Military Donations Favor Obama Over McCain  

From what I've heard of them they are truly independent, although we'll probably hear from some who will dispute this claim...lol. I haven't had time to read through every one of the comments to Cafferty's remarks but those I did read seem to support this study unless it's just that all the "real" military people watch Fox instead of CNN. I'd also seen the Iraq veteran who is active in, and may even be the founder of VoteVets.org on Bill Maher's show several months ago and he said pretty much the same thing, that most of the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan support Obama and this was before the nominations were decided. I know my nephews, two of whom are currently in Afghanistan, are for Obama and they've said most of their buddies are but I know that's only "my word" and many here would no doubt dispute that as well.
Annie

Thanks so much for your response. As I said, I have three nephews in the military. The one, whose son is currently in Afghanistan, has made a career of it and only has a few years to go before he can retire and he may be sent to Iraq in a few months. Anyway, as I said all three, the father and son and my other nephew who is also in Afghanistan have all said the same thing as you said.
Annie

McCain hasn't been at all the friend of the veteran and military men and women his camp and supporters would lead us to believe. I'm going to do some more thorough research on his record through the years and I may post a discussion on it when I'm done but I know he opposed the new G.I Bill and he'd fought against searching for POW/MIA's in Vietnam years ago. I just read today, and I intend to check it out more thoroughly, that he'd been against wounded soldiers at Walter Reed not having to pay their own phone bills. Stay tuned!
Annie

I was pretty surprised to read in my paper that McCain didn't show up for the wire tapping vote but supported the bill just like Obama did. I'll be waiting for the discussion lol

Please don't attack me on this one but in reference to the G.I. Bill and other veteran benefits... I realize that these men and woman fight for our freedom and some have seen some really bad things and lives have been lost, but they signed up for the job. The veterans already enjoy a great deal more benefits than a lot of American's. I fully support that the G.I. Bill should not be raised. And my husband is military and going back to college for his BA in hopes of becoming an officer. The G.I. Bill already gives a lot and a lot of colleges give up to 15% discounts to Military members and their families. On top of that they may still qualify for Tuition Assistance and may try for various grants and all. My grandfather only served in the military for 3 years. He goes to a VA hospital for all his needs and has no problem with it even know he does have a wait but that's what you get for free. Veterans and their families even get discounts on auto insurance and payless shoe stores, and so much else. Where does it end? This is funding for an issolated group of people who already get an education on career skills and job security. I know my husband is getting a paycheck unlike may relatives I've seen loosing jobs.

As far as McCain and the 100 years in Iraq. He said this... "we’ve been in Japan for 60 years. We’ve been in South Korea 50 years or so. That would be fine with me. As long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed. That’s fine with me, I hope that would be fine with you, if we maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the world where Al Queada is training and equipping and recruiting and motivating people every single day."
I agree, the reason that things haven't gone back to the way they were before in these places is because we were there making our presence known. He is not saying it will always be war in fact Iraq gets better everyday. We have bases all over the world. My husband hopes to be going to Austrailia sometime in his military career.

I won't attack you for believing what you want to believe, I am a Liberal and I know what it is to be attacked here on mylot actually I'm sure the OP also knows all about this. My cousin and his family have been overseas his entire military career, and with the amount of money that he was paid, living on base was a struggle. The "discounts" that the military personal and family receive are only here in the United States it doesn't apply to those who live abroad. Five years ago while they were home visiting for our Grandmother's funeral my cousin was telling me that where they were stationed to go to Burger King and feed a family of 5 it was $40 USD, oh and all three of their children were under the age of 9. But yes you are right they did choose to live that life. But what about when the military personal were trying to retire and were not allowed to when the United States went to war with Iraq? My other cousin put in 35 years and his daughter waited to get married until after his retirement (a month after he was due to retire) but then he wasn't allowed to retire and found out 3 weeks before that he couldn't and was actually being shipped out to Iraq because of his security clearance, whatever that may mean. If he was a civilian he would have just retired lol.

Sorry Annie, I guess I'm sort of taking over this little section, but I thought I would spread the whiping so you didn't have to take so many lol.

