avoid serving in Vietnam, including one attained with a physician’s letter stating he suffered from bone spurs in his feet.......

Rank matters “I’m a retired command sergeant major,” Walz said in 2006 as he campaigned to unseat the six-term Republican in Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District.

That declaration was not true.

[where's_the_Outrage?]

Seems like a mostly fair article from the AP.

One area they don't mention was the Dem attack on W for his National Guard service.

[Sirius Lee]

I don’t recall Trump ever stating that he charged a machine gun nest at Bihn Gia.

[Dahoser]

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz served in the National Guard for 24 years, rising through the enlisted ranks and receiving an honorable discharge. It is a record seen as one of his political strengths. Republicans are trying to turn it into a weakness.

No, not Walz's military record, but his lies about his military record. Big difference.

[The_Media_never_lie]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz served in the National Guard for 24 years, rising through the enlisted ranks and receiving an honorable discharge. It is a record seen as one of his political strengths. Republicans are trying to turn it into a weakness.

They have seized on criticism from former National Guard members denouncing Walz, the Minnesota governor, for retiring from the military in 2005 to run for Congress shortly before his unit was deployed to Iraq and for overstating the rank he held after he left the service. They also have pointed to a comment Walz made that implied he had seen combat, when he had not.

_______________________

When did lying and stolen valor become political strengths? More b.s. and propaganda from Ass. Press.

[cgbg]

Walz lied and lied and lied—and got away with it for decades.

That is the big story.

[RWGinger]

You do understand the anger is not that he was in NG, right?
It is that he deliberately lied over and over about what he did, lied to enhance himself which is disgusting and dishonorable to people who actually served in combat.
He even lied about reenlisting right after 9/11 to make himself look patriotic
So no the article wasn’t fair, it tried to minimize his lies.

[where's_the_Outrage?]

No, not Walz's military record, but his lies about his military record. Big difference.

Not necessarily true. He's also being attacked for retiring instead of going to Iraq with his unit and not finishing the Sergeants Major requirement. That's an attack on his service or lack there of.

[Brian Griffin]

“big story”

The American voting public should not forget the Covid nursing home death rate, Covid closures, the snitch line(as I recollect) and his failure to prevent the burning of Lake Street and many minority-owned businesses.

Is there any Democratic governor more incompetent in the USA?

[GailA]

MORE than his military lies, his whole life is a lie.

Tim Walz Caught Fudging Record Again

https://www.cf.org/news/tim-walz-caught-fudging-record-again/?_bhlid=c90a77f9bcf7f985a3e034ef000b469829150326

Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., has been caught in two more fibs about his record. For years Walz claimed the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce honored him and that he participated in a pilot Harvard program as one of the first American educators to teach Chinese high school students. Walz claimed the Nebraska.

This is bigger. It took https://metager.org/ to get the answer to the first article. ‘I knew who I could go to’: How Tim Walz gave queer high school students a refuge

Before he was Kamala Harris’s running mate, the Minnesota governor was a geography teacher, coach and faculty adviser for a gay-straight alliance at Mankato West High School. His former students tell Alex Woodward about their unlikely ally, and why dozens are now campaigning for him

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/tim-walz-gay-high-school-gsa-teacher-lgbt-b2599841.html

Snopes
Unpacking the Claim That Walz ‘Recruited Young Boys’ into ‘Gay Club’ at School
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/unpacking-claim-walz-recruited-young-233100116.html

‘I knew who I could go to’: How Tim Walz gave his queer high school students a refuge
https://www.yahoo.com/news/knew-could-tim-walz-gave-094128504.html

Tim Walz’s students introduce America to their teacher and coach at the DNC: ‘Best people for the job’
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/tim-walz-students-introduce-america-011708399.html

Tim Walz’s gay backstory means everything to queer voters
https://www.intomore.com/impact/politics/tim-walzs-gay-backstory-means-everything-to-queer-voters/

Tim Walz’s Gay-Straight Alliance students remember him as accepting and goofy
While working as a teacher in rural Minnesota in the late ‘90s, Walz helped launch the high school’s first club for LGBTQ students.
https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/tim-walz-lgbtq-rights-issues-teacher-governor-rcna165622

