Troops Prefer Trump to Clinton (But Retired Vet Max sure as hell doesn't)

[maxrandb]

http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/election/2016/05/09/military-times-survey-donald-trump-beats-hillary-clinton/84132402/

Saw a poll on MilitaryTimes.com that shows military members prefer Trump over Clinton. That is to be expected, but should not be tolerated.

The military loves and understands one thing over all others…and that is authoritarianism. Bet you’d get the same response in polls of Police Officers, Bundy anti-“gubmint” nutjobs and Duggar type religious fanatics…of all denominations. Congratulations military...you represent the same political preferences as Whackadoodle Survivalist and kid-diddling religious nutjobs!

Hell there is a reason that they tell you when you enter Boot Camp that “you ain’t got no more Constitutional rights”. Hell, some asshole with an Eagle on his collar could throw you in the brig for three day of Bread and Water without even a kangaroo court required to slow him down.

You’ll find the same in folks that sit, mouth-opened, drool rolling down their chin in front of their radio waiting for the next round of authoritarianism supplied by their favorite Hate Radio talker.

But trust me. Having served for 30 years and retired from the military, it goes a little deeper than that. I’m not sure about Hillary Clinton, but if you go down into the ranks of the E4 and below, you’ll find quite a lot, if not a majority of folks that are Democrats, or at the very least, support Democratic Party policies. Move up in rank to the senior NCOs, and the Officers, and there are a lot of knuckle-dragging wingnut reactionaries…in other words…”Republicans”.

Hell, trying to combat every idiotic Right-wing talking point I heard in the Chief’s Mess, and later the Ward Room, kept me busier than a cat covering its poop on a linoleum floor.

I guess what I am saying is to take any poll that shows the military preferring Trump over Clinton with a grain of salt. In the military, you’re conditioned to authority. You’re told what to do, when to do it, who you can do what with, what you can eat, where you can eat, where you will sleep, what you can wear, what time you have to be where, what time your lights go out and your day starts.

The military tends to “love” an authoritarian prick like Trump and an authoritarian party like the Republicans.

As Democrats, we need to reach out to these folks and let them know that just because they joined the military, they did not give up being Americans, and Americans, no matter what field they are in, don’t tolerate political authoritarianism.

And if I can just reach out to any of you Democrats that are still on active duty…I can’t stress enough the importance of forcefully smacking down right wing idiocy in your shops, messes and ranks every chance you get.

Your troops will appreciate it.

[moonbabygo]

1. now I've heard it all

Saw a poll on MilitaryTimes.com that shows military members prefer Trump over Clinton. That is to be expected, but should not be tolerated.

really?! it should not be tolerated. May I ask who you think you are that members of the Military who may vote differently than you should "not be tolerated"

[tonyt53]

2. When did you serve in the US military?

[moonbabygo]

7. what does that have

to with their rights to vote for whom ever they want

[maxrandb]

5. For too long

Democrats have simply shrugged at trying to win the military vote because of it leaning Republican.

It leans Republican, despite the fact that Democrats have a much richer, more courageous, more dedicated and more honorable history of service in the military.

Of course, Repukes are Authoritarian and Totalitarian, so it's only natural they would appeal to our baser instincts.

It explains how the military could support a guy who got 5 Deferments for Vietnam, and couldn't handle a hunting pellet gun without shooting someone in the face; and a guy who spent the war defending the Floribama Bar from the invading hordes, over a guy who did back-to-back Riverine Game Warden tours in NAM with the Bronze Stars and Purple Hearts to prove it.

Oh, but that's right. We had to see pasty faced ass-pickles at the Repuke Convention wearing Purple Heart bandages.

As for me? 30 years of service. Retired Naval Officer. Started as an "E-Nothing" and earned a commission.

What's on your DD214?

[former9thward]

12. Mine says "Honorable Discharge".

I agree Democrats should campaign for military votes but I reject that one party has " a much richer, more courageous, more dedicated and more honorable history of service in the military." Both parties have plenty of military heroes. Only a blind ultra partisan would suggest otherwise.

[mr blur]

6. Well, that' s not what maxrandb said, is it?

But of course you knew that.

[maxrandb]

8. What is your point?

Definition of "tolerate"

1. to allow the existence, presence, practice, or act of without prohibition or hindrance; permit.
2. to endure without repugnance; put up with:

I make no apologies in stating that Democrats should not "put up with", or "permit" the skewing of the military vote toward Repukes without repugnance.

That does not mean that military folks are not free to vote for whoever they wish to vote for, but it does mean that we don't need to simply sit back and take it.

You have no idea how many times I would be out in public in uniform and would be approached by someone who just simply assumed that since I was wearing a uniform, I must be a Right Wing Whack Job who agrees with whatever idiotic CONservative bullshit happened to be the flavor of the time.

And I'll never forget driving back from San Diego with my 9 year old daughter after completing an 8 month deployment. In the car, and having to listen to 5 minutes of Limbaugh, because if you wanted a traffic report...YOU HAD TO 'EFFING' LISTEN TO THE STATION THAT BROADCAST LIMBAUGH..(BTW-in parts of the San Joaquin Valley, you could get him on 7....SEVEN! different stations on your car radio). Anyway, Pig-Boy started talking about how Democrats and Liberals just wanted more troops to get killed in Iraq, and my daughter, who knew I was a proud Democrat and Liberal, asking me if "I wanted to see more troops killed".

So yeah, I take "writing off" the votes of our military members a bit personally. Sorry

[davidn3600]

3. It's not odd. The military tends to lean conservative

That doesn't mean everyone in the military is a conservative. But it tends to lean conservative most of the time.

Why do they lean Republican? Because Republicans flood the MIC with money. Trump right now is making these speeches about how he's going to build up the military. More ships, more guns, more planes, and the Pentagon will "have everything they want." And then talks about giving benefits to vets. Meanwhile, Democrats usually flirt with military budget cuts.

Of course they prefer Trump. That would be expected.

[erpowers]

4. Internet Poll

If this was a poll that was done over the internet I would not trust the poll.

[thesquanderer]

9. Also worth noting... not a random sample, not a scientific poll.

The voluntary nature of this survey, the dependence on email and the characteristics of Military Times readers may affect the results. Statistical margins of error commonly reported in opinion polls that use random sampling can't be calculated for this survey

Basically, about as useful as the proverbial internet poll. Any time poll methodology is not rigorous enough to provide a margin of error, it's about as scientific as a horoscope.

[tabasco]

10. Unscientific, worthless poll of Military Times subscribers

The sample is not a perfect representation of the military as a whole; it over-represents officers and noncommissioned officers, and under-represents junior enlisted personnel. However, it is representative of the more senior and career-oriented members of the force who run the military's day-to-day operations and carry out its policies.

The voluntary nature of this survey, the dependence on email and the characteristics of Military Times readers may affect the results. Statistical margins of error commonly reported in opinion polls that use random sampling can't be calculated for this survey.

This is just a garbage poll.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

14. Nice slap in the face to military members n/t

[NuclearDem]

15. Ted Rall, is that you?

[1939]

13. Served in the military 1961 to 1989.

When I first joined, most officers were Southern Democrats or Eisenhower Republicans. During the 1960s it slowly changed. By 1972, the military really leaned GOP. I remember graffiti on the wall of a restroom in MACV" "Col Saunders has a Democratic special, all left wings and assholes". That is when is truly struck home to me how much the Democratic Party had alienated itself from the military. The only time i voted GOP (by absentee ballot from Vietnam) was for Nixon in 1972 (still voted D in the down ticket races).

.

[madville]

16. They know who

Butters their bread. Many Military members I know really dislike Hillary but aren't particularly scared from a military standpoint, mist dislike her on other issues like guns, immigration, due to sexism, etc.