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Home Front: Politix

Did Walz Fib About His Political 'Origin Story'?

2024-08-31

[HotAir] Did Walz Fib About His Political 'Origin Story'?

This looks slightly more serious as an instance of political dishonesty than the Case of the Missing Big Mac, but maybe not by much. Apparently, a story told by Tim Walz about the George Bush campaign provoking him into a career in electoral politics has some serious holes in it. But is it far enough off from the truth to matter these days?

Earlier this afternoon, investigative reporter Gabe Kaminsky dug into a tale told by Walz that claimed he had only chosen a career in politics after getting denied entrance to a Bush campaign rally in Mankato, along with two students he brought with him for the "educational experience." Supposedly, a Kerry sticker on one of the students' wallets prompted a staffer to rebuff their efforts to enter the rally.

Or so Walz' story goes. Kaminsky has a different explanation at the Washington Examiner, one that puts a different light on Coach Walz' claims. For one thing, Walz actually did get into the rally. The teenagers weren't his students either, and they had provoked a confrontation with the campaign a few days earlier:

That’s because Klaber and Burkhart had a public confrontation with the Bush campaign days before the 2004 rally. The teenagers were heard making “unfavorable comments” about Bush as they waited in line and were initially denied tickets, according to an archived news report.

After the story was reported by local news, because Klaber called the press, the Bush campaign contacted the teenagers and offered them tickets. In the lead-up to the 2004 election, there was heightened protest activity as police made arrests at campaign events. Klaber’s parents knew Walz and asked him to chaperone the teenagers to the event, expecting they may run into a problem.

They did: That day, as the trio waited in line, Bush campaign staffers told them that the Secret Service deemed Klaber and Burkhart a threat. Walz, in his retelling of the matter in 2006, said he was indignant. “As a soldier, I told them I had a right to see my commander in chief,” Walz said at a 2006 campaign event in Minnesota.

The Bush campaign staffers interrogated Walz and wanted to know if he supported Bush, according to Walz. But while the students were barred from the event, Walz was not, and walked right inside, one source said.

Still, the details may not match up, but the differences are perhaps not starkly black-and-white. But was this truly Walz' political awakening? Not really:

In ‘04, I worked for the MNGOP. President Bush visited Mankota on August 4, 2004, and I took pictures of protesters outside the event. Tim Walz (pictured on the far-right) protested Bush’s visit to Minnesota. The thread below from Walz about his role at Bush’s event is dishonest. https://t.co/rEpzoF0yE9 pic.twitter.com/ygLiIEG4p1
— Michael Brodkorb (@mbrodkorb) August 17, 2020

And this leaves us ... where, exactly? Maybe it didn't go down like Walz claims, but at least some of the elements are not in dispute. Kaminsky's report cautiously allows room for that, claiming that Walz' story has "significant inaccuracies" rather than being a false explanation. Walz may have been willing to protest Bush over the war -- and this certainly puts his snap retirement rather than deployment in a different and less-flattering light too -- but maybe he didn't have electoral ambitions before then, too. Who's to say when he got inspired to run for office? We know that Walz didn't run for office until the next cycle.

Posted by:Mercutio

#1 Fib? He lied.

Posted by: Deacon Blues 2024-08-31 16:16

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