Minnesota Became A ‘Trans Refuge’ Thanks To Tim Walz — And It Changed Lives
“To him, trans people are just people and trans children are just children,” said one mother.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/minnesota-trans-refuge-tim-walz_n_66ba51c1e4b0eabd2393ca01

As a teacher, Tim Walz stood up for students’ Gay-Straight Alliance .
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/09/walz-gay-alliance-high-school/

https://evrimagaci.org/tpg/tim-walzs-journey-from-teacher-to-lgbtq-advocate-31767
‘I knew who I could go to’: How Tim Walz gave his queer high school students a refuge
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/tim-walz-gave-queer-high-schoolers-a-refuge-those-students-are-now-campaigning-for-his-white-house-bid/ar-AA1oZE0Ohttps://apnews.com/article/tim-walz-teacher-coach-lgbtq-minnesota-mankato-4e03b28f956e7862dc72d25b852af448

Former students and colleagues recall high school teachers Tim and Gwen Walz as allies and advocates
https://apnews.com/article/tim-walz-teacher-coach-lgbtq-minnesota-mankato-4e03b28f956e7862dc72d25b852af448

25 Years Ago, a Gay Student Sought Support. His School Turned to Tim Walz.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/20/us/tim-walz-gay-students.html

Tim Walz has long been a friend to the queer community, and here’s the proof
https://www.intomore.com/impact/politics/tim-walz-has-long-been-a-friend-to-the-queer-community-and-heres-the-proof/

Tim Walz Once Advised A High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance—What We Know About The Governor And The Club
https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2024/08/21/tim-walz-once-advised-a-high-schools-gay-straight-alliance-what-we-know-about-the-governor-and-the-club/

Here is the ad he ran bragging about it.
https://www.facebook.com/govwalz/videos/10101099675953009/

Tim Walz’s campaign for Minnesota governor aims to bridge the great divide
https://www.startribune.com/tim-walz-s-campaign-for-minnesota-governor-aims-to-bridge-the-great-divide/495297961

[edwinland]

“seen as” is where the pea goes under the thimble.

[Brian Griffin]

Would it be correct to say that Walz is the most dishonest and most incompetent Democratic governor in the USA?

[GailA]

We need more stories from Minnesota about his treatment of citizens, Shooting them with paint balls if they left home.

[Demiurge2]

“Seized” is the low-carb version of “pounced.”

[Parley Baer]

“No, not Walz’s military record, but his lies about his military record. Big difference.”

Good point you make. Also points out what AP is avoiding.

[Gay State Conservative]

The AP? Hmmm...lemme guess: Modern Day George S Patton?

[JPG]

Nice try AP, but you can’t turn chicken #### into chicken salad.

[Brian Griffin]

I’m not going to beat a former teacher over the head for trying to help troubled teenagers.

However, I don’t want deluded teenage boys given estrogen to be in the locker rooms of young ladies.

I don’t want Bruce Jenner to be in a ladies’ locker room when ladies or girls are using it.

I don’t want government money to be used to mutilate the normal body parts of people.

[ClearCase_guy]

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz served in the National Guard for 24 years, rising through the enlisted ranks and receiving an honorable discharge. It is a record seen as one of his political strengths. Republicans are trying to turn it into a weakness.

Now let's do Nixon -- Senator, Vice President, President (twice). I'm sure that the AP is willing to gloss over that little Watergate thing and declare that Richard Nixon is a giant on the US political landscape.

[Liz]

After a Jul 3, 2024 WH meeting, Minn Gov. Tim Walz declared Biden is “fit for office.”

At the same time Democrat honchos were kicking Biden out of office......
his mental decline dried up donations and was endangering other Democrat races.

[FlingWingFlyer]

AP campaigning for the Jamaicaho ticket again. Screw the AP. I don’t want the same bass turds running my country that they want. They need to move their offices to Cuba, Haiti or Jamaica. Marxist slavery and fascism seems to be their cup of tea.