A Simple Question
By Mitch Berg
Joe Doakes from Como writes:
John Kerry graduated from Yale in 1966 and served in Vietnam. It was one of his major qualifications for office.
George Bush the Younger graduated from Yale in 1968. He caught a lot of flack because his National Guard time wasn’t “real” military experience. Democrats commonly accused him of shirking his duty to serve his country – a draft dodger – implying he was unqualified for office.
Mark Dayton graduated from Yale in 1969. He then . . . what? Taught school in New York? What happened to that duty to serve the country? Was he deferred? 4-F? Is he unqualified for lack of military service?
That’s a good question. With most people who were of draft age back then, there’s some kind of story; one relative of mine who graduated earlier than Dayton described getting several deferrals because he was a teacher in a place that was drastically short of ’em.
Is that what Dayton did?
Just curious.
I grant that Tom Emmer’s closest brush with military service was going to St. Thomas Academy. But Emmer did his college and law school in the 1980’s when there was no huge military push. Dayton graduated six months after the Tet Offensive, at the height of the Vietnam War, when every gentleman’s son knew where his duty laid.
Look – other than Jesse Ventura, I’m at a loss to remember a recent Minnesota governor who did serve in the military.
But how did Dayton get out of the draft?
We do know how the Dems mocked Dick Cheney for getting five deferments; how they discredited Dan Quayle’s time in the National Guard, and tried to do the same with President Bush’s in the Air Guard.
It’s an appropriate question.
Does that ‘military service’ requirement only apply to the Presidency because he serves as Commander in Chief? Governors command their own National Guards – are overnors exempt from any duty to serve their country?
Or does it only apply to Republicans?
As far as the media is concerned…
September 8th, 2010 at 7:47 am
Wait – is this Joe Doakes character suggesting that Mark Dayton would have been drafted in 1969 and sent to Vietnam but for his stint teaching in Inner City New York?
Is that the same teaching job for which there is no evidence Dayton ever set foot in an actual classroom, only that he had a teaching license held by a community organizer group?
Are you implying the whole teaching episode might have been nothing more than a clever scam to dodge the draft? Is that why the details of the teaching experience matter?
Wow, break out the tinfoil hats, dude; party in Como Park. Who would be so chicken as to go to all that trouble just to avoid being sent to Vietnam?
.
September 8th, 2010 at 8:00 am
Nate – some people moved to the UK or Canada to dodge the draft – a few months teaching in the Bronx isn’t exactly going out on a limb.
It’s just another example of the double-standard that Republican candidates face – wouldn’t you think it’s Pat Kessler or Rachel Stassen-Berger’s job to ask these questions? They certainly found the time to ask them of others. Isn’t it their job to ask Mr. Dayton for some… wait, I see what you did there. Sorry, no coffee yet this morning.
September 8th, 2010 at 9:05 am
“Who would be so chicken as to go to all that trouble just to avoid being sent to Vietnam?”
Who would be so chicken as to shutting down their DC office and fleeing back to Minnesota?
September 8th, 2010 at 9:44 am
Brave, brave Sir Dayton. When danger reared it’s ugly head, he bravely turned his back and fled.
September 8th, 2010 at 11:17 am
Click! Now it all makes sense. Dayton “worked” at the inner city school in order to pluck a draft deferment. That’s why he left after 2 years, because the draft essentially went away after 1971. How do I know? In my own lefty years, I procured a conscientious objector deferment but never had to serve my two years because of the change in military manpower needs. That was in 1971. I’m not proud of what I did, but there it is. The least Dayton could do is acknowledge his true motivation instead of dressing it up as a cosmic awakening that *Gosh* there are underprivileged people in the world.
September 8th, 2010 at 11:43 am
I thought it would be something like this. Dayton was born on Jan 26, 1947. In the draft lottery of 1969 (applicable to men born between 1944 and 1950) he drew number 092. Numbers 0-195 were called up for that year. What kind of deferment did Dayton get?
September 8th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
“But how did Dayton get out of the draft?”
I think it’s entirely possible that MadMark was unable to satisfy the DoD minimum standard for mental fitness.
September 8th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Or minimum intelligence requirements. Can’t you picture C.I. Dayton looking down the barrel of his rifle?
September 8th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
The fact that this lunatic would be the commander of the MN National Guard is, to me, by far the single most disquieting thing about the possibility of his being “elected” (thanks, Mark R.) Governor.
September 8th, 2010 at 8:23 pm
While Dayton may not be the bravest guy, then or now, losing your deferment did not mean you were automatically drafted. If you had a high lottery number, say above 200, you would have been safe. Or if you had a low lottery number like me, you took your chances. When I lost my student 2S deferment in early 1971, they reclassified me 1A for 4 months, but inexplicably didn’t draft. [I would have served had I been drafted.] Then they reclassifed me 1H and started drafting 19-year-olds vs 20-year-olds. My classification remained the same until I turned 35 when I became ineligible for the draft.
September 8th, 2010 at 10:47 pm
Arne Carlson served.