Spin Cycle: Democrats, Media Battle Reality To Lay Down Cover Fire For Walz

For those who don’t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week’s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.

This week’s spin was a concerted effort to protect Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) now that he has joined Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. Harris was bumped to the top of the Democratic Party’s 2024 ticket — despite not ever winning a single primary vote of her own accord — after President Joe Biden abruptly dropped out of the race, and she chose Walz to be her running mate.

But Walz came with his own baggage — most of which related to his 24-year Army National Guard career and how he’s chosen to characterize his service — and the usual suspects made it absolutely clear on Sunday that they were willing to carry that along with his water.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) spoke with “This Week” host Jonathan Karl about the dramatic shift in her party, first from Biden-Harris to just Harris and then to Harris-Walz, in recent weeks.

“I love Joe Biden, but we are moving forward as a party and as a nation. And Tim Walz and Kamala Harris are bringing America with them like we’ve never seen before,” Klobuchar said.

She made no mention of the fact that the last time Walz and Harris had worked together, he had allowed rioters to burn down half of Minneapolis and she had helped raise money to bail out the ones who were arrested.

“I love Joe Biden, but we are moving forward as a party and as a nation. And Tim Walz and Kamala Harris are bringing America with them like we’ve never seen before,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar tells @JonKarl after Pres. Biden stepped down from the 2024 race. https://t.co/fbDTRoj6MJ pic.twitter.com/P8eofwSMq8

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 11, 2024

Klobuchar also weighed in on the reports surrounding Walz’s time in the National Guard — specifically numerous reports that he retired, even forfeiting a planned promotion, only after learning that his unit was set to deploy to Iraq.

“I think he made the decision that he was going to run for Congress,” Klobuchar said, despite the fact that Walz’s congressional campaign had published a press release prior to his retirement stating that he intended to fulfill his duty to the military and deploy with them if called upon to do so.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar defends Gov. Tim Walz’s decision to retire from the Army National Guard following conflicting reports over whether he was aware of a pending deployment in 2005.

“I think he made the decision that he was going to run for Congress.” https://t.co/vyJRO33i5Y pic.twitter.com/mVcs0AFpqg

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 11, 2024

On CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Governor Laura Kelly (D-KS) took the baton and ran with it, attempting to paint Walz as nothing more or less than a typical “midwestern dad.”

“You could put him at any state fair, on any Main Street, and certainly in any Friday night football game in rural Kansas, and he would fit right in,” she said.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, chair of the Democratic Governors Association, told “Face The Nation” that Tim Walz is “the epitome of the Midwestern dad,” touting his profile as an asset on the ticket heading toward November’s election. https://t.co/0lr18xZAiL

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) August 11, 2024

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tagged in on CNN’s “State of the Union,” where he complained that Republicans were attacking Walz’s military record — despite the fact that those who have criticized Walz have specifically said that they have a problem with the way he has consistently made misleading statements about his service, not with his service itself.

.@PeteButtigieg tells @DanaBashCNN that JD Vance attacking Tim Walz’s military record “just goes against certainly everything I learned during my time in service.” pic.twitter.com/U5QUfea6Jy

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) August 11, 2024

Senator JD Vance (R-OH), the Republican vice presidential nominee, even made that exact point on the same show, telling anchor Dana Bash, “I’m not criticizing Tim Walz’s service” but rather his intentionally misleading statements about that service for political gain.

In response to @DanaBashCNN pressing him over his criticism of Gov. Walz’s military record, @JDVance says “I’m not criticizing Tim Walz’s service” but accuses Walz of lying about his service “for political gain.” pic.twitter.com/AAnEqMXzv3

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) August 11, 2024

Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) pulled double duty on Sunday, making the rounds on both “Fox News Sunday“ and MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki.” During the latter appearance, he used his conversation with guest host Michael Steele to attack Vance.

Saying that it was a “flat-out disgrace” for Vance to criticize Walz, he added, “There are very few things that are more sad to me than to see a fellow veteran unfairly attacking another veteran out of greed, out of ambition. And that’s what JD Vance is doing.”

In response to @DanaBashCNN pressing him over his criticism of Gov. Walz’s military record, @JDVance says “I’m not criticizing Tim Walz’s service” but accuses Walz of lying about his service “for political gain.” pic.twitter.com/AAnEqMXzv3

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) August 11, 2024

During an MSNBC panel discussion, Matthew Dowd suggested that Republicans were only going after Walz’s questionable presentation of his military career because they didn’t know how to mount an effective political attack against him.

“I don’t think they have any idea how to deal with both the vice president and with Governor Walz. I don’t think they have a clue what to do. And I think what upsets them more is the happiness and joy by which those two campaign,” he claimed.

.@matthewjdowd on the Trump campaign: “I don’t think they have any idea how to deal with both the vice president and with Governor Walz. I don’t think they have a clue what to do. And I think what upsets them more is the happiness and joy by which those two campaign.” pic.twitter.com/P1mWYSr5ve

— Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) August 11, 2024

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also praised Walz during an interview with former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki — which aired on MSNBC on Sunday morning. “He’s the All-American man. He’s just fabulous,” she raved.

.@SpeakerPelosi on working with Tim Walz: “He’s the All-American man. He’s just fabulous.” pic.twitter.com/Sms2GUU5aR

— Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) August 11, 2024