Military Polls on Presidential Race

[Big Sarge]

In case you missed this week's issue of the Military Times here are the results of the Military Times' poll of military personnel about the election (in percent): The results were reported in the Navy Times, Army Times, Air Force Times, etc..

McCain Obama

Overall 68 23

Army 68 23

Navy 69 24

Air Force 67 24

Marines 75 18

Retirees 72 20

White/Non-Hispanic 76 17

Hispanic 63 27

Black/African-American 12 79

Enlisted 67 24

Officers 70 22

[xoxoxoBruce]

I'm surprised it's not more lopsided.
Everyone wants to feel important, needed, and appreciated in their job.
For reassurance, the cops need criminals, firemen need fires, and teachers need students.
Nothing gives the military reassurance they are appreciated, more than huge appropriations, a paranoid public, and a war or two going on.

If I wanted that, I'd pick McCain too.

As much as I respect what the military does, I'd prefer they were needed as little as possible.

[ZenGum]

I agree with most of Bruce's comments.

I also notice that :

Black/African-American 12 79

Is it a legitimate concern (i.e. not prejudiced, bigoted or racist) for an African-American to want another African-American as president? Just to set the precedent?

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

I agree with most of Bruce's comments.

I also notice that :


Is it a legitimate concern (i.e. not prejudiced, bigoted or racist) for an African-American to want another African-American as president? Just to set the precedent?

Add to that the probable economic demographic that you're talking about there. Bear in mind that African American voters overwhelmingly vote democrat anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if a similar poll taken during Clinton's race likewise showed African American soldiers heavily leaning towards him.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by DanaC

Add to that the probable economic demographic that you're talking about there. Bear in mind that African American voters overwhelmingly vote democrat anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if a similar poll taken during Clinton's race likewise showed African American soldiers heavily leaning towards him.

I don't think that it was quite the disparity during the Clinton years that it is for this race. A majority of blacks in the US who were in the military may have voted for him, but I would bet the ratio was much smaller. Most of us felt like Clinton betrayed the military and moral was pretty low when he was in office, esp during the second term.

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

....moral was pretty low when he was in office, esp during the second term.

At first I thought you meant morale, but then I figured it works this way pretty well too.

[wolf]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

Is it a legitimate concern (i.e. not prejudiced, bigoted or racist) for an African-American to want another African-American as president? Just to set the precedent?

It's only racist for us white folks to want the white guy. Haven't you read the rules?

[richlevy]

Well, Obama just picked up Colin Powell's endorsement, which was the single biggest military vote he could have gotten. I just listened to Powell on Meet the Press, and his reasoning was the most thoughtful I have yet heard.

I really think that that is what is missing from the McCain campaign. They have their emissaries in the form of politicians and columnists, but there seem to be very few conservative intellectuals who can sit down and make a reasoned and intelligent argument for McCain.

In fact, many of the conservative intellectuals, now including Powell, have jumped ship or abstained from endorsing McCain.

For eight years, G.W. Bush has been the anti-intellectual candidate. When he surrounded himself with smart people, it seemed he picked those whose advice he could easily disavow or whom he could count on to tell him what he wanted to hear. Powell was an exception to this, which was why he had to resign.

McCain had a chance to fix this and he was unable to, having decided to court the base. He may have won a majority of the military, but he may have lost the respect of the decision makers within the military.

[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

Is it a legitimate concern (i.e. not prejudiced, bigoted or racist) for an African-American to want another African-American as president? Just to set the precedent?

Are you not surprised? An ethnic group that hasn't been represented in the 400+ years they have been living on this continent finally have a president with the same skin color as them. I wouldn't call it a legitimate reason for voting but its not any better than a lot of other people.

And Wolf, a white person who wants a white president automatically leads to white supremacy, a person of color who wants a black president can just want a representative with a different skin color. There is a big premise difference.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

At first I thought you meant morale, but then I figured it works this way pretty well too.

I did mean morale, but then again you could make a case their morals were pretty low too.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

Are you not surprised? An ethnic group that hasn't been represented in the 400+ years they have been living on this continent finally have a president with the same skin color as them. I wouldn't call it a legitimate reason for voting but its not any better than a lot of other people.

And Wolf, a white person who wants a white president automatically leads to white supremacy, a person of color who wants a black president can just want a representative with a different skin color. There is a big premise difference.

Half the skin color. The other half is white.

[piercehawkeye45]

Haha, I stand corrected.

[ZenGum]

Great. The mule is a zebra.

And the elephant is one of those Galapagos Tortoises.