Who Gets The Troops' Votes?

ABC News:

ABC's Martha Raddatz asked American soldiers in Iraq what issues are most important to them when looking at the presidential candidates.

Though the military is not supposed to engage in partisan political activity, these soldiers spoke out about their personal endorsements, and their opinions are likely to matter. In 2004, 73 percent of the U.S. military voted for a presidential candidate, and officials believe it may be even higher this time around.

PFC Jeremy Slate said he supported Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., because of his stated intention to pull out of Iraq right away.

"That would be nice," Slate said, "I'd like to be home, yea."

SFC Patricia Keller also expressed support for Obama, citing his representation for change.

Spc. Patrick Nicholls from Eggawam, Mass., pointed out that many soldiers on the frontlines frequently think about their families back home.

"We think about how our families are doing back home. That's a major concern, like how the economy is doing, also as well as where we're going to be in the future. Because really, truly, what we consider we're doing, we're doing a valuable job, we want to make sure that the efforts we make are appreciated."

He suggested he was too engaged in Iraq to keep up with politics back home. "I haven't really been following it too much since we've been over here, ma'am," he told Raddatz. "So, don't really know which issues are too important to me right now. ... I don't know who's running, ma'am."

Lt. Leah Wicks said that, tied into concerns about her family's welfare, were concerns about the economy, "where we're going to be in the future."

Read the whole story: ABC News

Comments

[AdultFilmLegend]

I bet the military splits evenly for McCain and Obama.

[Binea]

"
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".

According to the FEC reports, these are the total number and amount of military donations for each of the presidential candidates*:

Ron Paul: 1160 $249k
John McCain: 438 $83k
Mike Huckabee: 126 $37k
Mitt Romney: 126 $24k
Barack Obama: 443 $76k
Hillary Clinton: 154 $41k

[beerguy]

The vast majority of the military will vote for McCain. Obama doesn't have a clue when it comes to things military and they won't vote for Hillary either. Just another biased MSM report. Go find a few soldiers who are thinking of voting for Obama and try and portray it like this is the majority opinion among military personnel. Nice try but it's not the reality.

[natasyenehc]

You are the one who doesn't have a clue.

And from your name "beerguy" you are obviously from the family beer business - McCain dad in law and all.....

McCain's gonna get creamed against Barack Obama.

[ballewb]

I bet they don't get their ballots. It happens.

[gcallaghan]

Republicans = Military Failure

[natasyenehc]

Senator Barack H. Obama.

[Bart]

If you think they are anything other than overwhelmingly repug, you're deluding yourselves. The usa troops are conservative to an astonishing degree.

[memoryaid]

Do you know who is in the army these days? Kids who's parents don't have the money to send them to college.

I'll assume they would be receptive to the Democratic message.

Too bad their internet and media access is filtered.

[whatfreshhellisthis]

One might also assume that lower-income whites would be receptive to the Democratic message, but they overwhelmingly vote Republican. Low-income whites, and military enlistees, are from the South in disporportionate numbers, and they have been steeped in the culture of voting for Republicans even when it is contrary to their own best interests.

[ballewb]

What do you base your statement on?

[Trinidad707]

Hillary is the one who states she will begin pulling out troops with 6 weeks of becoming president. not Obama.
Obama says he will get troops out before 2013 but no pledge. (Sep 2007). Withdraw gradually and keep some troops in Iraq region. (Mar 2007) Voted NO on redeploying troops out of Iraq by July 2007.

[memoryaid]

Nope, she will "ask advisers to form a plan within 60 days".

She has no plan, nor idea for what it would look like.

Obama gave a 40 minute speech about Iraq and foreign policy. You might want to know what the other candidate stands for.

[dora rice]

40 minutes of a complete waste of time.

[memoryaid]

Also, Obama has been a clear leader for veteran rights since he was in Illinois senate. He'll keep pushing for having the troops treated with all the respect they have earned.

[ObamaSuperDelegate]

Hillary is pandering and lying

[barrista]

well you have to put into the equation the Clinton Lie factor (otherwise known as the Sniper-fire Variable)..

