Is it wrong for the Republican Party to assume that Military Veterans will automatically vote Republican?

2015-09-08T08:06:31-04:00

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The Republican Party is looking to veterans to carry its message to voters in the 2016 presidential race. “Your country needs you,” is the party’s...

Response by MCPO Roger Collins made Sep 8 at 2015 8:17 AM

2015-09-08T08:17:58-04:00

Yes, but it is a proven fact that a plurality will vote Republican. The rest are probably low information voters. :)

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 8 at 2015 8:20 AM

2015-09-08T08:20:00-04:00

It's wrong to assume most things. Political views, though, are especially hard to predict. I am active duty military and inevitably will one day be a military veteran. The political spectrum is far and wide, but I cannot imagine myself contributing positively to a political position being claimed by any candidate that could be even remotely tied to the Republican Party. I do think I am an anomaly within the military, but there are plenty service members I work with who share quite a few of my views. If I wanted to advance myself financially, I would be voting republican every time; it's as simple as that. But the destruction of the country and torn foreign relations are not worth the financial gain. Country first. I serve to better the country.

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Sep 8 at 2015 8:37 AM

2015-09-08T08:37:27-04:00

The key word here is ASSUME!

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 8 at 2015 9:00 AM

2015-09-08T09:00:24-04:00

I don't think so. It's actually pretty safe to assume this because of how liberal our military is be run. A lot of veterans are conservative with regards to warfare and want a president who is willing to put boots on the grounds. It is very possible to assume that many veterans will vote Republican. Not saying some won't vote Democratic but more will probably vote Republican.

Response by CW4 Guy Butler made Sep 8 at 2015 9:16 AM

2015-09-08T09:16:45-04:00

Ask me after October 1st.

Response by CMSgt Mark Schubert made Sep 8 at 2015 9:39 AM

2015-09-08T09:39:00-04:00

In terms of "right or wrong" - I'm not sure, but what is undeniable is the BEST way to predict "future" behaviour is to review "past" behaviours - and - historically, veterans generally vote republican - I see no reason for this to change.

Response by CW4 Guy Butler made Sep 8 at 2015 10:04 AM

2015-09-08T10:04:44-04:00

"Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert wrote in his testimony to Congress that as of Jan. 1, the Navy had 288 ships by the Mabus methodology but only 279 by Congress’s; would have 291 in FY 2016 by the Mabus methodology but only 282 by Congress’s; and would have either 308 or 304 in FY 2020, with the gap closing as PCs retire."

http://news.usni.org/2015/03/16/battle-over-how-to-count-navy-ships-is-confusing-but-not-new

It all depends on who's counting...

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 8 at 2015 10:11 AM

2015-09-08T10:11:59-04:00

I can safely say that if it is between Clinton and trump, then there is almost no doubt who will get the veterans vote.. But I cant speak for everyone.

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Sep 8 at 2015 10:14 AM

2015-09-08T10:14:21-04:00

It's ignorant for any party to instantly "think" they have a particular demographic "on lock" in regards to votes. This is even more true being that the military is a melting pot of ideas and ideals, and they don't usually match to what the voting public thinks.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 8 at 2015 10:15 AM

2015-09-08T10:15:22-04:00

I think it wrong to assume that at all. Historically, the military personnel tend to vote republican. I am a Democrat but since I am in the military, I vote based on what I think is good for the military and my family. The Republicans keep us employed and open more opportunities to military folks. They make the military a high priority budget wise, as opposed to social programs for the general population.

Response by SPC Candace Leach made Sep 8 at 2015 10:44 AM

2015-09-08T10:44:33-04:00

I believe that it is wrong to assume that period. I'm not a fan of any of the parties and that's because all I have seen and heard is nothing but all talk and no action. Plus I rather vote for someone who's for the people and would take care our service members and veterans instead of leaving us out to dry. One thing I can't stand is one party is assuming that all veterans are going to vote for their party. What are they going to do for the one percent of the country that are currently serving and have served their country? Don't know plus can't predict the future.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Sep 8 at 2015 10:44 AM

2015-09-08T10:44:55-04:00

The national democratic party has the ability to get their elected officials and wannabes to adopt their national platform and generally vote lock-step with party leaders.
On the other hand the national republican party is not as monolithic which is why their are moderate and conservative republicans while the blue dog democrats have been largely driven out of office. Military members tend to be more conservative in general; but, like many Americans they tend to vote the way the family has voted - children of blue collar democrats tend to vote democrat and children of traditional and Reagan republicans tend to vote Republican.
I was raised in a liberal family and voted democrat until I after became a Christian and could no longer support abortion on demand. It is difficult to go against one's family political parry loyalty and voting heritage, I did it based on my conscience and I know other shave done likewise.
If the republican party elected officials consistently stand for what their platform posits, then I think many veterans would vote some if not all of the republican candidates.
Hopefully conservative and liberal veterans and militray members will get involved in the process to select which candidates are going to be on state and national ballots. More people participating is good thing.

