# Kamala Harris's choice of Tim Walz as VP **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** kamala-harris\ **Created:** [August 6, 2024, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352 "2024-08-06T21:19:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/183 "2024-08-07T19:56:32Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > Oh, gee, look at that. From Wikipedia: > > > Walz campaigned heavily against the [Iraq war](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_war) as popularity for the war was declining that year.[[35]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Walz#cite_note-iuh44-35) > > The cite for that sentence is [here.](https://www.npr.org/2006/11/03/6430410/minnesota-house-seat-may-depend-on-war-issues). > > See what you can accomplish when you actually bother to check your facts before posting? He retired. After he retired he ran for Congress and had a platform. If he left the army as a protest and to fight it in Congress I’ll gladly say you were right. > [@bordelond](#): > > The “Tim Walz’s military service” argument begins and ends with the article below. One of CNN’s correspondents fact-checked this on the air a little over an hour ago – here is the online version: > > > **Walz retired from the Army National Guard in May 2005** , according to the Minnesota National Guard. Typically, service members need to submit papers several months before they can retire. > > > > A National Guard article on **his [former _- b_] unit**’s deployment states that it **received alert orders to deploy to Iraq in July 2005, two months after Walz retired**. The unit first mobilized in the fall of 2005 to Camp Shelby Mississippi to prepare for deployment, according to the unit’s history, and then deployed in March 2006 for 22 months, which the Guard said was the longest continuous deployment of any military unit during US operations in Iraq. > > > > **Walz filed [paperwork](https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/112/25038731112/25038731112.pdf) with the Federal Election Commission as a candidate for Congress on February 10, 2005.** > > [https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/07/politics/tim-walz-military-record-vance-attack/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/07/politics/tim-walz-military-record-vance-attack/index.html) There is a sequence to these things. I’ve been through it several times. They received a warning order that a deployment was coming prior to his retirement. Further orders raising the level of alert and defining their possible mission came later. Since the Guard is also a state asset there are procedures removing units from state service and transferring them to active duty. Except in extreme circumstances the process takes time. Sometimes within the process the mission changes completely. We were due to do that cake Italy mission Walz did go on. Looking at the timing we would have done it soon after they did. Our mission changed at the last minute for the worse. But our warning order came down months before. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/184 "2024-08-07T20:10:38Z")
I really don’t get it? He had a job related injury–hearing loss, which has to be a big deal in the military (Fire! Can you repeat that?) He has support from his fellows. He went on to _continue_ to serve the country. Why is this an issue? ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/185 "2024-08-07T20:13:09Z")
Try reading your cites, dude. He filed to run for Congress in February 2005, and retired in May 2005. You can say I’m right now. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/186 "2024-08-07T20:13:29Z")
Clearly there isn’t for most people, but probably means a lot more to someone in the same service. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/187 "2024-08-07T20:16:31Z")
I guess I wonder why the hearing loss isn’t a mitigating factor for @Loach. I don’t think you get your stapes replaced lightly. That is specialized, finicky surgery and means that hearing aids weren’t cutting it. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/188 "2024-08-07T20:22:09Z")
Not sure how far back it was, but @Loach did explain why it was an issue to him. I read it and it made sense, but it means very little to me. I was 4 years Navy and out. I’ll look for the post. OK, that was easy: [Kamala Harris's choice of Tim Walz as VP - #84 by Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/84) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/189 "2024-08-07T20:23:28Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Oh, his China “connection” was brought up on Fox News. He honeymooned in China, and according to [this CNN article](https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/07/media/right-wing-media-tim-walz-harris-attacks-vp-election/index.html), was being “groomed” (the conservatives say) by the Chinese government. Fox News: “Pay no attention to the fact that our preferred presidential candidate is Putin’s lapdog and would let Putin overrun Ukraine while jeopardizing our own national security. What you need to know is that **their** VP candidate once visited China!” 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/190 "2024-08-07T20:25:11Z")
it looks like 2005 was a bit of a pivotal year in the walz household. the hearing loss, surgery, looking at running for office, and rounds of ivf to have a child in 2006. he was 41 and looking at some serious life altering decisions. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/191 "2024-08-07T20:25:21Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > Try reading your cites, dude. He filed to run for Congress in February 2005, and retired in May 2005. You can say I’m right now. Ok? He said he left to run for congress. You don’t have to leave the military to run for congress. Jeff Jackson is in the Army Reserves and he’s in Congress. I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean. > [@Tride](#): > > I guess I wonder why the hearing loss isn’t a mitigating factor for @Loach. I don’t think you get your stapes replaced lightly. That is specialized, finicky surgery and means that hearing aids weren’t cutting it. I have not seen anything to indicate he retired for medical reasons. There is a process for that which makes much more sense than retiring for non-medical reasons especially if that hearing loss was service connected. It would be extremely clear in his records if he was retired medically. