Younger Military Families Closing Ranks Around Obama
QUANTICO, Va. -- One of the largest U.S. marine bases in the world is located in Quantico, a tidy town with scant election fanfare. Everyone who lives here just assumes Republicans have a lock on the military vote. And so when Obama signs began to appear, tongues began to wag.
"At first I was worried about how my neighbors would view it," said former marine corporal Dawn Jennings, 31, who bravely put an Obama sign in the center of her front yard. Jennings told OffTheBus that Quantico is the "kind of place where they'll ask you to remove an Obama bumper sticker from your car."
Barack Obama is promising to make college affordable for all Americans, and this appeals to Jennings. "I can't imagine telling my two kids, "No college for you, because I voted for McCain." She emailed all of her military friends, encouraging them to register two new voters. "It's time to take a stand," said the marine vet. "I want us to be like Michigan -- I'd love to see John McCain quit campaigning in Virginia, too."
Jennings isn't the only Obama supporter in Quantico -- not by a long shot -- and this should raise a red flag for the McCain camp. In hotly contested states with large military populations, these voters can make an impact because they turn out to vote in higher percentages (79/64) than the general public, according to a Rand study.
John McCain assumes he has a lock on the military vote -- but does he?
Military Voter Surveys Can Be Misleading
The Military Times recently released its annual survey of subscribers, which shows McCain-Palin enjoying a commanding lead over Obama-Biden (68/23 percent). But this is not a random sample by any stretch of the imagination. Military Times subscribers are significantly older than the active military population. Nearly half of those surveyed are retirees, and minorities are under-represented.
"Everyone I talk to wants change but on base you can't say certain things. At a bar or a party, everyone tells me they're voting for Obama," said Thomas Singleton, 27, a former military telecommunications specialist who was speaking to OffTheBus outside the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Perched on a hill in Quantico, the museum's stunning roof line can be seen for miles. Its design -- a 200-foot tilted mast atop a huge glass atrium -- was inspired by the famous Iwo Jima flag raising of World War II.
"My military friends are tired of being lied to," said Singleton. "They're told to deploy for six months, but it ends up being a year. And when they come home, they can't find a job. One of my friends is staying in the Army only because he can't find a civilian job."
The genuine patriotism these young people feel is complicated by events in Iraq, and grumblings about military miscalculations. "I was proud to go to Iraq, but when I got there all we did for weeks was play cards. We were unprepared. We had the wrong supplies," said Skye Spann, 27, a former medical specialist. "It didn't seem like we had a clear mission."
Deployed Troops Give Four Times More Money To Obama
People in all branches of the service are getting tired of repeated deployments. "I think more of them will vote for Obama than McCain," said Jennings. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, deployed troops are putting their money where their mouth is: they've given four times as much money to Obama as McCain.
"Any assumption that the military vote is overwhelmingly in favor of the Republican Party -- based on demographics alone -- is suspect at the very least," said Donald S. Inbody, a retired Navy Captain who is on the political science faculty at Texas State University. Inbody also is a doctoral candidate at the University of Texas in Austin, where he is researching the political attitudes and behavior of the American military enlisted person.
For years, the Republicans have enjoyed a reputation for taking care of the troops. But now, at all levels of the military, there's a general dissatisfaction with the leadership in Washington. Inbody told OffTheBus, "We know from several studies that the officer corps, especially senior officers, identify strongly with the Republican Party. But it is more likely that junior officers and enlisted personnel more nearly mirror the general American population when it comes to party identification and voting behavior."
According to Inbody, this could result in a 1.2 to 1 advantage for Obama in military communities, especially if the campaign "isn't tone deaf" to the groundbreaking inroads that are possible.
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I am currently deployed to Afghanistan and my office reflects this. I am junior enlisted and aged 25. There is one other junior enlisted 25 year old (she's an undecided and uninformed swing voter)...everyone else is 35 and over and are senior NCO's, retired military contractors, and senior officers. Until recently it was Me vs 20 other people (Two senior officers who shared my sensibilites recently got deployed out here).
