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Aug. 14, 2024 - Dennis Prager Show
04:38
Walz An Expert In Straw Man Arguments
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Are you familiar with the philosophical concept of the straw man?
The straw man argument is when, let's say, I'm arguing with you about something, and you make a point that seeks to attack something that I didn't even say.
It's like, wait a minute, I didn't even say that.
You're making a point against something else that I didn't even say.
It's like you're debating a straw man that's standing over there, rather than me.
That's what the straw man...
Metaphor is all about.
Want to hear it in action?
So here comes the man who wants to be your vice president, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, supposed Kamala running mate, Tim Walz.
And unless you've been on Mars for a couple of weeks, he's been catching a lot of you-know-what for having fudged on some facts of his service.
He served for 24 years, right?
And there's a lot of honor in that service and a lot of sacrifice in that service.
But at the very, very end, during the homestretch there, some lies about having carried a weapon of war in a war, which he did not.
Having retired as command sergeant major, which he did not.
And having perhaps bailed on his contractual obligation to serve an additional six years, which were not up yet when he bailed when it appeared that his unit was going to go to Iraq.
So those are the criticisms of Tim Walz.
Will he address those specifically?
Well, that's a no.
So here comes Governor Walz talking about how proud he is of his service and what none of us really should be doing.
Listen.
In 2005, I felt the call of duty again, this time being serviced to my country in the halls of Congress.
My students inspired me to run for that office, and I was proud to make it to Washington.
I was a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee and a champion of our men and women in uniform.
I'm going to say it again as clearly as I can.
I am damn proud of my service to this country.
And I firmly believe you should never denigrate another person's service record.
Anyone brave enough to put on that uniform for our great country, including my opponent?
I just have a few simple words.
Thank you for your service and sacrifice.
Well, that's exactly what he should say to J.D. Vance.
And that, by the way, is exactly what everybody says to Tim Walz, too.
Thank you for your service and sacrifice during the periods where your service was untainted by the dishonor of lies.
And we thank you for your sacrifice.
We do have some thoughts about when you brought that sacrifice to an end.
We do have some thoughts about bailing, even for, quote-unquote, another type of service.
Yeah, being in Congress, being in Iraq.
Exactly the same thing.
But the straw man came in when Governor Walz said, you know, I don't think anybody should denigrate anybody else's military service.
That's the straw man.
Nobody's doing that.
No one is doing that.
No one has a single negative thing to say about the length, breadth, and detail of what Governor Walz actually did in the National Guard.
For the better part of a quarter century, we all salute it.
But at the end, if the end chapters of his service involved lying and allowing others to misstate where he served in an actual war zone or not, then yeah, that's a thing.
If he had documents and many, many references to having retired as a command sergeant major, he didn't.
There's a conditional method by which you have that.
Title affixed to you, that rank affixed to you, but you've got to do some schooling, you've got to finish some courses, you've got to do some training.
And he never did it.
So when he retired, he was one rank below.
He was not Command Sergeant Major.
And allowed countless people to make that mistake.
Because to correct them might have had a deleterious effect on his ability to use his military service for personal and political gain.
So that's what the straw man looks like and sounds like.
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