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/192 "2024-08-07T20:26:25Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > > [@Superdude](#): > > > > Oh, his China “connection” was brought up on Fox News. He honeymooned in China, and according to [this CNN article](https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/07/media/right-wing-media-tim-walz-harris-attacks-vp-election/index.html), was being “groomed” (the conservatives say) by the Chinese government. > > Fox News: “Pay no attention to the fact that our preferred presidential candidate is Putin’s lapdog and would let Putin overrun Ukraine while jeopardizing our own national security. What you need to know is that **their** VP candidate once visited China!” 🙄 Sure, but Communism! ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/193 "2024-08-07T20:26:32Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > They received a warning order that a deployment was coming prior to his retirement. When? > [@Loach](#): > > Further orders raising the level of alert and defining their possible mission came later. When? Unless you can cite these, then at the moment all you are doing is smearing a fellow veteran by claiming he abandoned those under his command. It’s gross. The undisputed fact is that the dude retired _10 months_ before his unit deployed. _10 months._ He didn’t abandon anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/194 "2024-08-07T20:27:15Z")
That post has been pretty thoroughly debunked, and doesn’t specifically mention the hearing issue. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/195 "2024-08-07T20:29:34Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > They received a warning order that a deployment was coming prior to [Walz’s] retirement. a) Walz’s May 2005 retirement itself required paperwork submitted several months earlier, according to the aired CNN report. I will look for a transcript, as I don’t see it mentioned in the online article I linked. b) That warning order … there’s a paper trail, I assume? Can we count on a conservative news source soon uncovering that warning order to Walz’s unit? ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/196 "2024-08-07T20:31:57Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Jeff Jackson is in the Army Reserves and he’s in Congress. OK–you can be a Congressman and a reservist, but not a Congressman and a **deployed** reservist. So you could argue that it is Jackson that is irresponsible, since were he to be deployed he would have to quit one of the 2 jobs. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/197 "2024-08-07T20:42:49Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > They received a warning order that a deployment was coming prior to his retirement. > > When? > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > Further orders raising the level of alert and defining their possible mission came later. > > When? > > Unless you can cite these, then at the moment all you are doing is smearing a fellow veteran by claiming he abandoned those under his command. It’s gross. > > The undisputed fact is that the dude retired _10 months_ before his unit deployed. _10 months._ He didn’t abandon anyone. Although orders such as those aren’t classified they aren’t generally found on the internet. Some from his unit say that they received the Warning Order in early 2005. That jibes with my experience of the WARNO coming 6 months ahead of the alert. Which would put it in February. I remember that time well because I kept it from my kids until the alert came in. Stressful time. It’s possible that the timing of some of the reports are wrong. They do sound right to someone who went through the process multiple times. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/198 "2024-08-07T20:46:58Z")
Is that even super relevant to a discussion of “cowardice”, though? I mean, regardless of how much warning he had about the plans for his specific unit, he obviously knew there was a nonzero chance of him being deployed to a combat zone. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/199 "2024-08-07T20:49:12Z")
> [@Tride](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > Jeff Jackson is in the Army Reserves and he’s in Congress. > > OK–you can be a Congressman and a reservist, but not a Congressman and a **deployed** reservist. So you could argue that it is Jackson that is irresponsible, since were he to be deployed he would have to quit one of the 2 jobs. That’s not true although I don’t believe it’s happened recently. Charles Bennett served in WWII while in Congress. I believe there were others that I can’t remember right now. Beau Biden was in Iraq while I was there and he continued to be the Attorney General of Delaware. It’s not common but there certainly isn’t a law against it. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/200 "2024-08-07T20:55:03Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Although orders such as those aren’t classified they aren’t generally found on the internet. Some from his unit say that they received the Warning Order in early 2005. I’m curious in reading this–it sounds like there’s a lot we don’t know, including the motivations of the soldiers who are impugning him. What would it look like to give him the benefit of the doubt, here–and is it worth doing so? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/201 "2024-08-07T21:02:26Z")
FWIW, Googling [**Tim Walz, National Guard, unit, “warning order”**] yields nothing but conservative news sources – and whatever stance the tabloid _Daily Mail_ holds. All these articles invariably say that the warning order was relayed in “early 2005”. Was that like early January? Late April? What? We need both more detailed info, and a higher class of source. And **Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness** ’s point is taken, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352/202 "2024-08-07T21:05:02Z")
The _Daily Mail_ is right-wing birdcage liner, definitely not a credible source. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-harriss-choice-of-tim-walz-as-vp/1005352.md?page=11)