Veterans Favor Obama Over Romney - They're Sick of War

The Auburn Journal ^ | May 13, 2012 | "Over_L"

[Colonel Kangaroo]

According to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, veterans favor Obama over Romney by as much as seven percentage points. They favor cutting the defense budget. Read more...

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (Reuters) - Mack McDowell likes to spend time at the local knife and gun show "drooling over firearms," as he puts it. Retired after 30 years in the U.S. Army, he has lined his study with books on war, framed battalion patches from his tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, a John Wayne poster, and an 1861 Springfield rifle from an ancestor who fought in the Civil War.

But when it comes to the 2012 presidential election, Master Sergeant McDowell is no hawk.

In South Carolina's January primary, the one-time Reagan supporter voted for Ron Paul "because of his unchanging stand against overseas involvement." In November, McDowell plans to vote for the candidate least likely to wage "knee-jerk reaction wars."

Disaffection with the politics of shock and awe runs deep among men and women who have served in the military during the past decade of conflict. Only 32 percent think the war in Iraq ended successfully, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. And far more of them would pull out of Afghanistan than continue military operations there.

While the 2012 campaign today is dominated by economic and domestic issues, military concerns could easily jump to the fore. Nearly 90,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan. Israeli politicians and their U.S. supporters debate over whether to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities as partisans bicker over proposed Pentagon budget cuts.

Mitt Romney has accused President Obama of "a dangerous course" in wanting to cut $1 trillion from the defense budget - although the administration's actual proposal is a reduction of $487 billion over the next decade.

"We should not negotiate with the Taliban," the former Massachusetts governor contends. "We should defeat the Taliban." He has blamed Obama for "procrastination toward Iran" and advocates arming Syrian rebels.

Romney, along with his primary rivals Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, had also accused Obama of "appeasement" toward U.S. enemies - a charge that drew a sharp Obama rebuttal. "Ask Osama bin Laden and the 22 out of 30 top al-Qaeda leaders who've been taken off the field whether I engage in appeasement," the president shot back. He has reproached GOP candidates: "Now is not the time for bluster."

If the election were held today, Obama would win the veteran vote by as much as seven points over Romney, higher than his margin in the general population.

FADING COOL FACTOR

The GOP's heated rhetoric, aimed at the party's traditional hawks, might be expected to resonate with veterans. Yet in interviews in South Carolina, a military-friendly red state, many former soldiers expressed anger at the toll of a decade of war, questioned the legitimacy of George W. Bush's Iraq invasion, and worried that the surge in Afghanistan won't make a difference in the long run.

"We looked real cool going into Iraq waving our guns," said McDowell, 50, who retired from the 82d Airborne Division in November with a Legion of Merit and two Bronze Stars. "But people lost their lives, and it made no sense."

Now he worries. "I really don't like the direction we are going, how we seem to come closer daily towards a war with Iran."

In Columbia, where McDowell lives in a leafy subdivision, the streets are named for American Revolutionary war heroes, and the Confederate battle flag still flies on the capitol grounds. Pizza parlors offer a 10 percent discount to uniformed soldiers from nearby Fort Jackson, one of eight military bases that pump $13 billion a year into the state's economy.

In exit polls, a quarter of voters in January's primary identified themselves as veterans.

Among them were Karen and Kelly Grafton, devout Southern Baptists who live in the small town of Prosperity, outside Columbia, and spend their vacations at Nascar races. They voted for Santorum.

"He just came off a little bit better than the others," said Karen Grafton, 51, a real estate agent who served 20 years in the Air Force. "He stuck to his story about what he has done and what he will do."

The Graftons' votes, however, like many veterans', can't be taken as evidence of a hard-line military stance. Registered Republicans, they cast their ballots for Obama in 2008 because he promised to bring the troops home from Iraq.

"I went to war for George Bush," said Grafton, 48, a retired Army master sergeant who served in special operations units in Somalia and Iraq. "But we can't keep policing the world."

Karen Grafton, a retired Air Force recruiter, said she'll be "glad when we're out of Afghanistan." The military budget? "I'm sure it can be cut," she said. "Everyone has to make concessions." Still, many former soldiers worry that Pentagon cuts could mean stingier salaries, pensions, and education and housing benefits.

[SECURE AMERICA]

This is just NONSENSE..
I am a veteran with many many veteran friends.
I belong to groups that support veterans.
Few if any support Obama.
Think homosexuals in the military, think using Seal victories for political purpose.
Yes veterans are sick and tired of NOT FIGHTING WARS TO DESTROY THE ENEMY. But Obama will not change that and in fact has tried to make it worse.
The vast majority of veterans will never vote for Obama...

[hattend]

McDowell plans to vote for the candidate least likely to wage "knee-jerk reaction wars."

Like Kosovo or Libya.

[pgkdan]

My gut reaction is to call BS on this story but I’m not so sure I will. In 2008 there werer polls saying that retired military and active duty wifes in the Tidewater VA area were going for obama in big numbers and I sais BS. But then obama won Virginia, he won Tidewater and he did what no democrat had done since Jimmy Carter...he won VA Beach. And he won VA Beach with the help of military spouses who were sick and tired of the war and the multiple tours of duty.

[Movemout]

I too am an old retired army guy. I wouldn’t vote for obama uder any circumstance that I can imagine. This may fall into the category of wishful thinking by some addled campaign slug, but like all things obama, disconnected from reality. It just isn’t true! Our whole approach to geopolitics needs a fresh strategy. Unfortunately,neither candidate is likely to have the necessary critical thinking skills required to formulate a coherent, long term strategy.

[Sister_T]

As another Freeper mentioned on this same topic that bears repeating:

Since the military “favors” 0bama (supposedly), then there should be no problem with overseas military ballots and military votes should run into no problems being counted.

If we get stories about how the overseas military vote is, once again, being disenfranchised then this story is pure propaganda.

[no-to-illegals]

For our Heroes and each of us to note (please see 1st comment at) I Won't Back Down ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B87DowcADxs

[Verginius Rufus]

I don't know if it would have been better or worse for Bush in 2004 if he had continued the appeasement route with Saddam Hussein like his predecessors--in 2003 I thought if he came across as weak dealing with Saddam that would hurt him, but maybe the war hurt him more. I doubt he made his decision to attack based on the political advantages or disadvantages.

In 2003 there were people who believed that Saddam was trying to acquire nuclear weapons, including some Clintonistas. I think that's why Joe Wilson and company made a major attack on Bush over the Niger yellowcake story (which didn't really disprove that Saddam was trying to acquire the bomb--not that the media was going to analyze the story objectively).

Whether Saddam would have managed to get the bomb if left in office, no one can know--but he would have been a lot closer to Israel than the Iranians are. He was causing trouble in a lot of other ways too. Whether there was a way to get rid of him without invading and trying to fix Iraq is another question--maybe not considering how long the Baathists had been in control in Iraq (ever since 1958).

[butterdezillion]

Does that include Black active military and veterans? Has Obama’s incompetence and/or enmity with America’s principles even trumped the appeal of his skin color?

[spawn44]

THE LEFT ONLY EXISTS IN LIES. Once the lie is exposed it’s all over. Rueters is nothing put a propaganda mill for the obama led SOCIALIST DEMOCRAT/COMMIES.

[butterdezillion]

Ah, that answers the question I just asked, at least for veterans. Right now Obama’s skin color can’t make up for the damage he’s doing the country and the military. That’s good news.

Now if the black “churches” will wake up...

[Chgogal]

Did they just poll those left wing Veterans Against War communist traitors?

[El Gato]

although the administration's actual proposal is a reduction of $487 billion over the next decade.

The other half trillion comes from the "sequester". So Romney is right, it's nearly a trillion dollar reduction.

I'm sure Obama's good buddy Vladimir is happy about that, never mind his equally good ChiCom friends.

[El Gato]

although the administration's actual proposal is a reduction of $487 billion over the next decade.

The other half trillion comes from the "sequester". So Romney is right, it's nearly a trillion dollar reduction.

I'm sure Obama's good buddy Vladimir is happy about that, never mind his equally good ChiCom friends.

[no-to-illegals]

(imho) iraq could have waited. Still standing by earlier comment of gw listened to the wrong people. Am growing tired of politicians and media personalities saying we must control our might, or their saying of Might Does Not Make Right. (imho) Might is all which is understood by our enemies. If our enemies are given the opportunity to rise again, as is being done by our politicians, there is a level of danger to the American people and American families not witnessed since the beginning of our nation, and our politicians twiddle their thumbs or sit on or tie our Military Men's and Women's hands with ROEs. IF America is to WIN there must be no ROEs. When ROEs are obeyed by our enemies (only then) should there be ROEs. Our enemies have never obeyed ROEs, therefore our enemies can wait us out, and know their opportunities to murder Americans and America's children will come because of our politicians ROEs. gw made a mistake. zer0 is a mistake. America not winning is another mistake. May God have mercy on US. Let allah sort out what is left of our enemies.

Because I do not want to witness another attack on our homeland do I say or type what I type. Will ask God to forgive me if I must and should God not forgive me, then it will be.

Too many people fail to understand (imho) this enemy is heck bent on destroying America and America's children by all means at its disposal. The History of failing to defeat the enemy looms large (imho) and America is at a crossroads awaiting the next attack without consideration for those who will die. The war is here, whether we (Americans) want it or not. The only way to win is to WIN. To WIN we (Americans) must destroy the enemy. For the lesson of iraq (round one-Desert Storm) has (imho) never been grasped for the realization of what occurred by most Americans. (imho) Americans had better grasp the meaning of this enemy's intent. Without a WWII mindset by Americans, regrettably America will lose more than our lives and our childrens' lives, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

[Chgogal]

How many freaking pro-Obama active duty military officers are there? Crap! : (

[rlmorel]

"...McDowell plans to vote for the candidate least likely to wage "knee-jerk reaction wars..."

3000 American Citizens who departed this world on 9/11, and their extended families might disagree with the characterization of all military actions since then as "knee-jerk reaction wars".

I think people can disagree on a wide variety of war-related issues, but for McDowell to characterize these military operations as "knee-jerk" loses any credibility he might have had with me, regardless of his tours of duty.

I will respect his service, but he and I part ways on this.

[outofsalt]

Members of the 1st Transvestite diversionary farce all agree.

[Chgogal]

And how many of these freakin pro-Obama military officers are willing "to fight on his behalf"? And did these pro-Obama officers promise to protect the Constitution against the enemy foreign or domestic or did they promise to protect Obama against the enemy foreign or domestic?

[dfwgator]

Remember when Mad Maddie Albright, during Kosovo told the Chief of Staff, “What’s the point of having this wonderful army if we’re not going to use it?”

[Arrowhead1952]

Registered Republicans, they cast their ballots for Obama in 2008 because he promised to bring the troops home from Iraq.

Which begs the question:

Why were not all military absentee votes counted in 2004 and 2008????