While I’m a regular reader of Clarence Page’s column, I seldom agree with his point of view; however, I do agree with his Sunday commentary on “stolen valor” with respect to vice presidential candidates Tim Walz and JD Vance’s military service (“Why ‘stolen valor’ political fights are so intense — and misplaced in the cases of Walz and Vance”). Serving in the military, reserves or National Guard deserves praise, not ridicule.
Of the last three presidential administrations, no one at the top ever wore a uniform — not Presidents Barack Obama, Donald Trump or Joe Biden, nor did their vice presidents, Biden, Mike Pence or Kamala Harris, respectively. Each of these administrations has made naïve international missteps that might have been mitigated had any of these presidents or vice presidents served. Given the ongoing armed conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East and throughout Africa, as well as the potential in the South China Sea, it would be reassuring to have a commander in chief who has military experience.
Maybe the two parties should switch the order of their candidates. A Walz-Harris or a Vance-Trump administration would help put our allies at ease knowing the most powerful nation in the world has someone at the helm who understands the consequences of international military conflict.
— Scott P. Lauder, Webster, Wisconsin
Vance, Walz deserve praise
I agree with Clarence Page that we need to move on from the “stolen valor“ claims against Tim Walz and JD Vance over their military job titles. Both men saw no actual combat and should be commended for their service. Neither one had bone spurs!
— Pam Skinner, Palatine
Vance and his glass house
Many pundits have equated JD Vance with being an albatross weighing down Donald Trump’s bid to be reelected president. Now, Vance is responding with a desperate attempt to take down Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz. In his desperation, Vance is actively disparaging and ripping Walz’s military record. It is true that Walz apparently misspoke about his final military rank before he retired from the National Guard, but what is indisputable is that the man honorably served his country in the Guard for more than 24 years.
While it’s true that Vance also honorably served in the military for several years, it’s also true that at the top of his ticket stands Trump, a man who notoriously and shamelessly cited his “bone spurs” to get out of the draft and avoid military service. What’s more, Trump is infamously known to have called those who serve “suckers” and “losers.”
So, to Vance, I’d say people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones because if he does, the entire house may come crashing down on his head and bury him in a debris field of lies.
— Ken Derow, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Op-ed’s Walz assessment
I read with interest and suspicion Andy Brehm’s op-ed regarding the tenure of Tim Walz as governor of Minnesota (“Tim Walz has been a disaster for the once-thriving Minnesota,” Aug. 11). My interest was piqued because many of us want to know more about Walz. I was suspicious of Brehm’s opinion because he is a corporate attorney. I emphasize “corporate” because corporate America is opposed to many progressive ideas. Among them are support for unions and regulations.
Apparently, Brehm has not read the latest research that was done by the highly respected U.S. News & World Report. Or, perhaps he feels it is advantageous for him as a corporate attorney to take a position in opposition to a popular progressive governor who could become our vice president. The U.S. News report ranks Minnesota as the fourth best state in the country based upon 71 metrics across eight categories. The report was posted in May.
The question is: Whom do we trust in our evaluation of a candidate? How many metrics did Brehm consider? Better yet, how many did he ignore? I give him credit for stating that he is impressed with Walz’s position on a number of initiatives. It is not surprising, however, that Brehm focuses on what he feels is Walz’s mishandling of the 2020 riots in Minneapolis over George Floyd’s murder. We now know Walz was actually praised by our country’s top executive at that time for how he handled the unfortunate events.
Brehm also mentions that Democrats were able to take over the state legislature because the GOP ran “ineffective candidates.” Could it be that based upon the U.S. News report, the GOP candidates were actually OK and that the voters chose to support the candidates who not only believed in Walz but also in efforts to maintain Minnesota’s ranking of fourth best?
By the way, fourth best was up from fifth best the year before.
— George Comer, Crown Point, Indiana
Walz has done great things
Andy Brehm’s op-ed about Tim Walz is wrong. Tim Walz is a smart progressive, and he has done great things for Minnesota. That’s why he is so popular there. Does Brehm think Donald Trump should be in the White House again, too?
— Pam Izatt, Barrington
Minnesota’s quality of life
Op-ed writer Andy Brehm paints a picture of Minnesota that misrepresents reality. Yes, in 2022, people left Minnesota. Importantly, according to the U.S. census, the population of Minnesota increased by 24,000 in 2023; it did not decrease. Perhaps he was using “alternate facts.” Further, both Illinois and Minnesota are major donor states (they send more to Washington in federal taxes than they receive), which may contribute to some stress on the states’ budgets. We should be proud to help others. High household incomes make it possible.
According to the U.S. census, Minnesota’s median household income exceeds that all of its neighboring states by at least $10,000. It is $6,000 higher than that in Illinois.
Nothing in Brehm’s op-ed mentions quality of life. One of the best measures of quality of life is life expectancy at birth. According to 2022 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, Minnesota’s life expectancy at birth was third highest at 79.1, behind only Hawaii and Washington. This speaks to access to health care, education levels and the overall economy. Further, its COVID-19 response was very effective. According to federal age-adjusted death rate data for 2022, Minnesota ranked among the top five best states.
I suspect that most states would welcome the “disaster” experienced by Minnesota!