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Sep 8 at 2015 10:57 AM

2015-09-08T10:57:50-04:00

I find it humorous that as poorly as Washington is performing, anyone would think that veterans should and will automatically support their party. We are not sheep. We are kindred spirits united by service. We come from all backgrounds, and all political beliefs. Some of us are more liberal. Some of us are more conservative. Some of us are a mixed bag of liberal and conservative. Then you get into degrees. I will site two issues as an example. Abortion and gun control. I personally feel that unless my dick was partly responsible for the conception, then it should be between a woman and her doctor to make the decision. In the case of a legal consensual conception that the father of the child should get a part of the say. Otherwise it is nobody's business, and should not be a concern of the state. On this I am very liberal. When it comes to gun control, hitting the target is the only thing that matters. The only restrictions should be on the sale of firearms to felons who have not had their rights restored. Beyond that, if I want to buy an MP7 on a Friday because I have the money, then I should be able to do so without anyone bitching at me about guns killing. I am very conservative on this issue.

What I think all politicians should be more concerned with is how we are going to get this nation back on the right path. A path that was laid out in our constitution, but (like a second lieutenant on the land navigation course) we are off the path that has been laid out for us. We need politicians who are more concerned with service than greed. The problem is, they are less common than unicorns.

Response by Capt Mark Strobl made Sep 8 at 2015 12:06 PM

2015-09-08T12:06:27-04:00

Democrat or Republican - During election season, both parties will ask veterans to waive the flag on their behalf.

Response by SGT William Howell made Sep 8 at 2015 12:45 PM

2015-09-08T12:45:30-04:00

If that idiot Trump gets the Republican Nomination I'll be voting for Hillery and she is not even smart enough to know something should be a secret.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Sep 8 at 2015 3:08 PM

2015-09-08T15:08:23-04:00

It's absolutely wrong. Most military tend to swap "Independent" or even "libertarian" (little L) when it comes to political philosophy. When you remove that from the equation, it's still only a 55%/45% split.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 8 at 2015 3:10 PM

2015-09-08T15:10:52-04:00

Should a part assume they have the veteran vote? Never. However, I have said it before on here...

If you still serve in any form, you should want a conservative in office, no matter your personal beliefs. Historically, conservatives believe in smaller governments and a larger military which translates to better job security and larger annual raises.

The flip side of that is a liberal, historically, minimizes (downsizes) the military and gives smaller cost-of-living raises annually.

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Sep 8 at 2015 3:16 PM

2015-09-08T15:16:14-04:00

Yes. They should earn every vote

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 8 at 2015 5:32 PM

2015-09-08T17:32:48-04:00

I'll pose a slightly different response:

Is it smart to assume? No. Is it smart to allude that you think veterans will vote Republican? Also no.

However is it SAFE to assume the majority of veterans will vote republican? Yes

Also keep in mind the parties are what they are as a snapshot in time only. They will both sway to different sides over time.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 8 at 2015 5:35 PM

2015-09-08T17:35:05-04:00

They absolutely should have charges filed and at a minimum be discharged from the academy.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Sep 8 at 2015 5:43 PM

2015-09-08T17:43:55-04:00

No party should, as SFC James Sczymanski observes, automatically think they have anybody. However, they do and justifiably so. Eighty percent or more of Jews, Blacks, and Hispanics vote Democrat. To be honest, I don't know of any corresponding advantage held by the GOP. Some claim that it is the party of the rich but I can not find any evidence supporting this theory. For example, the average donation to the Democratic party is far larger than that to the GOP. Democrats constantly "complain" about those "rich Koch Brothers" but the Democrats are funded by far wealthier sponsors including popular icons.

To be fair, the military did vote for the Republican candidate in such a block once. Abraham Lincoln would never have won reelection as President but for the support of the Union Army. Since then, I can find no evidence of the military voting as a block.

These days, at least on RallyPoint, sentiment seems to sway in favor of a conservative ideology. However, that isn't going to do the GOP much good, is it? The Republican Party is the enemy of conservatism. They label the most vocal conservative, Ted Cruz, as a jackass. They are constantly fighting initiatives offered by the Tea Party. During the time they have held the majority of seats in Congress, they have legislated more like Democrats. And that arch-villain, George Bush, was no conservative. Still the Democrats revile him. I wonder why...