I do understand that in situations when the member and their whole family are shipped overseas depending on the location they are sent it can become difficult to make ends meet especially when they have multipal children and it is more difficult for the spouse to be able to work. However I've never been in that situation as my husband is deployed without me and with the combination of pier diem, hostile pay, hazard pay, separation pay, and tax free I can't imagine not being able to make ends meet. I am however very careful with money and cutting corners everyday, just because you never know... although recent news leads me be far less stressed about my own situation. A large majority of military have dispensable income but those with families as it is with civilian life kids cost more money and the military will only provide so much for each dependent, which how many jobs give more money to their employees just because they have kids, and of course the most priceless thing of all... free health insurance/ and sometime childcare.

As far as retirement being delayed. Unfortunately it's in the contract. Fair? Well I don't know about that but when you sign that dotted line in any contract expect the unexpected. For one I'm dealing with now that my husband may need to stay overseas for another month or so... why? Because they have to have so many men to be flying out in order for it to be worth the cost... at least that's how I understand it. Never mind he has orders that state he was to be home at this date and he volunteered for this deployment. When he volunteered in the first place they warned him that the date on the orders mean nothing. They can make you board a plane the second your orders are completed if they like even if the orders state not for another two months. But that's what we signed up for. No one to blame but ourselves.

Burger King is where my husband is too, and he told me it was twice the price it was here. Yeah, he's sticking to the chow hall and MREs...lol

"Well I don't know about that but when you sign that dotted line in any contract expect the unexpected." I hope you are referring to military contracts, I know nothing about them, but I use to do contracts for a living and know a lot about business contracts and I have never seen a clause stating "expect the unexpected".

Depends on how they are written out and yet there are those cases when people allow for an "if this happens clause" and it's not just in military contracts. Everyone uses those loop holes that are hidden within the text of long confusing words that only those with dictionary minds can understand. That's why you have to have lawyer for everything. They don't put it in bold print that this although very unlikely may happen, they don't say expect the unexpected... But they ought to. I'm sure you were honest with your contracts but a lot of people are not. My family's business is a brokerage and on every thing there is a contract. We'll get someone all the time trying to sneak something in trying to get us to take the responsiblity for something that should be theirs and if we agree to it without reading the fine print it comes out of our pocket. I seriously doubt many men and woman read their contract when entering the military. The majority of recruiters with leave certain information out, in hopes they won't read further. A great deal of men and woman don't realize that if they go into the military and have a college degree they can start off at a higher rank. But it has to be in the contract in order for them to get it before they enlist and not after.

Sorry don't mean to beat this discussion to death and I've lead us even further off the discussion but It's been a pleasure discussing with you.

It was the best way to make your point. The benefits shouldn't be raised for soliders that live in the US but the ones that live overseas could really use the increase in benefits and that could very easily be done. Well of course with an act of Congress lol.

I think you said it best, wonder if they have heard he couldn't be bothered to visit wounded vets on his "tour?"

As I said, of the people I know in the military (most of them relatives) none are Republicans and not one single member of our extended family has said they're going to vote for McCain. I'm pretty sure the swift boat crap had everything to do with Kerry's loss of the military vote.
Annie

Actually, I had heard that before, when the primaries were still going on so somebody in the press noticed it. There were some positive comments about Ron Paul in the blog that I linked to as well from military members, their families and veterans.

In what way did you find this funny, as you said in your first sentence?
Annie

Yes it was reported somewhat but not all over the place like it is with Obama. That is what I find funny. The news media plays their part rather unfairly. They push the candidates they like and freeze out or trash the ones they don't. CNN and Fox neither one are fair or balanced. What ever happened to just getting the news. Now they push their agendas.

You know I remembered hearing that a while back as well. With all the support and donations Ron Paul recieved I find it odd that he couldn't make a better showing in the primaries. I seem to recall hearing that he set some sort of record for internet donations earlier this year as well. I probably wouldn't want him as president, but he's an impressive guy with many great ideas who is far more likely to bring change than any other candidate from the major parties. It would have been nice if he got a little more air time, but CNN and the other networks choose the candidates, not the American people.

but CNN and the other networks choose the candidates, not the American people


That is the saddest and truest comment I have ever heard. The press plays the candidates how they want, spin what htey want and in the end tell you who to vote for. Unforunately a lot of people listen to them. I find it fustrating. Hench why Ron Paul did not stand a chance. The press froze him out and when they did talk about it it was only to marginalize him. Unforunately because of that, we are going to miss out on the opportunity to have had a really great president.