I explain my reasoning focusing on the the fact that Senator McCain does NOT support the troops based on his voting record. That recent article from Mr. Friedman (I emailed the VetVoice version link just to ensure they didn't give that BS about it be a liberal slant) was absolutely lovely to email out around the office since it backed up so many of my claims.
Recently IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) put out their latest Congressional Report Card on voting on Vet issues. That has been wonderfully useful to my arguments (Obama B, McCain D). My finishing statement is of course the new GI Bill. Only three people missed that vote...Mr Kennedy was recovering, someone (I'm blanking) was at a funeral, and Mr. McCain (after not supporting it) was in California on The Ellen D. Show and having a fundraiser. Simply unforgivable...but to be expected.
My husband is active duty Navy and we are both in our mid-twenties. We and along with most of the people my husband works with are more liberal than conservative. We can never understand why some military people automatically vote for Republicans. They don't take care of us the way Democrats do. Just look at the congress voting history about military issues.
I do admit that you will get dirty looks for showing your support for a Democrat. I went into my local Navy Exchange store recently and the Obama button on my daughter's diaper bag caused me to get quite a few dirty looks and head shakes. Only from older and retired military though. The good news is that the tide is definitely turning about what party represents the military.
Please let me second most of the sentiments of Carianne. As a former Republican and now an independent, I have watched the de evolution of both the Republican and Democratic parties to something resembling schoolyard bullies and believe that neither side has done enough to support our military men and women. Too many Republicans shout their patriotism but practice nationalism and too many democrats call for compassion but server up only condensention. The Iraq war was served up to us on a platter filled with lies, exaggerations and the whisper of traitor if you did not support this action. Democrats were just as willing to state their lines in Bush's little passion play as any of the Republicans. I doubt we will ever really know why our country entered this war, but I know how to end it. BRING OUR MEN AND WOMEN HOME NOW
As a soldier myself I can tell you it's 1 to 1 or now 2 to 1. We feel lied to, we feel we haven't been given what we need. We need a mission, a time line, equipment, and leadership. We've received none of it. And when we come home from this, we find a government that won't live up to it's part of the contract. We see run down hospitals, many can't even get treatment, and after multiple deployments PTSD surfaces and we're given no treatment. I think everyone feels like CHANGE is needed.
Thank you for your honest, excellent comment and for your service soldier!
Our family of 4 is hanging on by a thread, but we've donated now $200.00 towards the much needed "CHANGE" (the original one - not the one who is trying to use that in his campaign now)
We donated with thoughts of our soldiers here and abroad, for our country and our world.
Hang in there.
MANY of us around here in Afghanistan are for Obama-Biden...on the same note it's mostly the younger crowd under 40 or 50. I personally can't wait for my Obama Biden 08 yard sign, magnet, and t-shirt to come in the mail. We can't wear civilian clothes here but I can hang all that stuff up in my office and razz some people...until they complian and I have to take it down of course.
Wow, I am so proud of you Dawn.
Thank you for seeing through the McCain/Bush/Cheney fog.
Thank you, the troops who have served during the last 8 years. I truly hope Obama wins and you can come home and stay home.
Proud of our young people showing courage on two fronts. Outstanding.
I have a problem with GOP lies. They look us in the eye and tell us something without blinking, they wave the American flag and we the people fall in line.
Send your sons and daughters to die looking for weapons of mass destruction, pull out the flag and wave like hell!
Sedam Hussein was responsible for 9-11, pull out the flag and wave like hell!
Iraqi oil will pay for the war, pull out the flag and wave!
Mission accomplished, pull out the flag and wave like hell!
Our economy is basically strong, pull out the flag and wave it!
We are fundamentally better off during the Bush administration, pull out the flag and wave like hell!
John McCain campaign statement that he is not able to use a computer because of his suffering as a prisoner of war, here is my problem with that scenario.
On July 13, 2008 in a New York Times interview john McCain said: “I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself. I don’t expect to be a great communicator, I don’t expect to set up my own blog, but I am becoming computer literate to the point where I can get the information that I need.
What different muscles are used to barbecue ribs that you would have to use on a keyboard?
Now look in their eyes and say “I love my Country, I love my flag, stop lying to us.
Stephen Hawking uses a computer. McCain has enough money to have one adapted for any disabilities he has. What he has wrong with him, unfortunately, is lack of intellectual curiosity. Hard to get parts for that.
Brave on the field of battle and the homefront. I am afraid to put my Obama stickers on my car because I travel on military bases. Support the Troops and Veterans by voting for Obama.
I received a call from a friend in San Diego whose husband is a Capt. in the Navy. Since San Diego has been known as a Republican city she was surprised to see a lack of Mccain signs and bumper stickers. She has lived in San Diego off and on during her husband career and knows how Republican the area is. Driving around looking for a home to buy she has been all over the area and sees only Obama signs. Both she and her husband will be voting for Obama. Her husband being a legal resident of Pa. will be voting absentee there. Myself living in Va. I really think that the state will go for Obama due to the military because they above everyone know how they have been used by the Republicans these last 8 yrs. Mccain and Palin like to say that Obama is all talk well when it comes to the military Mccain with his voting record has shown that he is all talk and has ignored those veterans that he says he loves.
Thank you to all the troops.
I cannot hold back my tears thinking of the dead troops and civilians because of so much hatred in the world, whether it is caused by money interests or extreme religious beliefs - neither is excusable.
Especially embarassed to say I voted for Mr. Bush, both times, I feel extremely saddened by my past votes.
stgadt....my hubby served proudly in the military....USMC....he just said that you shouldn't be embarrassed about previously voting for Bush...because we were all LIED to...it's just great that you've learned and now we can move forward in the right direction for this country. Please don't feel sad...you can join the rest of us Obama supporters and help bring about CHANGE. Be proud of yourself and smile....soon we'll have a new young beautiful family in the White House and a President we all can be Proud of.
Sweety .. I'm with you .. stgadt HAS learned .. learning is an experience of which to be proud .. the ones I feel sorry for are the ones who voted for Bush twice and are ready to elect (they hope) at least another 4 years of the same policies. Just remember .. you can lead an elephant to water .. but you can't make him/her drink .. :)
John McCain and his voting record on veterans issues:
2001: McCain Voted Against $51 Billion in Veterans Funding. McCain was one of five senators to vote against the bill and seven to vote against the conference report that provided $51.1 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as funding for the federal housing, environmental and emergency management agencies and NASA. (H.R. 2620, Vote 334, 11/8/01; Vote 269, 8/2/01)
2000: McCain Voted Against $47 Billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain was one of eight senators to vote against a bill that provided $47 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. (H.R. 4635, Vote 272, 10/12/00)
1999: McCain Voted Against $44.3 Billion for Veterans Programs. McCain was one of five senators to vote against a bill providing $44.3 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, plus funding for other federal agencies. (H.R. 2684, Vote 328, 10/15/99)
1996: McCain Voted Against a $13 Billion Increase in Funding for Veterans Programs. McCain voted against an amendment to increase spending on veterans programs by $13 billion. (S.C.R. 57, Vote 115, 5/16/96)
1995: McCain Voted to Underfund Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain voted for an appropriations bill that underfunded the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development by $8.9 billion. (H.R. 2099, Vote 470, 9/27/95)
arcticknight,
McCain has made a big thing of being a Vietnam vet and a P.O.W. and he probably thinks in his small little mind that he has all of us military vets locked up tight. if so he had better rethink that.
I personally don't allow the so called " Band of Brothers" baloney to shape my decisions.
arcticknight:
Thank you for your well-organized information. John McCain challenges everyone to "look at my record". Well, here's his record. Arcticknight has included info that will allow anyone to verify for themselves.
Still think John McCain supports veterans? Not so much.
More recently McCain opposed the new GI Bill, introduced by Senators Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel. Obama and Hillary were co-sponsors. When the vote came up, McCain didn't even bother to show up and vote on it, one way or the other. Despite Bush opposing the bill, he went ahead and signed it, realizing how bad it would make Republicans look if he didn't (and Congress may have been able to override his veto).
After it was signed, not only did Bush attempt to take credit, but also gave credit to McCain, who never supported it and didn't vote on it.
Veterans Voting Record by John McCain:
McCAIN ALSO VOTED TO OUTSOURCE JOBS AT MILITARY FACILITIES
McCain Supported Outsourcing VA Jobs. McCain opposed an amendment that would have prevented the Department of Veterans Affairs from outsourcing jobs, many held by blue-collar veterans, without first giving the workers a chance to compete. (S.Amdt. 2673 to H.R. 2642, Vote 315, 9/6/07)
He Also Supported Outsourcing at Walter Reed. McCain opposed an amendment to prevent the outsourcing of 350 federal employee jobs at Walter Reed Army Medical Center—outsourcing that contributed to the scandalous treatment of veterans at Walter Reed that McCain called a “disgrace.” (S.Amdt. 4895 to H.R. 5631, Vote 234, 9/6/06; Speech to VFW in Kansas City, Mo., 4/4/08)
AND HE REPEATEDLY VOTED AGAINST FUNDING FOR THE VETERANS AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
2003: McCain Voted Against $122.7 Billion for Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain voted against an appropriations bill that included $122.7 billion in fiscal 2004 for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and other related agencies. (H.R. 2861, Vote 449, 11/12/03)
John McCain voting record concerning our veterans:
McCain Voted in Support of Disabled Veterans Only 25 Percent of the Time from 2004-2005. While McCain claims he “has been a leading advocate” for veterans with disabilities, statistics show he supported the Disabled American Veterans’ interests only 25 percent of the time in 2004-2005. In 2006, that figure slipped to 20 percent of the time. (Project Vote Smart)
McCain Voted Against Providing Automatic Cost-of-Living Adjustments to Veterans. McCain voted against providing automatic annual cost-ofliving adjustments for certain veterans’ benefits. (S. 869, Vote 259, 11/20/91)
INCLUDING BETTER ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR GUARD AND RESERVISTS
McCain Opposed Increasing Spending on TRICARE and Giving Greater Access to National Guard and Reservists. Although his campaign website devotes a large section to veterans issues, including expanding benefits for reservists and members of the National Guard, McCain voted against increasing spending on the TRICARE program by $20.3 billion over 10 years to give members of the National Guard and Reserves and their families greater access to the health care program. The increase would be offset by a reduction in tax cuts for the wealthy. (www.johnmccain.com/Informing/ Issues/9cb5d2aa-f237-464e-9cdf-a5ad32771b9f.htm; S.Amdt. 324 to S.C.R. 23, Vote 81, 3/25/03)
More of John McCain's voting record concerning veterans - Our Most Treasured Resource
Opposed an Assured Funding Stream for Veterans’ Health Care. McCain opposed providing an assured funding stream for veterans’ health care, taking into account annual changes in veterans’ population and inflation. (S.Amdt. 3141 to S.C.R. 83, Vote 63, 3/16/06)
McCain Voted Against Adding More Than $400 Million for Veterans’ Care. McCain was one of 13 Republicans to vote against providing an additional $430 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs for outpatient care and treatment for veterans. (S.Amdt. 3642 to H.R. 4939, Vote 98, 4/26/06)
Voted Against Establishing a $1 Billion Trust Fund for Military Health Facilities. McCain voted against establishing a $1 billion trust fund to improve military health facilities by refusing to repeal tax cuts for those making more than $1 million a year. (S.Amdt. 2735 to S.Amdt. 2707 to H.R. 4297, Vote 7, 2/2/06)
McCain Opposed $500 Million for Counseling Services for Veterans with Mental Disorders. McCain voted against an amendment to appropriate $500 million annually from 2006-2010 for counseling, mental health and rehabilitation services for veterans diagnosed with mental illness, posttraumatic stress disorder or substance abuse. (S. 2020, S.Amdt. 2634, Vote 343, 11/17/05)
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