Question on military

[candy331]

I read that a large percentage of the military are Republicans.In fact I think a large percentage of the absentee votes in florida 2000 went to the repugs. If so why would they be repugs? I believe this war is causing some to rethink this so how can the Dems capitalize on it?

[Military Brat]

1. It's a mystery to me

As I've posted on DU before, the troops voting for bush is like a dog being kicked and then licking its master's hand. I wish they would see the light and realize that their real security, and the defense of our nation, will never be safe in the hands of Republicans. When bush stole the Oval Office, my first thought was, "Uh-oh, here comes war." Sadly, I was right.

[uberotto]

2. Most in military are good people...

but not the most intelligent people you will ever meet. I served in the military for six years and most of the people I met were the type of people who like simple answers to complex questions. In other words, republicans. I would say that the split was probably about 60-40 republican to democrat.

[Ernesto]

12. Agreed

When I was in the USMC (Vietnam), most grunts didn't know anything about politics. They just wanted to live long enough to get home & out of the "crotch".

[lcordero]

3. I met very, very few repukes when I was active army

Most people were either left, left-center or apolitical. My platoon sergeant in Fort Drum was very quick to point out that Reagan signed the Military Retirement Reform Act of 1986 which reduced retirements from 50% of the highest basepay to 35% of the highest basepay.

My platoon sergeant came in before 1986 so he got lucky.

Clinton, on other hand, almost completely restored the %50 with the Defense Authorization of 2000...Clinton also gave me the Veteran's Program Enhancement Act.

[Another Bill C.]

5. I remember

that we had to watch propaganda movies with a definite conservative slant. I believed what I saw and was told. I spent my days with other people who believed what they saw and were told.

Things that stand out from those movies are:
If we did not intervene in Vietnam, as many as 50,000 vietnamese would be killed in the Communist takeover.

The Berkeley "riots" were the work of Communists planted in the student body. A few of them were even pointed out in the film (of course, they could have pointed out your Aunt Louise and we wouldn't know the difference). After I got out, I met Orly, a woman who'd been there, and during our first and only conversation I started to catch on.

[jbm]

4. I think it's the defense spending thing..

I was in the army the last few years of Carter,and then the first few years of Reagan. I was a parts clerk,and my experience was that both gave the military plenty of money to spend(there was a rule that if you didn't use all the money budgeted to your department each year,the budget would be decreased to what you had actually spent for the following year. On the other hand,if you spent all the money,they would increase your budget. Every year I would have had a very large surplus of money(like in excess of 100,000.00) but the last month of the fiscal year the CO would come in and tell me to spend that money on anything..but to make sure I spent it!)

Anyway,while there was plenty of money for what we needed,under Carter there was no extra money for military raises. When Reagan came in he dumped so much more money into military spending that we actually got significant pay raises. If the military was actually held accountable for the money it spends,there wouldn't be the need for the republican over funding..but until it's held accountable the personnel receive lower wages under Dems...and don't necessarily relate that to wasted spending.

on edit..just read lcorderos post..I never realized Reagan cut retirements. Guess that blows my whole theory!

[candy331]

6. How can

the Dems tap into the dissolusioned(sp) repug military though? I think they need to actively court these people now.

[mmonk]

8. Clark will.

[jbm]

9. I'm thinking...

that maybe this whole Iraq nonsense will do that job for us. I'm sure there will still be a percentage of the military that supports the repubs,but I keep thinking that military personnel have got to be taking a long hard look at this situation and reconsidering their voting records. We can hope anyway.:)

[DUreader]

7. Absentee FLA votes wer fraudulent, no conclusion can be drawn

Just one of the many FLA scams in 2000

[Julien Sorel]

10. It's an excellent question.

For an answer, look at some of the posts on this message board. Many hard core leftists hate the military with a passion (they deny it, but it's obvious from reading their posts here). So the military people go Republican based on the perception they have no place else to go.

This started with Vietnam, by the way; until that time the military was much less politicized than it is now.

[Padraig18]

13. Absolutely!

There is a hardcore group here who despise anything and everything military-related; in fact, from reading their posts, it is laughably obvious that they consider the very thing about General Clark to be the fact that he was a *gasp* general!

They need to get a clue...

[TacticalPeek]

11. Good article at these threads:

Perfect Storm in 04

Corps Voters