For the younger folks: Kerry got some seriously badass medals for his military service in Vietnam. People who had been on the same boat as he did, but at a different time, worked with the Republican party to claim that he hadn’t really done what he did. The press ate this up, and distributed it widely, costing him public support and likely the election.
To be fair, George W. Bush’s proxies successfully ran the original swift boat attacks on Kerry even though he served in the Air National Gaurd while Kerry fought in Vietnam. Not saying it’s an exact one to one comparison, but it wouldn’t be the first time a veteran managed to smear someone who actually served.
I think people operate on a belief of fairness that obviously does not actually apply in real life. Bush was a draft dodging rich kid and Kerry actually got injured and awarded for heroism, but media manipulation made Kerry’s service an issue. That Trump is a big sack of lumpy turds isn’t going to save us from hypocritical false attacks being drummed up because the media wants excitement.
Bush did have the advantage of having pictures of him flying fighter jets in an era when the mainstream pretty much worshipped anything to do with military hardware. IIRC he even flew a fighter jet and landed it on the carrier for that infamous “mission accomplished” photo op.
Even though the times have changed a bit, I bet that Trump would get a boost if he could fly a fighter jet. Not sure if he’d even be safe to be a passenger on one unless they kept the throttle at like 20%.