Response by SGT Mark Stevens made Sep 8 at 2015 6:14 PM

2015-09-08T18:14:18-04:00

I prefer to pick whom I believe to be the most competent of the candidates. I don't believe in the party system, it's to messed up.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Sep 9 at 2015 12:20 AM

2015-09-09T00:20:40-04:00

In my 42 years rattling around the Navy, I find most service members are Republicrats. Pretty stealthy bunch when it comes to the polls.

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Sep 9 at 2015 8:22 AM

2015-09-09T08:22:52-04:00

Should that be the case? No. Republican presidents tend to come with a lot more memorial ceremony attendance. But we seem to be bad at pattern recognition...

Response by SrA Edward Vong made Sep 9 at 2015 2:38 PM

2015-09-09T14:38:14-04:00

The majority of the US military tend to vote Republican according to past statistics, however that doesn't mean all will.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 10 at 2015 8:19 AM

2015-09-10T08:19:16-04:00

Well, there can be alot to say about this. I would not gloat about Vets vote is in the bag! There has to be "MAJOR CHANGES" in policies Domestic and Foreign! I would like to see a REAL CANDIDATE say what they mean and actually execute the plan. Which in my 48 years on this planet. I haven't seen a party or it's candidates perform above standard! And I don't think we will see this happening.

Response by Cpl James Waycasie made Sep 10 at 2015 7:23 PM

2015-09-10T19:23:25-04:00

From what I have seen on here and on facebook, yes they would be wrong.

Response by SFC Michael Peterson made Sep 12 at 2015 6:37 PM

2015-09-12T18:37:03-04:00

I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States, against ALL enemies, foreign AND domestic, and I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same.. I'm retired so, I omitted the rest but, this part NEVER expires. So, I will never vote for any candidate who wishes to further restrict or revoke any right guaranteed by the Constitution. For me, this automatically prevents me from voting for a democrat. They all want to take away our Second Amendment right and, quite a few of them would like to stifle our First Amendment rights as well. There is only one candidate who ever held a political office that I would vote for and, that is Ted Cruz. The rest have never been in politics before but, I could see myself voting for them if they get the nomination. Self admitted socialist, Bernie Sanders, is a big NO GO as is, the incompetent liar, Hillary Benghazi Clinton. Then there is Joe Biden, who hasn't even entered the race but, he is like that Private who has three different college degrees but, he has a difficult time getting his boots on the right feet. Honestly, I don't think we're getting very many good choices. I think there is a very small group of very wealthy and powerful people who are only giving us candidates that they can control and, I'm tired of that. I'm voting for an "outsider" or, I'm not voting at all.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 14 at 2015 8:21 AM

2015-09-14T08:21:55-04:00

The military tends to be very conservative, and so for the time being the Republicans, as the "conservative party" in the US, will probably be safe with the bulk of the military vote. But the "conservative" trend I see reflected in the military is usually the Libertarian brand of conservatism, more than the Religious brand (the Religious ones are strongly represented in the military, too, but the Libertarian types seem more numerous to me). And the Republican party tends to cater to the Religious ones more because they generally turn out to vote more.

So the question really becomes, "Should the GOP take the Libertarian vote for granted" and they should not. The Libertarian political movement in the country has a strong sense of self-identity and they are the group most likely to break away and form their own party. Many Libertarians split from the GOP on certain issues (mostly civil liberties).

Ever since the Reagan-era defense buildup, military personnel has been favorable to the Republicans. Reagan gave the military a lot of funding and renewed the sense that the military was important and even noble, which was a shot in the arm after the dismal, low-morale years of the 1970's, the post-Vietnam era when the military was seen as distinctly "uncool". The GOP has painted itself up as "more patriotic" since then.

Of course, a lot of the GOP seems eager to jump into more wars, too, and laments that the US hasn't been more forceful with Libya, Iran, Russia, Syria, and so on. But rushing to war isn't necessarily good or "patriotic", and the Founding Fathers cautioned against getting involved in a lot of foreign adventurism. A lot of the conservative Libertarians know this, so the possibilities of a split continue to linger.

Response by CPO Randy Francis made Sep 15 at 2015 2:30 PM

2015-09-15T14:30:15-04:00

I'm curious if the ones who don't vote conservative are the same ones who would have no problem firing on their own countrymen during martial law.