SO.... "Pulling out troops within 6 weeks" + Clinton Lie Factor = "I'll get to it when I have time"

[vippy]

In their second debate all three (3) candidates, Hillary, Obama and Edwards said they will stay
in Iraq until 2013. So now Hillary is changing her tune? Check her voting record and be done
with it. She voted twice for the Patriot Act, she condones torture by voting for the Military Commission Act, and she did not show up for the FISA vote. She does not care about you being
spied on. She does one thing and says another.

[mesuki]

This war has been wrong on so many levels,and to imagine that anyone would even think of voting for McCain is totally insane. Our young soldiers need to come home,we are never gonna win this war .The sooner we realize this the better this country will be for it. We basically attacked a country that could not defend themselves against us and we destroyed their people ,their culture and their country. I don't know how Bush and his cronies could sleep at night with so much blood on their hands. Our young men and woman should not continue to pay the price for Bush's mistake. It's time for them to come home. I hope they vote for Obama,who unlike Bush knew what would happen if the US attacked Iraq. It's always our youth that pays the price for these old farts in washington when they decide to play war games.

[granamica]

There are a lot of military personnell disputing this article on the abc site. I didn't want to create yet another account so I'll post here, They want to stay but maybe as a tax payer and someone who will be paying off this war debt for the next 50 years, I don't want to keep you there until you get it right. Enough already. They didn't great us a liberators and we have taken far too long. We lost.

[fignozzle]

at what?

[cls105]

ive asked a couple (not many) guys in uniform who they like.. i was surprised that they were pro dem.

[barrista]

Hmm well lets see.. 100 year war vs. phased redeployment... 100 year war vs. phased redeployment.

I'd take phased redeployment. Life > Party.

[longislandlol]

The service academy kids are McCain-- boys break with McCain-- girls with Hillary-- the enlisted infantry-- marines, etc.. all go Obama--

[neocon43]

How much money would you like to put on that infantry goes to Obama.I will give you 25% of the vote and still Mccain will squash you!

[RabidRightRebel]

Yeah what can you say, these same people were foolish enough to vote for Bush, and there is little reason to believe that they have all of a sudden opened their minds and realised what a mistake that was.

Well except for the one that have opened their minds and realised what a mistake voting for Bush was!!!

[indie17]

So, in the article, 4 said Obama and 1 said Hillary. Where do you get your numbers?

http://www.forbes.com/businesswire/feeds/businesswire/2008/03/12/businesswire20080312006068r1.html

[TN]

If I were them I'd be afraid to be free and speak my mind, they might end up dead in a ditch like the last soldiers that did.

[iPolitics]

You're wrong: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3601542

[IngeniousGirl]

Jake Tapper: The Center for Responsive Politics, http://www.opensecrets.org/pressreleases/2008/YearEndPresidential.2.4.asp

which tracks campaign cash, looks at the 2007 money-raising and finds the following:

In 2007, the 2008 presidential candidates raised $582.5 million and spent $481.2 million.

In the 4th quarter of 2007, individuals in the Army, Navy and Air Force made those branches of the armed services the No. 13, No. 18 and No. 21, contributing industries, respectively. War opponent Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, received the most from donors in the military, collecting at least $212,000 from them. Another war opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, was second with about $94,000.

Soldiers love Ron and Barack, and lobbyists love Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, the No. 1 recipient of lobbyist cash, receiving $823,000 in 2007 from the lobbying industry, which gave about $2.7 million overall.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/02/military-donors.html

[robXdion]

This is VERY true. The Officer ranks are like company lackeys and will vote the along the lines of older officers, if anything just to fit in and be accepted. And the Academy kiddies haven't seen the reality of what they cheer for and are generally from well-to-do conservative families. The enlisted are the ones carrying the load and are generally from poor backgrounds. But I can see the infantry types going for Obama. They recognize realness when they see it. Its their job. Yet I'll still be surprised to see many of them actually vote for Obama.

