U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton believes veterans can apply the values they gained from their service to help improve politics.
“Congress isn’t fixed, but Congress is a lot better [because of leaders] who are willing to do the right thing in the face of a lot of the opposition, just as the way they were willing to do the right thing in some of the most difficult circumstances on Earth,” Moulton said on Boston Public Radio Monday.
He commended several Democratic colleagues for their bravery in confronting political challenges, including Navy veteran Mikie Sherrill and Air Force veteran Chrissy Houlahan.
Moulton also criticized certain Republican colleagues in Congress, without naming them, for privately expressing disapproval of former President Donald Trump’s comments about veterans but lacking the courage to voice their concerns publicly.
“They think he’s despicable. They’re embarrassed that he is their party’s standard bearer,” Moulton said. “But the problem is that so few of them have the political courage to go out there.”
He praised former U.S. Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran, for being examples of political courage in the Republican Party today.
“That’s what political courage is really all about: being willing to stand up to your own party, to your own base, and say, 'Hey folks, we’re going in the wrong direction here,’” he said.
To inspire more political courage, Moulton said his political action committee, Serve America, aims to bring principled leaders, particularly national service veterans, into political office.
“We think that people with those values that they learn at a young age can bring them to Washington and make Washington a little bit better,” Moulton said.
The discussion of veterans in politics comes at a pivotal time. Both Democrat and Republican vice presidential candidates’ military records and comments have come under scrutiny ahead of their first debate Tuesday.
Moulton addressed recent controversy surrounding Democratic VP candidate Tim Walz, who faced criticism for comments made in a 2018 video. The Harris-Walz campaign said he “misspoke” when he referred to weapons “that I carried in war.” Moulton said Walz meant to say “during war.” Walz was not in a combat zone during his 24-year career in the Army National Guard, rising to the rank of command sergeant major.
“Republicans are jumping all over this to denigrate his decades of service as one of the most senior enlisted members of the military to ever serve in Congress,” Moulton said.
Moulton contrasted Walz’s integrity with that of Republican VP candidate JD Vance, who spent four years in the Marine Corps. Moulton said Vance is a hypocrite with a “complete lack of integrity.”
“We can criticize Walz for using the wrong word in the press conference, but a much deeper criticism goes to JD Vance, who’s not living up to the values that the Marine Corps taught him,” Moulton said.
