In 2004, a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth accused Democratic nominee John Kerry of lying about his record in the Vietnam war. Ever since then, the term swift boating has become part of the jargon for politicos.
I doubt the tactic will prove effective against VP candidate Tim Walz. After twenty years of serving in the military, Walz didn’t want to go to the Iraq. Who can blame him?
Let’s see what we will learn over the next days and weeks, but my first impression is that this will not get much of traction outside of the conservative media universe.
I also think that in the end, people vote for the number one. And why attract attention to previous reporting that Donald Trump apparently has avoided the draft five times?
That said, I think that Walz has quite some performing skills on the campaign trail. The roll out of his candidacy has also played out well on social media (for whatever it’s worth).
His nomination reminds me a bit of Joe Biden in 2008, who, at the time, was chosen as a governing partner that would help Barack Obama implement the change he was offering. It also reminds my of Dick Cheney in 2000, who was chosen in part precisely because he didn’t have his own ambitions to become president, but then became probably the most powerful vice president in recent history.