[GhostintheMachine]

Wow are you wrong

[ballewb]

I can understand the reasoning, but I do not agree. Once in the ballot box (even metaphorically), a service member can do as they please and I suspect (but do not know) that they will. It is not as if they congregate and vote by raising their hands is it? I have to ask, because when I was in the Navy in 2000, I could not even get an absentee ballot. Regardless, I'm fairly certain that the voting process is still private.

Otherwise, generalizing about servicemembers is like generalizing about anyone based on their inclusion in a group: bigoted and incorrect. I know the compulsion to generalize about officers (I was enlisted) and vice versa, but I find it to be from the lowest part of our nature and something that I cannot agree with.

[serialcoma]

I'm constantly amazed that you people who have never served all seem to have the ability to read the minds of our soldiers, sailors and airmen.... you people are a bunch of idiots.

[debwarot]

It amazes me how you feel able to predict this. Our troops, and people in general, are more than demographics.

[IngeniousGirl]

Wrong, Our troops on the ground aren't out shopping, going to high school and college sports games, dating and enjoying family time, they aren't worried about what college they are going to go to, or enjoying the latest Seal concert, they are bound, joined, combined in a single mission - to survive - which we here in America seem to be somewhat clueless mainly because the major news media puts the soldiers stories below the fold.

So... our troops are well of a single mind, survival. I can't think of another motive to singularly unite the boots on the ground, these young men and women, they have one objective, to get home and out of the loops of rotations and stop loss and russian roulette of death.

[IngeniousGirl]

I have it on good authority that Obama has the hearts and minds of the boots on the ground. The West Pointers and Officers are all McCain and Hillary, but the guys on the ground, the infantry, the line in the sand, they all are for Obama. Have it on good authority but they don't talk about it and are afraid that their vote will not be confidential... retribution is not good in a desert thousands of miles from home when all you want to do is come home.
A Blue Star Mom

[neocon43]

You are so wrong.The infantry is 90% Mccain and overall 85%-90% Mccain.

[indie17]

Please provide the evidence to support your claim. Blue Star Mom supplied hers.

[fignozzle]

we shall see.

[iPolitics]

Liar. Obama has received overwhelming donations from active military. They put the money up...they will vote Obama.

[mesuki]

In your dreams.....It's easy for you to say,living in your comfortable home while these young men and woman are fighting a war that your neocon buddies started. If your ass was out there eating dust everyday and dodging bombs and bullets I'm real sure you'd be voting for McCain.....,you liar.

[IngeniousGirl]

No statistic proves this, show me just one, by the way have you served that is in the military? My authority is very good.

[GhostintheMachine]

Good authority? What you yelled up at your Mom from the basement and asked her?

[TheRebel82]

Well since Ron Paul got the most donations out of all the candidates and he was running an anti-war platform I guess it would be no surprise if most of those went over to Obama now that paul isnt gonna get the repuke nomination.

[harriscrl3]

My heart breaks for the troops. This War MUST END!!!

Carol

[Tariqahmed]

Jena Bush & Chelsea Clinton should go to Iraq to serve.
+^^+====

[ObamaSuperDelegate]

Amen

[rzan]

McCain's son is serving in Iraq. He is the exception to the rule that congress people who voted for the war do not have their children serving over there. They would rather sacrifice someone else's son or daughter.

[riverhouse]

Jim Webb (D-VA) has a son who has served more than one tour in Iraq. Webb, a Vietman vet, is soundly against the war in Iraq.

[forpeace]

*

American Troops Going Insane--www.freedomfighterradio.net

God bless America?

Would god bless this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq5_vG3cYGM

*

[IngeniousGirl]

link American Troops is not good :)

[Erdgeist]

When a Marine throws a little puppy off a cliff to its death it says a lot about American values or the lack thereof. Bush has turned many young soldiers into barbarians. Bush has taught us that it is okay to lie and to break our oaths and to brutalize others, especially the innocent. He has done more to undermine the sacred principles of this country than a thousand Nixons. Of all nations, we were entrusted with the lamp of liberty but under Bush we have failed to bring its light to the world. We have only brought darkness. We have turned Iraq into a huge concentration camp where there is no end to suffering.