— Siim Sööt, Winnetka
Running mate does matter
It was 2008, and presidential candidate Barack Obama, the junior U.S. senator from Illinois, had chosen his running mate, U.S. Sen. Joe Biden from Delaware, who had years of foreign policy experience and a history of reaching across the aisle. U.S. Sen. John McCain was the Republican presidential candidate and someone I would have been inclined to vote for.
McCain was a prisoner of war whose plane was shot down by the North Vietnamese in 1967. He was tortured and maimed while a prisoner, and still, McCain put his country first. He was a true American hero, despite what the current Republican candidate for president has said about McCain.
The other day, Donald Trump said something to the effect that people vote for the president and the vice president really doesn’t play into their decision. Well, I would have to disagree. McCain was a hero to me in every sense of the word, and I was poised to vote for this man of character in 2008. But then, he somehow was convinced by those around him that Sarah Palin, then governor of Alaska, would be the one who would help him defeat Obama. When I heard Palin speak after accepting the vice presidential nomination, I was absolutely deflated that one of my heroes could choose such an unprepared and inept person to be his running mate. Knowing that McCain was 72 years old and Palin was a heartbeat from being our commander in chief was a terrifying thought.
So you see, the quality of a running mate is very important to the success of a presidential ticket. While I would never consider voting for a felon found guilty on 34 counts, someone found liable of sexual assault by a jury of his peers, a draft dodger or a man who stole confidential and top secret documents from “we the people,” I do believe Trump sealed his fate by selecting the MAGA extremist JD Vance. Vance insulting those who have not been blessed with children or who simply don’t choose to have children is not only insensitive, but it also is the definition of ignorance and self-centeredness, which permeates today’s Republican Party. Unfortunately, there are very few McCain Republicans left, and the party of Trump is now the acceptable or unacceptable option.
We all have a conscious choice to make in November, and I hope at least 270 of those Electoral College votes have the names Kamala Harris-Tim Walz on them.
— Mark Zavagnin, La Grange Park
Harris’ having it ‘both ways’
It’s interesting that the Tribune Editorial Board accuses Kamala Harris of wanting it “both ways” regarding Israel and Gaza (“Harris, Israel and wanting things both ways, politically speaking,” Aug. 11).
Isn’t that exactly what’s needed? Israel was justified in retaliating for Hamas’ massacre of 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7 but has gone and continues to go too far. We don’t know how many Palestinians have been killed or have died as a result of that retaliation, but far too many schoolchildren, aid workers, hospital patients and other innocents have been killed.
How is negotiation possible when one side knows it will be supported, no matter what it does? How many of the excesses of this retaliation are due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needing to stay in office so that he avoids long-delayed prosecution, as well as avoiding responsibility for the intelligence failure that allowed the Oct. 7 massacre to occur?
For the past 25 years, Northern Ireland has stopped its seemingly ceaseless slaughter. A similar solution regarding Israel and its neighbors will not be found as long as the U.S. continues its “we support you no matter what you do” attitude toward Israel.
— Kevin Coughlin, Evanston
Biden’s basement strategy
I always enjoy Scott Stantis’ entertaining editorial cartoons. However, his Sunday cartoon fell way short. The depiction shows presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and the Democratic donkey tap-dancing; it accompanies an editorial about her ever secretive and changing stance on Israel. The editorial could have been written about Harris’ stance on any number of issues including inflation, the border, reimagining police, Ukraine, fracking and taxes, to name a few. She is using President Joe Biden’s basement strategy hoping to tap-dance into the White House, and the media are falling way short by allowing this.
— Bob Gorman, St. Louis
Who is in charge in DC?
The world is on the brink of World War III, our economy is on the brink of recession, crime runs rampant in our streets and our southern border is still a mess. Yet our commander in chief, Joe Biden, and his eager vice president, Kamala Harris, seem to be nowhere to be found.
Harris is busy campaigning, and Biden appears to be on some sort of sabbatical after being forced out of the presidential race. So who is calling the shots in D.C.?
— Mike Rice, Chicago
Accusing Trump of racism
In another effort to attack Donald Trump, Clarence Page indicates that racism is at the core of Trump’s remarks at the National Association of Black Journalists conference regarding Vice President Kamala Harris’ racial heritage (“Donald Trump and the ‘controversy’ over Kamala Harris’ racial identity,” Aug. 7). It is very apparent that Trump indicated that Harris was being opportunistic and using her racial heritage for political advantage.
I am not at all aware if Harris ever presented her Indian ancestry as her heritage exclusively. If she did, based upon what she has projected since running for president in 2016, Trump’s view may be credible. It seems from her posturing, she embraced being a Black woman or a woman of color for political posturing and gain.
This is no different than President Barack Obama’s posture as being the first Black president while he is of mixed race. He chose to identity more with his Black heritage as an adult. There is not a thing wrong in doing that, even if for political gain! I applaud Obama and Harris for proudly identifying their Black heritage. I also applaud their astuteness if they magnified their Black heritage as a way of attracting Black voter support. It is politically savvy.
But Page deliberately tries to assign racism to Trump as the motivation for his comments. That is out of line, especially coming from a respected journalist like Page.
— Dave Roberts, Frankfort
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