Comments on: Pentagon’s Get Out the Vote Effort

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 12 Oct 2004 16:48:09 +0000

Ken, I take specific issue with you. Let's look at the facts. During the 1990s, under Democratic leadership, the military cost of living increase was pegged to the rate of inflation MINUS one percent for eight years. The current administration has done a very good job in backfilling all the underpay under the Clinton Administration. Second, Clinton alienated the military multiple times during the 1990s - trying to force through the "gays in the military" piece without Congressional support (the military doesn't get to write its own laws), his staffers initially telling the senior military leaders that they weren't welcome in the White House in uniform, cutting strength by 40% and increasing deployments 300%, paying for peacekeeping missions out of training funds, and failing to modernize and transform the force into what the United States needed in the post-Cold War environment. In that time period, the senior officers/NCO corps went from identifying themselves as 65% independent to 55% Republican. Anyone want to hazard a guess why? The current slate of Democrats have a record that they cannot escape. Bills to re-instate the draft have come from Democrats, not Republicans. Even Democratic claims that the military is being overextended are not followed up with action - none of their proposals differ significantly from Bush's. In fact, the soldiers tend to realize the importance and the necessity of the Global War on Terror much more then that Democrats. Has Sen. Kerry gone to Baghdad lately? With that being said, the military still maintains a VERY strong norm of not politicizing the force. There is great pride taken in the fact that the military is not a political one (even though all the officers are promoted with Congressional approval, and the President nominates 3 and 4 star officers to Congress for approval). What is occuring is the military has strong opinions in private, and is non-political in public. It will be up to the Democrats to be "uniters, not dividers" and regain the trust of a group that has already suffered significantly at their hands.

By: ken

ken — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 21:31:13 +0000

Yes Jim, makes you wonder doesn't it?

But then the military ethic has never been strong on encourageing independent thought or for people putting their own interest first has it?

Even when it against their own personal safety it is not uncommon for the officers to get the men to charge the enemy. How much easier is it for them to get soldiers, sailors and marines to vote republican? Not very.

By: Jim in Chicago

Jim in Chicago — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 20:04:11 +0000

Gee Ken why aren't, you know, actual soldiers, sailors, marines etc going to vote against Bush then?

By: ken

ken — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 20:00:23 +0000

No doubt there is a lot of group think in the military to vote republican, shared values and all that.

The administration is just trolling for votes. They really don't care about the soldiers. If they did they would not have lobbied to cut combat pay when our troops where on the ground in Iraq.

By: Cassandra

Cassandra — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 19:48:56 +0000

FWIW, the message has been "we really don't care HOW you vote -- just vote".

No one is putting any pressure on anyone to vote in a particular manner. My husband looked at this whole thing with a very jaundiced eye but was very proud of the DOD when he saw how it was being handled.

A lot of junior ranks DO vote Democrat anyway - that's as much a function of demographics as anything else.

As long as no one goes into the voting booth with them and places their hand on the lever, I see no problem with encouraging them to get informed and do their duty on November 2nd. The decision they make is up to them.

By: McGehee

McGehee — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 19:35:35 +0000

LJD, your response to Billk tracks what I was thinking, but with much politer language. Thank you.

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 18:34:54 +0000

other than as another sign that the military is becoming a political interest group like civil service employees or labor unions.

hmmmmm I'm not so sure I like that.

Something to ponder.

By: LJD

LJD — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 17:41:37 +0000

Perhaps soldiers predominantly vote Republican because of their dedication to selfless service and value for freedom. I would bet that the military voter drive is completely nonpartisan. Whereas the dumbocrats create voter registrations designed to influence newly "registered" voters to support their candidate. I won't even mention the visits to nursing homes to "assist" the elderly in checking the left box. It is absolutely shameful that military ballots were discounted in Florida. Even more so that Gore didn't want them counted, because he knew they were primarily votes for Bush. Hopefully, I don't break any blog rules, but I have a comment for Bill K.: What a lame comment. Inflammatory, unfounded, unintelligent,...

By: Bill K

Bill K — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 17:13:06 +0000

If only the administration was as open to voting from the general public.