Jerry Roberts
Rep. Salud Carbajal on Tuesday swiped at Donald Trump as a draft dodger and denounced his Republican running mate J.D. Vance’s “insults to all veterans” — saying the two demonstrated that Democrats are the legitimate pro-military party.
Santa Barbara’s Man in Congress checked in from Chicago, where he arrived too late on Monday night for President Biden’s extended speech to the Democratic National Convention (no truth to the rumor Biden was still speaking on Tuesday afternoon).
Salud said, however, he’d already attended half-a-dozen convention caucuses, conferences and roundtables, where he found delegates, activists and volunteers “energized like we haven’t seen in previous elections.”
“I think there’s always a concern of being overconfident, but I think the momentum is there,” he told Newsmakers in a Zoom interview.
“The momentum keeps rising, and when you consider the contrast, that’s really what’s fueling this,” he added. “The contrast is that we have a convicted felon, a very old individual who’s running on the other side, who, instead of focusing on policy, is focusing on silly things, identity issues, culture wars, not about taking us forward. “
Carbajal said that part of the campaign contrast emerged from recent controversial comments by Trump and Vance about the military and veterans. Trump, who during his first term described service members killed in combat as “suckers and losers,” this week said the President’s Medal of Freedom, a civilian award, was “much better” than the Congressional Medal of Honor, given for heroism in battle; Vance meanwhile has harshly attacked the military record of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, who served 24 years in the Minnesota National Guard.
“Who claims that a civilian Medal of Freedom issued by a president — to one of his donors — is more important than the Medal of Honor, given to those that have sacrificed their lives or lost a limb for fighting for our democracy and our country? Somebody who’s dodged the draft because of bone spurs, somebody who doesn’t appreciate what true patriotism is or means.”
What Obama said. Salud spoke with us a few hours before former President Barack Obama addressed the convention, delivering a masterful, nuanced address that wove high praise for Biden, deft trolling of Trump and an ardent endorsement of Harris, providing a clear pivot from the backward-looking rhetoric of Monday to the future vision that the Democratic nominees have the opportunity to offer in the next two nights of the convention.
It was at once a partisan oration and a thoughtful cultural diagnosis of the harsh political polarization afflicting America, as he returned to themes of decency, civility and communitarianism that first surfaced when he emerged as a star while delivering the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic convention, before becoming the party’s nominee just four years later.
“My first decision as your nominee turned out to be one of my best – and that was asking Joe Biden to be my vice president,” Obama said, praising the president’s “empathy decency and hard-earned resilience.”
“The torch has been passed,” the former president said of Harris’s candidacy, saying that she would “sign a law to guarantee every woman the right to make her own health care decisions.”
The central question of the election, he told delegates, is, “Who will fight for me?”
But the former president also urged Democrats to help cool the anger and hatred animating U.S. politics: “Politicians and algorithms encourage us to caricature each other and troll each other and fear each other,” he said. “Our fellow citizens deserve the same grace we hope they’ll extend to us.”
Earlier in the evening, delegates meeting at the United Center went through a very untraditional version of the traditional state-by-state roll call, aided by a frenetic L.A. deejay, that affirmed the delegates’ earlier decision formally selecting Harris and Walz as their ticket. As a practical matter, this essentially closed the book on Biden, who announced he was stepping away several weeks ago under intense behind-the-scenes pressure from former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other party leaders.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, speaking for the California delegation, delivered the final votes for Harris, a longtime political frenemy.
The convention last night also heard emotional speeches from Harris’s husband, “Second Gentleman” Doug Emhoff, and former First Lady Michelle Obama, as well as Stephanie Grisham, Trump’s former press secretary, who disavowed her former boss.
“He has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth,” she said. “He used to tell me, ‘It doesn’t matter what you say, Stephanie — say it enough and people will believe you.’ But it does matter — what you say matters, and what you don’t say matters.”
Salud looks at the race. In our conversation with Carbajal, who served in the Marine Reserve, he also sharply criticized Vance for his calumny about Walz’s service,
“I was angry and appalled to be honest with you,” he told us. “It’s an insult to all veterans when (Vance) says that, to not appreciate Governor Waltz’s service, is ridiculous.
“Governor Walz served honorably, and it’s silly that a veteran would try to demagogue another veteran…it’s totally unfounded.”
In other convention-related matters, Carbajal:
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Said the U.S. “economy is roaring,” accepting Biden’s claim on Monday night that the nation has “the world’s greatest economy.” But he quickly added that he understood that working and middle class families, struggling with “global inflation,” might not agree; “It’s one of those juxtapositions where it’s true, the United States economy is one of the strongest economies in our world today, but people are still reeling from those realities of increased prices.”
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Described the key contrast between Harris and Trump as generational: “Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are talking about the future, and how we hope to continue to make this country the great place that it is by continuing to invest in people, to make sure that we’re investing in our society in a way that keeps moving us forward, an inclusive society, not one that divides us, not one that looks at segments of our communities and our country in a derogatory way, but rather is trying to unite us.”