I don't know how that happened, I was trying to upload that picture to another discussion.

I see your response posted twice also. Hey, don't sweat the small stuff, I've had it happen to me and I see it all the time.

Thank you for a GREAT response. See, I'll bet you thought we didn't agree on anything, didn't you? Well, I don't mind for a second admitting that I agree with everything you wrote here. I think you've made an excellent point in your first comments about the troops opinions of McCain; I honestly hadn't thought about it that way but you sure might have something there.

As for Will Rogers, I couldn't agree more when you referred to him as "great". There are so many things he said years ago that are still true today, even more so. I LOVE this one - "If we didn't have two parties, we would all settle on the best men and things would run fine. But as it is, we settle on the two worst ones and then fight over them." That is the one thing I think is good about so many more young people becoming engaged in the political process this year and I hope even those who aren't too happy that many of the young ones support Obama appreciate the "big picture" here; most of the younger kids (sorry, I'm almost 56 so they're kids even if they are old enough to vote...lol) aren't that much into "party politics" so I honestly think by the time they reach my age the two major parties might not be so "major". Maybe we'll actually get what Rogers alluded to!
Annie

Hokey smokes what is the world coming to! I guess all we needed was a common enemy!xD
Cheers.

McCain's own cell mate for years when he was a POW, praises McCain's name and talks openly on how if it was not for McCain he would not have had any use of his own hands after the torture he went though. And McCain was broken up himself. Here's the thing that started a lot of the issues to do with McCain. His grandfather, Admiral John S. McCain Sr., served in the Pacific in World War II and was present at the Japanese surrender aboard the U.S.S. Missouri. His father, Admiral John S. McCain Jr., commanded U.S. forces in the Pacific during Vietnam, when the young McCain was a prisoner of war in Hanoi. When the enemy found out who they have what do you think they are going to do with him. In many cases the enemy have used one man and try to tell other prisoners that he is "singing" to get the other men to do what they want. They want these men to fight among themselves.

Check out what his cell mate said...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfyGdG9llSE

Thanks for sharing that vid, I have never seen it before. I have seen some of POWs Against McCain but to be honest it's getting harder everyday to tell what is true or not. (Like Obama's Birth certificate, see my next discussion.) The liberal Propagandists are muddying things up so much. What I wrote above is not my opinion as much as my observation. I would NEVER judge a man for what he does under years of torture. I was in the Marine Corps but I never saw actual combat, And I thank GOD for that. I was on an Aircraft Carrier in the Gulf of Sidra, Crossing Muamar Quaddafi's "Line in the sand" Back in '84(?). But of course we know now that he was all bluster and no show so we allowed him to live.(and now he's our friend, Funny how that works.)

I didn't hear the Saddleback Debate this weekend but I did hear some of their answers and McCAin is still WAAAAY better than BhO. I think a lot will ride on his choice for veep.

I loved his comment on the cut off for being rich "How about 5Million dollars" That answer alone compared to Obi's socialistic response put him ahead in my book. Why can't people understand that he (BhO) wants to punish success and will drive more business offshore. It's pretty obvious to me. He says that $250,000 would be rich but what if some guy has a small business with a couple of employees and works 60-80 hours aweek to make that kind of money. Like my boss. You raise taxes on him and what is he going to do? Cut back on production and lay someone off. that's what. OBAMA is "Change" That AMERICA cannot afford.

Sorry annie, But you had to know it couldn't last. =)

http://www.youtube.com/wa...

Here is McCain visiting the place that he was tortured in 1985 and talking about what it was like there. Why would he choose not to be released early if he was such a traitor to the U.S.? Even if I was not tortured I'd wouldn't want to stay there under those condition.

Ok Now, in this video he says he was alone tapping on the wall to another inmate and that his best friend is dead. Not completely contradictory since he was there for a long time but...?

The clip is cut up it was a longer interview. Pieces are missing, and during almost 6 years of imprisonment he of course was never in the same place at all times.

Yeah, that's what I figured. But a lot of people would see them and say they contradict. People who don't understand simple logic.