Question for you all:

[OneGrassRoot]

There's so much information online now, just weeks before the election, that it's hard to find indisputable truths (at least it is for me) to present to right-wingers.

I have several veterans in my family who insist that the "military always votes Republican."

Do you guys and gals have any resources to dispute this and show that, like the population, the military also votes for democrats?

I have the article about the veterans organization giving McCain and D and Obama and Biden A/B (I think).

Anything else to chip away at this meme that the military is solidly in the Republican aisle and therefore solidly for McCain?

Thanks in advance!


:)

[babylonsister]

1. This does't answer your question, but have you sent them this

incredible link from VetVoice? I'll go look for some info for you.

http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1973

[OneGrassRoot]

3. Thanks much babylonsister! Much appreciated. :) n/t

[OneGrassRoot]

2. And....

I'm trying to find how I can search through letters from troops and their families at "Stars and Stripes" but can't find an easy search feature yet.

Do you know where I might find opinion letters from troops, active duty and/or veterans on political matters?

Thanks! :)

[unhappycamper]

4. There's a link near the top of the page.

http://www.stripes.com/search.asp


Let me know if that works for you.

[OneGrassRoot]

7. I think I need to step away from the computer for a while....

LOL.

It's all becoming a blur and I'm being a dipshit and can't find the search features.

Thank you so much! :)

[babylonsister]

5. Here's an article from Paul Reikoff claiming no one knows how

the military will vote.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-rieckhoff/the-military-vote-why-the_b_133487.html

But! then there's this...

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3601542


Obama, Paul net most military workers' campaign donations
By Fredreka Schouten, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON


Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Ron Paul have little in common politically, except their opposition to the Iraq war.

Both top a new list of presidential candidates receiving campaign contributions from people who work for the four branches of the military and National Guard, according to a study released Thursday by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Obama, an Illinois senator, brought in more donations from this group than any White House contender from either party. The Democrat announced Wednesday his plan to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2008.

Paul, a Texas congressman and the only GOP presidential hopeful who supports an immediate troop withdrawal, comes in second.

"Paul and Obama are talking straight to soldiers, and what they are saying is resonating," said Larnell Exum, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, who gave $500 to Obama. Exum, who works for the Army as a congressional liaison, is a Democrat but voted for George Bush in 1992.

The center tallied money from donors who list the Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy and National Guard as an employer. Overall, these donations are miniscule: Obama got 44 contributions worth about $27,000 and Paul 23 for about $19,300. Republican John McCain, an Iraq war supporter and Vietnam prisoner of war, was third with about $18,500 from 32 donors.

In 2004, military personnel contributed $1.2 million to presidential and congressional candidates, the center said. This year, those donations are about $200,000.

The analysis also found that military personnel have shifted their donations. In 2002, the center said Democrats received 23% of contributions from military workers; Republicans got 77%. This year, 40% of their donations have gone to Democrats running for Congress and president. The GOP got 59%.

The donation patterns "would suggest that those who wear the uniform want change," said Joe Davis, spokesman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Bruce Altschuler, a political scientist at the State University of New York at Oswego and a Vietnam veteran, said, "The whole country has been shifting to Democrats, and the military, in some ways, is a microcosm of society."

more...

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3601542

[OneGrassRoot]

8. Gracias! :) n/t

[nyconnie]

6. know a few

I have friends in the military,voting for Obama! I have asked them if others they know are as well,they say there are many!!!!

[OneGrassRoot]

9. Welcome to DU, nyconnie!!!

Thank you for sharing that!

Much appreciated. :hi:

[Believing Is Art]

10. Anecdotal,

but everyone I know in the military and their spouses (at least the ones I'm close enough to talk politics with) are voting Obama. Some are sick of the war in Iraq and ready to be home or have their significant other home. Others are scared of McCain's temper and judgment.

Particularly, one friend who has been in since she was 18 and voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004 is now voting for Obama. She bought the whole Swift Boat crap and is always afraid that Democrats will cut defense spending. But now she's worried about the economy. And coming from a family with a long history in the military, she's heard many rumors about McCain's hotheadedness that she believes.

[tazkcmo]

12. Yep

That's what I've been hearing from my vet buddies too. They are seeing the light!

[OneGrassRoot]

13. Hey, Believing and tazkcmo.....

I wanted to thank you for answering here, thank you and yours for your service, and simply say hello!

:hi:

[tazkcmo]

11. I was in the Army

85-90 and at that time most did vote Republican. This year however is a different story. While I would still bet my bottom dollar that a mjority will vote McCain I'd bet that same dollar that it's a very SLIM majority. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see a reversal.

[OneGrassRoot]

14. Apropos to this thread. :)

"In a forthcoming article in The New Republic, infantry officer and author Jason Dempsey says while studies of military politics often show a tilt to the right, they tend to focus on "white, older and more senior" officers who make up only 14 per cent of army personnel.

When looking down the ranks to junior officers and enlisted men – many of them from racial and ethnic minorities – "the army, it turns out, is hardly a bastion of right-wing thought."

Support for Obama is strong here, and getting stronger every day," says Himel-Nelson. "It's hard to get figures, because people in active service are very nervous about talking about their political affiliations. But military members stationed overseas donated to Obama over McCain at a rate of 6 to 1."



http://www.thestar.com/News/USElection/article/520916

[FreedomFighter87]

15. ARE YOU NUTS?

There is a reason military families support Republicans..

Republicans put national security, and the safety of our troops at the highest of their responsibilities.

Frankly I come from a military family, and I fear for my own life if Obama is sworn into office...

If he wants to go through with his military stratagy, this country will face MAJOR problems down the line.

[OneGrassRoot]

16. Facts don't support that...

including nonpartisan veteran's organizations.

But I realize you don't want facts.

Keep listening to Rush and Hannity (who never served, btw), and keep assuming only Republicans are keeping the troops' best interests in mind. Life is easier that way. I envy the willful ignorance so many of you seem to enjoy.

Best of luck to you and yours.

:patriot:

[SammyWinstonJack]

17. ...

:rofl: :silly: :scared: :hide: :rofl: :silly: