U.S. Troops Support McCain 3-1

[CelticKing]

U.S. Troops Support McCain 3-1

Click here to see the raw data. (pdf. file)

A poll by the Military Times newspaper group suggests that there is overwhelming support for John McCain among U.S. troops in every branch of the armed forces by a nearly 3-1 margin.

According to the poll, 68 percent of active-duty and retired servicemen and women support McCain, while 23 percent support Barack Obama. The numbers are nearly identical among officers and enlisted troops.

The Military Times, which publishes the Army Times, Navy Times, Marine Corps Times and Air Force Times, polled 80,000 subscribers from Sept 22 to Sept. 29. The non-scientific survey gathered 4,300 respondents -- all of them registered and eligible to vote.

A racial divide was immediately evident among the respondents. Nearly eight in 10 black service members chose Obama, while McCain captured 76 percent of white voters and 63 percent of Hispanic voters.

Numbers among men and women respondents were also visibly different. Men overwhelmingly said they would vote for McCain, 70 percent to 22 percent. But among women the margin was much closer: 53 percent support McCain, while 36 percent support Obama.

U.S. troops also said in the poll that they prefer McCain to handle the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- 74 percent said McCain would perform better, while just 19 percent said Obama would.

Four years ago the Iraq War was the single most important issue on which the military voted. But the war now ranks third in importance to these voters. The most important issue among the respondents was character (42 percent), followed by the economy (25 percent) and the Iraq War (16 percent).

There was a racial divide on these issues, as well. Black service members said the economy was the No. 1 issue that affected their vote, and white troops said character was paramount.

The Military Times offered certain caveats for its poll, which was open only to its 80,000 subscribers. Responses were entirely voluntary and were not focused on a representative sample of the public, as scientific polls are. The troops polled were also somewhat older than average enlisted service members and included more officers than is representative of the military as a whole.

Yet judging by the numbers, it appears that the Democratic party has not made many inroads into the traditionally Republican military.

 

[barfo]

Who cares? We hire those kids to fight and die for us, not to choose our president for us.
Besides, non-scientific surveys are worth absolutely nothing.
I just did a non-scientific survey* and 100% are voting for Obama.

barfo

*of the people sitting in my office right now

 

[CelticKing]

Who cares? We hire those kids to fight and die for us, not to choose our president for us.
Besides, non-scientific surveys are worth absolutely nothing.
I just did a non-scientific survey* and 100% are voting for Obama.

barfo

*of the people sitting in my office right now

Are you suggesting they have no say in who our leader can be yet they are the ones that ensure or freedoms?

 

[Shooter]

Are you suggesting they have no say in who our leader can be yet they are the ones that ensure or freedoms?

Bingo! Points for you, CelticKing.

 

[Minstrel]

Are you suggesting they have no say in who our leader can be

No. He pretty clearly said something entirely different.

 

[Shooter]

No. He pretty clearly said something entirely different.

Something entirely stupid, I think you mean.

 

[barfo]

Are you suggesting they have no say in who our leader can be yet they are the ones that ensure or freedoms?

Sorry for not making it clearer for you. They get one vote apiece. Their votes (or opinions on politics) don't count for more than that, however.

barfo

 

[Shooter]

Sorry for not making it clearer for you. They get one vote apiece. Their votes (or opinions on politics) don't count for more than that, however.

Excuse me, barfo, but here's exactly what you said:

Who cares? We hire those kids to fight and die for us, not to choose our president for us.

Your above explanation doesn't even begin to explain the idiocy of this statement.

 

[Minstrel]

Military donations favor Obama

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. soldiers have donated more presidential campaign money to Democrat Barack Obama than to Republican John McCain, a reversal of previous campaigns in which military donations tended to favor GOP White House hopefuls, a nonpartisan group reported Thursday.

Troops serving abroad have given nearly six times as much money to Obama's presidential campaign as they have to McCain's, the Center for Responsive Politics said.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-08-14-military-donations_N.htm

A few days later:

Senator John McCain has pulled slightly ahead of Senator Barack Obama in campaign contributions from military donors. But what set Mr. McCain over the top were donations that came from people working for the Department of Defense. When it comes to the uniformed military, Mr. Obama is still ahead.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/mccain-edges-obama-with-military-donors/

McCain appeals to the elites. The Joe Six-packs in uniform favour Obama. I assume hockey moms in uniform also favour Obama.

 

[Minstrel]

Something entirely stupid, I think you mean.

The old Talkhard wit is out on display again! Try to allow us lesser wordsmiths keep up, eh?

 

[CelticKing]

No. He pretty clearly said something entirely different.

Here is the piece from his post, now try and explain to me what he meant.

We hire those kids to fight and die for us, not to choose our president for us.

 

[barfo]

Excuse me, barfo, but here's exactly what you said:


Your above explanation doesn't even begin to explain the idiocy of this statement.

Sorry, you lose. My meaning was entirely consistent with my words.

barfo

 

[CelticKing]

Sorry for not making it clearer for you. They get one vote apiece. Their votes (or opinions on politics) don't count for more than that, however.

barfo

So do the rest of the voters in America, so why do their polls matter so much that we are basing the whole race on them? (ohhh obama is going to win, because this and this poll says so)

 

[barfo]

Here is the piece from his post, now try and explain to me what he meant.

So you think we do hire soldiers to choose our president for us? Explain that.

barfo

 

[Minstrel]

Here is the piece from his post, now try and explain to me what he meant.

It's fairly clear. The soldiers aren't the sole arbitors of who should be President, any more than some other group (guess who teachers favour?).

So, yes, they get to vote. They don't get to choose the President, however...the whole nation does that.

Edit: Actually, it appears I mistook barfo too. His actual meaning is different, and just as correct. We don't employ soldiers to select Presidents...there's no reason why their opinion matters more than anyone else's.

 

[barfo]

So do the rest of the voters in America, so why do their polls matter so much that we are basing the whole race on them? (ohhh obama is going to win, because this and this poll says so)

Come on, you can't be serious. Do you really not understand the concept of random polling?

barfo

 

[CelticKing]

Military donations favor Obama



http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-08-14-military-donations_N.htm

A few days later:



http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/mccain-edges-obama-with-military-donors/

McCain appeals to the elites. The Joe Six-packs in uniform favour Obama. I assume hockey moms in uniform also favour Obama.

That's your opinion, but the truth is the opposite. The majority of the military are for McCain to be our president, they're not for giving up and losing the war. (obama's plan for the middle east)

 

[CelticKing]

Come on, you can't be serious. Do you really not understand the concept of random polling?

barfo

Random polling if done right would show that this race is tied 50-50. The problem is we have the liberal media going to "democrat" voters and doing the random polling with them, which then in turn gives you the 54-46 (for obama, or other numbers that we keep getting)

You cannot believe the polls, especially the ones by the media which are backing up Obama, of course they're not going to say that McCain is ahead when they're supporting the other one.

 

[Minstrel]

That's your opinion

Opinion based on soldiers donating more to Obama than to McCain.

If they are donating more to Obama in an effort to help McCain win, maye they're not very good at knowing how to win battles.

 

[Minstrel]

Random polling if done right would show that this race is tied 50-50. The problem is we have the liberal media going to "democrat" voters and doing the random polling with them

Fascinating. Anything that doesn't support what you want to be true must be a liberal media conspiracy.

 

[CelticKing]

It's fairly clear. The soldiers aren't the sole arbitors of who should be President, any more than some other group (guess who teachers favour?).

So, yes, they get to vote. They don't get to choose the President, however...the whole nation does that.

Edit: Actually, it appears I mistook barfo too. His actual meaning is different, and just as correct. We don't employ soldiers to select Presidents...there's no reason why their opinion matters more than anyone else's.

It's wrong to thing that their opinion doesn't matter when it is them that ensure our freedoms and are keeping our enemies away from the country by fighting them in the Middle East (or wherever else they live)


So if I'm understanding you right, then we should not take seriously the endorsement of Powell to Obama?!?

 

[el_Diablo]

Random polling if done right would show that this race is tied 50-50

was this a poll you conducted yourself? would a random poll about whether the earth is flat or round also give a 50-50 result?

 

[barfo]

Random polling if done right would show that this race is tied 50-50.

Ah, I see. You live in fantasyland.

The problem is we have the liberal media going to "democrat" voters and doing the random polling with them, which then in turn gives you the 54-46 (for obama, or other numbers that we keep getting)

Yes, that's it. All the pollsters are in the tank for Obama. And all the media.
Psst: all the voters, too!

You cannot believe the polls, especially the ones by the media which are backing up Obama, of course they're not going to say that McCain is ahead when they're supporting the other one.

No, of course you can't. Don't read any newspapers on November 5th, they'll all be lying about the election results.

barfo

 

[barfo]

So if I'm understanding you right, then we should not take seriously the endorsement of Powell to Obama?!?

It was reported in the media, so it isn't true. Powell didn't endorse Obama.

barfo

 

[CelticKing]

Opinion based on soldiers donating more to Obama than to McCain.

If they are donating more to Obama in an effort to help McCain win, maye they're not very good at knowing how to win battles.

Your article didn't even mention who did the report. (this is what it says "a nonpartisan group reported Thursday")

Plus you left out this portion

"John McCain has been endorsed by more retired admirals and generals than Barack Obama has military donors," McCain spokesman Michael Goldfarb said in a statement.

"We feel confident that many U.S. troops stationed overseas will support John McCain in the election this fall, but we suspect most are too busy doing the important work of defending this country than to make political contributions," Goldfarb said.

 

[CelticKing]

Fascinating. Anything that doesn't support what you want to be true must be a liberal media conspiracy.

Prove to me that cnn and the rest aren't liberal.


(and then I'll stop calling them liberal media)

 

[BrianFromWA]

I'm one of those "hired to fight and die for us", but only on the weekends now and when we need more cannon fodder.

You know what else this reminds me of? The OJ Trial as it affected the military. In the chow halls they were split down racial lines...very few white marines thought he was innocent, and very few others would even acknowledge there was a chance he'd be convicted. As it turns out, the others were right.

Oh yeah...and if one of the biggest concerns in the campaign (not so much anymore, due to economic issues),is our use of military in Iraq and Afghanistan, perhaps the opinion of the people on the ground over there on that issue carries more weight than, say, my grandmother in Portland who reads the Daily O and watches 20/20.

But on the whole, all this averages out. I'm sure the average private doesn't know much about free trade agreements or generals about welfare reform.

 

[CelticKing]

It was reported in the media, so it isn't true. Powell didn't endorse Obama.

barfo

I wish it wasn't true, but we all know he made a bad decision and he will have to live with it for the rest of his life.

 

[CelticKing]

Ah, I see. You live in fantasyland.

What?

Yes, that's it. All the pollsters are in the tank for Obama. And all the media.
Psst: all the voters, too!

Especially the media, they love the dude, and are doing everything in their power to elect him.

No, of course you can't. Don't read any newspapers on November 5th, they'll all be lying about the election results.

No they won't, it'll just show how stupid some people are for voting for Obama, and his socialist programs. Simple as that.

 

[CelticKing]

I'm one of those "hired to fight and die for us", but only on the weekends now and when we need more cannon fodder.

I personally am proud of the job you and the rest of the military do. The US military saved my life, and my family, and my country as well, I know first hand what a great job you guys (and gals) do.

It's sickening to see people here inside the US who don't support the military and spit on their faces when they return from their duties. (true story, lot of military men have told me it has happened around airports, by the anti-war nuts)