ABC White House correspondent MaryAlice Parks joined Saturday’s installment of Good Morning America to gush over the supposed contrast between “joyful” and “happy” Vice President Kamala Harris and the “mean and nasty” Donald Trump. If that wasn’t bad enough, Parks also predicted that most people will not care about Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, embellishing his military resume, and instead just care that he served at all.
Parks appeared to concede that Trump leveled a fair criticism against Harris that she hasn’t done any recent press conferences, but ultimately she tried to spin that, “She's going to have to define her campaign more, she’s going to have to flush out some of her policy positions, but that strategy you're talking about, that joyful warrior presence, that excitement, leaning into the laughing, it has been effective out there on the campaign trail.”
She also claimed it is “amazing how quickly she's, kind of, branded herself like that. Blunting criticism that she laughs too much. She looks and sounds different than President Biden. I think that it's reminding Democrats they don't have to feel that sense of doom that, frankly, a lot of them felt about the Biden campaign, but it's also letting her draw a contrast to Trump without talking so much about Trump because I think every time she sounds joyful or happy, you're sort of reminded that he can sound mean and nasty.”
Circling back to Trump, Parks added, “Like, I’m thinking about, in his press conference when he criticized her for not giving a press conference. He didn't just say 'she hasn’t taken questions,' he said she's not smart enough to take questions, and it's that language that swing voters are just put off by.”
A few minutes later, Parks was discussing Walz’s controversies when she declared, “I think that some people will care about the fact that Walz seemed to, sort of, misrepresent, he said he was in war when he never saw active combat. The campaign said he misspoke, but I actually think that more Americans will care that there are two veterans, Walz served in uniform for 24 years.”
After conceding the campaign was compelled to change its website to refer to Walz’s proper rank at retirement, Parks turned to the controversy of him not going to Iraq. “Look, when he got out, he was really outspoken against the war in Iraq, he was consistent with that position. I do think that's something he'll be able to talk about. Frankly, a lot of Americans were consistent in their opposition to the Iraq War.”
Parks continued, “I talked to a lot of veterans, some major veteran organizations across the country, that were excited about that pick. Just because of the work that Walz did when he was in Congress fighting for veterans and veterans' benefits.”
JD Vance has also been a fierce critic of the Iraq War, but made the point that he went where Uncle Sam sent him, but Walz didn’t.
ABC Good Morning America
8/10/2024
7:32 AM ET
MARYALICE PARKS: She's going to have to define her campaign more, she’s going to have to flush out some of her policy positions, but that strategy you're talking about, that joyful warrior presence, that excitement, leaning into the laughing, it has been effective out there on the campaign trail. Amazing how quickly she's, kind of, branded herself like that. Blunting criticism that she laughs too much. She looks and sounds different than President Biden. I think that it's reminding Democrats they don't have to feel that sense of doom that, frankly, a lot of them felt about the Biden campaign, but it's also letting her draw a contrast to Trump without talking so much about Trump because I think every time she sounds joyful or happy, you're sort of reminded that he can sound mean and nasty. Like, I’m thinking about, in his press conference when he criticized her for not giving a press conference. He didn't just say “she hasn’t taken questions,” he said she's not smart enough to take questions, and it's that language that swing voters are just put off by.
…
I think that some people will care about the fact that Walz seemed to, sort of, misrepresent, he said he was in war when he never saw active combat. The campaign said he misspoke, but I actually think that more Americans will care that there are two veterans, Walz seeded in uniform for 24 years. You’re right, they changed the campaign website to no longer say retired, because even though he raise to that—he rose to that rank, he didn’t serve in that position long enough to formally retire at that rank.
Look, when he got out he was really outspoken against the war in Iraq, he was consistent with that position. I do think that's something he'll be able to talk about. Frankly, a lot of Americans were consistent in their opposition to the Iraq War and I talked to a lot of veterans, some major veteran organizations across the country that were excited about that pick. Just because of the work that Walz did when he was in Congress fighting for veterans and veterans' benefits.
