Riddle me this....why would Veterans support a treasonous, draft dodging, russian loving Asshole?

[spanone]

[global1]

1. I Was Wondering The Same Thing....

but I would also add 'treasonous' before 'draft dodging'.

[spanone]

3. will update and include....thanks

[Hortensis]

24. And persecuting and deporting foreign-born vets

after combing their files for even very minor irregularities to use as excuses.

Actually, I am wondering how trumpster vets are taking this. Probably every one of them can see faces of fellow vets in their minds and wonder where they are.

[Solly Mack]

2. I never got it.

Those who do tend to spout the same bullshit all the non-military ignorant supporters spout.

[dixiegrrrrl]

64. I sent a tweet asking that question to the VFW Twitter site.

https://twitter.com/VFWHQ

[Solly Mack]

65. I don't do Twitter or Facebook

And I make a point of never interacting with the VFW or AL though some of their members have intruded upon my life from time to time.

I don't do social media because it isn't my thing not because I think less of those who do. I'm only adding that because some people will read this and be offended as if I was saying something negative about them when that isn't the case.

And I don't bother will the VFW and AL because during my entire experience with the military they have been right-wing.

[maxsolomon]

4. Because they've been taught to hate Democrats and Liberals their entire lives.

And then Trump conned them.

[Greybnk48]

8. Liberals ARE Democrats.

At least that's how things have been in the past 50 years that I have been voting.

[maxsolomon]

17. I really don't want to get into the logic of that.

So fine, you're right. Sen. Manchin is a Liberal. Max Baucus was a Liberal. Joe Lieberman was a Liberal.

[alwaysinasnit]

56. I totally get your meaning. Here is another one to add to your list. Zell Miller

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/23/us/politics/zell-miller-feisty-democrat-who-sided-with-gop-dies-at-86.html

[Wellstone ruled]

9. So true.

[RobinA]

31. This

I know any number of people, including family members, who would vote for Attila the Hun before voting for Jesus if Jesus were a Democrat. They are so brainwashed. And they are in quite a quandary right now because they know in their heart of hearts that Trump is a disgusting incompetent, but he’s their man because they’ve been taught never, but never, never to vote for a Dem.

[peggysue2]

61. LOL!!

Too true. And that's why they've (Republicans) turned Jesus into an immigrant-hating, poor people scolding, 'I've got mine and I feel fine' conservative.

It's been a remarkable transformation. The Prosperity Gospel.

[exboyfil]

5. One who lies about the return of our war dead

How is that alone not exclusionary of any future support? That is like taking a dump on the Unknown Soldiers' Grave.

As far as the raise. How does it compare when inflation is taken into account?

[spanone]

7. or one who shits on a Gold Star Family?

[exboyfil]

14. That too

[Floyd R. Turbo]

6. The ones I know don't!

[Phoenix61]

10. My guess is it's a very small sub-set

I'd love to know their demographics. Career vs one hitch, branch, rank, discharge rating, disability status, education, etc

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

44. in my experience

Marines tend to be the most uniformly conservative leaning. Followed by the Air Force and Navy. Army I knew many more left leaning or moderate members. However, within the Army, and from what I can tell, the other branches, the NCO corp and junior officers lean hard right. Flag officers, it varies on who they got their stars under and such, things get pretty political the higher up you go, so those promoted/serving under Dems tend to be more moderate then those under GOP. It also is very divided among the roles as well, with logistics and admin MOS's tending more moderate in views, and combat arms and intel leaning right.

[luvtheGWN]

48. I think there is no room for "gray thinking" in the military.

You take orders and no arguing about whether those orders make sense to you. No talking back (or even discussions) with your superiors. That's what it takes to have a successful career as a non-com. Not saying that any of this is wrong, just that putting your brain on hold and using your body to defend or fight is the military way.

As I understand it, soldiers able to access various media also find that it's very right-wing (Fox News etc.), and adherence to one's religion is a must. Even my Canadian nephew who has done training exercises with his U.S. counterparts has begun to lean right -- actually thinks Trump is the best thing since sliced bread. And I fear that our Canadian military also lean the wrong way.

Most liberal or progressive folks are able to see various shades of grey, rather than just black or white. I do believe.

[TexasProgresive]

11. They did for an AWOL deserter GWBush

Go figure.

[yardwork]

12. Fox News and hate radio have brainwashed them.

[Scurrilous]

62. Yep.

[Totally Tunsie]

13. Yet, there he is, speaking before the VFW in Kansas City, and they're cheering him on.

But, of course, he's using all the buzzwords that appeal to group-think and spouting rhetoric that even he doesn't believe.