Response by SPC Jeff Lamica made Sep 15 at 2015 3:15 PM

2015-09-15T15:15:47-04:00

The military is a microcosm of America. From staunch Tea-party conservatives, to people that make Bernie Sanders look like Reagan, we got em' all. There are usually more conservative/republican/right wing/etc members, because that may the type that are drawn to military service, but don't expect it to help you in the polls if you are just a terrible candidate.

Response by SSG Ricardo Marcial made Sep 15 at 2015 3:40 PM

2015-09-15T15:40:02-04:00

In one word "Yes", because we all know what happens when you assume.

As a service member, I never put party before country, I have voted on both tickets based on my own opinion, not by the party line. That being said, I see 2 potential leaders in the pool of candidates we have I would vote for. The 2 front runners are not them.

Response by SSG Brian Kresge made Sep 15 at 2015 6:53 PM

2015-09-15T18:53:24-04:00

Since we represent such a narrow sliver of the American population, I wonder just how relevant this statistic is.

For what it's worth, out of the field of state candidates for our house and senate races in our county in 2014, only 1 of the Republican candidates was a veteran. Five of us on the Democratic side were veterans, three of whom were infantry veterans (two with Bronze stars), one Navy, and one Reservist. I think regardless of our party affiliation, however, the 6 of us felt compelled to take a stab at public service precisely because of our military backgrounds.

I'm just proud to count myself among a grouping of the population, regardless of HOW we vote, that votes in higher percentages than the rest of America. I'd rather be a moderate Dem voting along side uber conservative veterans any day of the week over liberal civilians who never served at all.

Response by SSG James Bigbie made Sep 16 at 2015 1:23 AM

2015-09-16T01:23:34-04:00

I am actually more Libertarian than anything else. I vote based on the candidate and their stance on issues, although I usually do vote more Republican than Democrat.

Response by PV2 Bryan Laing made Sep 16 at 2015 11:59 AM

2015-09-16T11:59:40-04:00

I am a Army veteran and I don't vote republican !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 16 at 2015 5:32 PM

2015-09-16T17:32:05-04:00

Yes, considering I would probably never vote Republican.

Response by PO3 Kevin Luby made Sep 16 at 2015 9:53 PM

2015-09-16T21:53:05-04:00

Yes-it is wrong because it wrong to assume anyone will vote a certain way because they served in the military or will vote a certain way because of what they did in their life-narrow minded thinking is never good.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 16 at 2015 9:58 PM

2015-09-16T21:58:42-04:00

That's the assumption because some service members are ignorant and feel the republicans will give them a bigger raise every year! They are also more likely to send us to war away from our families...

Response by MAJ Keira Brennan made Sep 17 at 2015 1:59 PM

2015-09-17T13:59:45-04:00

Ill tell the GOP as I do every election cycle to kiss my 4th point of contact.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 22 at 2015 10:18 PM

2015-09-22T22:18:01-04:00

Chief, yes, this was proven so when an overwhelming majority of service members voted for the Democratic candidate in '08.

Response by LTC Bink Romanick made Sep 28 at 2015 5:25 PM

2015-09-28T17:25:56-04:00

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member Not by a long shot!

Response by PO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 29 at 2015 7:51 AM

2015-09-29T07:51:09-04:00

this question is like replacing black with "military vet" and Republican with "Democrat". :)

Response by CPO Bob Silva made Oct 12 at 2015 3:43 PM

2015-10-12T15:43:52-04:00

Well their not getting my votes for anything when they vote a bill to hurt vets and military but funding war machine.

Response by Maj John Bell made Mar 2 at 2016 12:17 PM

2016-03-02T12:17:21-05:00

I read an analysis about the African-American vote recently that I thought was interesting. The author, an African-American Democrat, took the position that the African-American community actually lines up more with conservative Republicans, with the exception of a few issues. But those issues are so key, that the others do not matter. The issues he focused on were Civil Rights and the Justice System. I think that is true of any "voting block". I hate having a label attached to me. Challenge me issue by issue. On most I line up Constitutional-Libertarian. On some I'm a Obstructionist Republican. On occasion I'm even a anarchist liberal Democrat. I guess that makes me a mixed up indecisive idiot. I think a relatively small number of core issues force us to wear a label that is never an exact fit. Then people judge us by that label.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 19 at 2016 6:21 PM

2016-07-19T18:21:25-04:00

Of course it is. The military, like every other employer, is quite diverse, more diverse than most I even suggest.

I was a Republican until 1992 when George H.W. Bush (whom I voted for in 1988) invited Ralph Reed and the Christian Coalition into the tent, pushing the party from fiscally conservative to socially conservative. I switched my registration to Democrat and haven't looked back.