MAGA Republicans are trying to paint Tim Walz as a communist because he supports labor unions, healthcare for all, and free lunches for Minnesota's school kids.

It's a strange argument to make, since collective bargaining facilitates better relations between workers and management; and better access to healthcare means fewer sick days and less missed work; and well-fed students learn more and grow up to be smarter, more productive workers. The kinds of progressive policies that Governor Walz supports spur productivity and competitiveness. They're good for business!

The Trump/Vance campaign is also trying to "swiftboat" Walz's military record with false claims about "stolen valor." To be fair, Tim's choice of one preposition could have been better. Instead of saying he carried an assault rifle "in" war, he could have said "during" war.

Actually, with a slightly different noun, Walz's use of the preposition "in" would have been perfect. He could have said he carried his assault rifle "in wartime."

Of course, the question of which preposition or noun is just a distraction manufactured for the purpose of diverting attention away from Trumpty Dumpty's egregious mendacity and psychopathy. The Washington Post kept close track of Trump's lies while he was in office, and counted more than thirty thousand untruths uttered by the one-term loser. He may be getting old, but in that respect Trump has not slowed down since his forced retirement in 2020. If anything, he has only become more mendacious and unhinged. His great orange noggin may roll off onto the floor at any moment.

Not only is the Republican smear campaign picayune and silly, it also unfairly demeans the crucial role that non-combat support personnel play in any war effort. Without the people in the rear, the people at the front could not do their jobs. And people in the rear can suddenly find themselves in the front. That is why the typist receives the same rifle training as the artilleryman.

In the US military, one has to hold a rank for 3 years in order to retire at that rank. If you retire before the three years, you revert to your previous rank. Tim Walz held the rank of command sergeant major for
only one year, so he retired as a sergeant major. It's still nearly the highest non-commissioned officer rank in the US military.

JD Vance's accusation that Walz retired in order to avoid a combat deployment is TOTALLY bogus. Walz had already submitted his retirement paperwork by January, 2005. A month later, in February 2005, Walz filed his candidacy for a seat in Congress. Then in March 2005, his unit was informed that it could be deployed to Iraq within the next two years. Vance has distorted the timeline in order to take a cheap shot at a man who has served with distinction. In this Vance is very much Trump's Mini Me. But it's not ketchup he's throwing at the wall to see if it will stick; is pure .

[prismreports.org]

[pbs.org]