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Characterized as a “distraction” a new Republican House committee report, accusing Biden of “impeachable offenses.” “I think it’s baseless. It’s a distraction to take away from the fact that Kamala Harris is skyrocketing. It’s their way to distracting and trying to beat down President Biden because he had such negative numbers, and they want to fixate on that to try to get the American people to focus on that instead of the issues at hand.”
Check out our conversation with Salud Carbajal via YouTube below, or by clicking through this link. The podcast version is here.
Thank you Congressman Carbajal and journalist Jerry Roberts for a thoughtful interview and inside look. Also I appreciate Congressman Carbajal service and for speaking out for respect for all veterans. Trump in the past has said horrible things about McCain who was a prison of war . In 2020 Trump referred to US Marines buried in a WWI cemetery in France as “losers” and “suckers” for getting killed in action,.
It’s mind blowing that so many Cons, the same ones traditionally pro-military, pro-veterans, are the ones supporting a coward who eluded military service and calls fallen soldiers “losers” and now glorifies the civilian award he gave one of his donors over the Medal of Honor, given to those, often posthumously, who have put their lives on the line for this country.
It’s absolutely SHAMEFUL to see veterans still support this sack of lies and cowardice.
What’s wrong with these people?
SBSTONER – no one is talking about Biden here. Try to stay on topic. Whatabout, whatabout, whatabout…..
But, if you insist, who’s kid died (painfully) due to his service to our country? Who HAS NOT ridiculed and insulted veterans and active service members?
By all means though, keep whatabouting and digging a deeper hole….
Maybe they see the lesser of two evils – neither is the ideal candidate. We all know that. But if you can’t stand one a bit less than how much you dislike the other, well…
Plus there’s also the usual ‘key issues’ concept that divides folks – things like taxation, abortion rights, etc.
Doesn’t sound like you’re a vet. I’m not either. I can’t put myself in their shoes, they’ve had way different experiences, and you as a non-vet dogging on Vets for their political views is pretty lame.
“Shut up and just vote.”
Shut up and vote
Yeah do that.
Yeah do that.
hypocritical trash
BASIC – you’re right, maybe I was a bit harsh. I just don’t get why this honorable group of Americans would be flying his flags and singing his praises as he shits all over them. That’s why I followed up to ask what they think.
Then again, BASIC, why is dogging their political beliefs any worse than what Trump himself is saying about them and his other supporters? You know, the “basement dwellers” as he calls them.
It’s flattering that you hold me to a higher standard than a former president.
I mean, seriously. Can any local veterans here explain to me why you still support this man after all he has said about you and your fallen compatriots?
Salud Yes we know certain political parties are all about getting us into war. Who is making decisions about our military right now? ( dont say Biden) he’s on vacation and his mind has been on vacation for quite some time. Dont you dare say Kamala (you guys gave her a chance To do a minuscule thing, like having the title of borders czar for almost 4 years and kept her hidden in the closet) Now she’s the best thing since sliced bread . Which I don’t believe that ! and a lot and other people don’t either. What have you done To remove Biden from Office? he should not be in there you know that, oh he’s only got a couple more months he needs a couple seconds to ruin everything a lot worse than he already has.
ANON – looks like you broke. Hope you’re ok.
That DNC comment about a leaf blower applies well to this gonzo spewing con lies today.
Cry about your next President. You’ll be okay.
Anon – Take a deep breath, look outside at the beautiful sunshine and ask yourself: Why do I feel the need to rant confusedly about issues that I don’t understand in a failed effort to insult without a clear point? You’ve absorbed a lot of distorted and incomplete information, and your attempt to work it all into a simplified if unclear conclusion just looks silly. Enjoy the day and don’t try to make sense of the nonsense you’ve been fed. You’ll feel a lot better. (BTW, you think Biden is too old when Trump will be a year older than Biden in four years? He’s already slipping badly – who will remove HIM from office? You? What have you done to remove Trump from the top of your ticket? Don’t cast stones, my friend.)
*Republicans* gave her the title of “border czar,” not her boss, the President.
Her ambit: “Vice President Harris has led the Root Causes Strategy, which aligns U.S. Government efforts to address the economic, governance, and security drivers of irregular migration from Central America.”
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/04/19/fact-sheet-update-on-the-u-s-strategy-for-addressing-the-root-causes-of-migration-in-central-america/
See also:
https://apnews.com/article/harris-migration-border-el-salvador-guatemala-honduras-60bf6703ede25a177b06c1baed34e5fb
https://apnews.com/article/biden-caribbean-government-and-politics-immigration-bc123e35d5ad17971efe0e6073e6321c
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/03/25/fact-sheet-vice-president-harris-announces-public-private-partnership-has-generated-more-than-5-2-billion-in-private-sector-commitments-for-northern-central-america/
Odd, I don’t remember hearing about how Biden served in Vietnam?
I must have missed that.
Who?
What a cutie! I so like him.