I'll always contend that if he has to read his speech (badly), they're not his words, thoughts or feelings. You get the tRue tRump only when he goes rogue.

[exboyfil]

15. No one with a sign

Where are the 200 dead you promised where returned? You would think the VFW would be particularly sensitive to that fact.

[oasis]

16. Deplorable cultists. nt

[barbtries]

18. many don't.

but i would say they're brainwashed. my son while in the navy was forced to listen to fox news and rush limbaugh.
but there are many, many veterans in the Resistance.

[maxsolomon]

38. Many is not most.

The perception is that the Military votes for Republicans, and they've slandered Democrats as unpatriotic.

[barbtries]

45. i'm afraid that is largely true

but i really don't know. but i do know that a huge protest march is being planned for trump's parade, and it's vets putting it together. i'm not sure when my son was in the service that he felt he was free to share his political beliefs. i don't know if we can get a true read on the relative number or percentage of vets who support trump/GOP and those who don't. i include active military in this.

[Hoyt]

19. Because the majority of today's veterans are white wingers who are fine with racism, bigotry,

warmongering, etc. Joining the military for them was never really wasn't about preserving freedom, liberty, etc.

There are lots of good veterans, particularly those who were drafted or joined to avoid the draft during VN, or saw the military as a way for a better life, but they are in the minority.

[Wounded Bear]

36. Please cool your jets with the sweeping generalities...

see my post #35 below.

[Hoyt]

37. Sorry, vets as a group support trump well above 60%. Let him start

Last edited Tue Jul 24, 2018, 06:43 PM - Edit history (1)

bombing some Muslims or Asians and they’ll be cheering him on.

[Old Vet]

68. Hold the fuck up there Hoyt, Heres whats currently going down.............

iam a retired Army vet, Yes many if not all my friends in the VVA are most definitely DEMOCRATS. The largest Iraq-Afgan veteran organization cant stand 45, Trust me on that one. In my almost two decades in the army, And most vets I know at the local VA hospital, Yes most Korean and WW2 vets lean right for sure. But that shit stops there friend...…….

[Hoyt]

71. Sorry, not what stats/polls show. Besides, who joins the military to bomb

innocent Iraqis. Again, I kind of get folks who do for training when there is little alternative. But it’s hard for me to believe Democrats get gung-ho about bombing innocent Muslims.

[AJT]

20. I'm guessing the vets that show up are 99% white guys.

[DBoon]

26. as oposed to representing our actual current military

nt

[uponit7771]

28. +1

[oberliner]

21. What percent of the veterans currently cheering for him are not white?

[magicarpet]

22. Toxic Masculinity - they were told/now think it is macho.

Tough guy, beer drinking, gun worshiping, football watching, NASCAR viewing, trophy hunting, Fox News drones and woman grabbing ALPHA MALE, with a teeny tiny micro dick.

[Orsino]

23. Because he'll flatter them in order to elicit applause.

And the media still support the fiction of the GOP as pro-vet.

[lpbk2713]

25. There will never be a shortage of gullible mouth breathers.

It's that simple.

[Totally Tunsie]

32. "Sheeple"

Flock mentality who would follow their leader off a cliff.

[Freethinker65]

27. Because they have been trained to hate godless liberal Democrats more

[Oneironaut]

29. Identity Politics

They feel that they’re supposed to support Republicans, so they do. It’s their “side” (even though it really isn’t).

[Ilsa]

30. They do it for money and power and

the hateful identity politics he encourages.

[EffieBlack]

33. Correction: Why would WHITE veterans support a treasonous, draft-dodging, Russian loving Asshole

Because I sure don’t see many black veterans buying into that crap.

And within the correct question lies your answer ...

[radius777]

34. White nationalism

The underlying mentality of military and law enforcement tends to be an authoritarian far-right and nationalist. Many see themselves as the defenders of traditional (white) America. Trump's fascist message plays perfectly to this.

They don't care about Russia because they've come to see them as allies in white nationalism.. ie the purging of 'darkies' and 'undesirables' from 'white nations'. Putin is a hero in this sense to them.

[Wounded Bear]

35. Please don't confuse VFW with the "majority" of veterans...

They're mostly a drinking club for a bunch of Dobie Gillis father types.

If you're old enough to the rererence, you'll know what I mean. "I'm a veteran of Double-u-double eye eye!"

As a boomer, that's the caricature of the 'greatest generation' that I remember. Bunch of whiny old farts.

Not surprised that VFW would be overrun with Trumplodytes.

[maxsolomon]

40. Is that today's VFW?

One would think it was populated by KW and VW vets now. The WWII vets are mostly gone or 90+.

[murielm99]

49. VFW's are losing membership.

The one in my community has closed.

[Old Vet]

69. Most Vietnam Vets worth there salt are members of VVA..........

The American Legion did not even accept Viet vets in 1973, Iam still pissed about that. The VFW like the American legion are a very,very small percentage of veterans.

[Old Vet]

72. The two biggest veteran organisations are the VVA and the Iraq-Afgan veterans organisation....

Both lean heavily democratic...…..

[lpbk2713]

41. Dubya Dubya Two, the big one.

...

[Iggo]

39. cUZ mURIKA.

[SeattleVet]

42. I was completely shocked by some folks that I had served with.

They were all highly intelligent, having military jobs of diagnosing and repairing complex advanced fighter/bomber avionics systems in the shop (where we sometimes worked down to the component level) and large-scale computer systems. They all went through about a full year of a resident technical school before being sent to the duty station where they would be working on the actual components, while continuing their educations with several long On The Job training requirements. Yet several of them have become hard-core trumpistas, following over 9 full years of them spewing hatred of President Obama.

I completely fail to understand how some of the NCO's I served with in such technically demanding fields, and were close friends with (there is, as you may expect, huge amount of socialization and bonding among the troops) could believe a tenth of the crap that they are getting from the administration and their state-run TV mouthpiece.

It's mind-boggling, especially considering how well I knew these same people when we served together.

[Ferrets are Cool]

43. They overwhelmingly supported "monkeyboy" bush too...

but this is even more despicable.
I think its just the R behind his name and the fact that he is white. I don't know how the VFW is elsewhere, but down here in the deep south, its just old white people. Deplorables, all of them.

[budkin]

46. Because "LEEBRUUULS"

Really, that's it.

[Aristus]

47. Racism.

I met so many racist assholes when I was in the Army. One would think, with its incredible diversity serving as a microcosm of the USA's ethnic makeup, that racists would not have a good time of it in the service.

But at least when I was in, 1986-1993, it was a pit of vicious bigotry, hate, and proud ignorance.

[Mr.Bill]

53. Maybe there was an open bar

hosted by the other organization they all belong to, the Elks.

[byronius]

54. Most of the vets who fought Nazis have passed away.

I think continuous combat with an equal foe leaves little room for bullshit. Not that the Viet Cong or Iraqis were pushovers, but we were throwing massive tech at them and there was no existential threat to the US. I'm willing to bet very few if any of the vets cheering Murder Klown on actually experienced anything like the WWII or WWI vets.

Most of the Vietnam vets I've known who saw serious combat (Khe Sanh, for instance) became pacifistic liberals when they got home. John Kerry, for instance. Also -- Bob Mueller, serious combat vet but still Republican, isn't cheering this traitor on.

Plus, veterans are just people, and people can be so fucking stupid it hurts to watch. Christ, half this country is up for a Darwin Award right now.

[Tatiana]

55. Most of the ones I met don't.

A lot of military families I work with can't stand him. And they will vote this November.

[Duppers]

59. I live in a huge neighborhood of retired vets

Everyone of them I have met hate Dems. My Obama sign was stolen off my lawn.

[dlk]

57. Propaganda Works

The touting of nonsense and outright lies has been in play for many years. Remember Reagan's, "government is the problem..." silliness when he was the head of the government. That was only the beginning. Americans have been getting brainwashed by propaganda for decades.

[Cryptoad]

58. They didnt get to be the way they thru,,,,,

Logic and reason!, Plus ,, They will not change thru logic and Reason!

[Pluvious]

60. Because they only want Alex Jones and Fox Brainwashing Network. nt

[mtnsnake]

63. The ones who are currently serving are taught to support their Commander in Chief no matter what but

most of the retired veterans I know hate him. I would venture to guess that even many of the soldiers who are serving now can't stand him in private.

[Captain Stern]

66. Because veterans really aren't all that much different than non-veterans.

They are just people that served in the armed forces. They aren't super-extra-good-majic people.

A lot of them are brave and heroic, just like a lot of people that aren't veterans. Some of them are total assholes...just like there are plenty of assholes among the people that have never served. Many veterans are the best, of the best. While many others are the worst.

[JI7]

67. remember how they treated John Kerry

there are ignorant bigots among the them.

[Horse with no Name]

70. Honestly. Not every Vet is an upstanding human

Despite the fact that we try to romanticize this section of our population.