Aug 22, 2008

Deployed troops put their money where their vote is and overwhelming choose Obama


The non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics broke a long-standing myth earlier this month when it released a report that said deployed U.S. troops contributed money to the presidential campaign of Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama by a margin of 6-1 over his Republican rival.

The center operates the web site Open Secrets, and according to the press release, Obama received 134 contributions totaling $60,642 to his opponent John McCain’s 26 contributions for $10,665. McCain was even bested by former GOP challenger Ron Paul who grabbed 99 contributions for $45,512 even though he has been out of the race for some time.

Clearly, the troops know who is concerned about their welfare, both why they are deployed in harms way and when they come back home and have to resume a normal life. The troops put their money where their mouth is and endorsed Obama.

It has to be insulting to McCain who is a former naval officer who has made his experience as a POW in Vietnam a major part of his campaign.

It has long been assumed that the military is conservative and hence Republican, especially in light of it being an all volunteer force for some 34 years, but it appears that is changing or it is simply one more Republican myth. According to the press release, members of the Armed Forces no matter where they were stationed gave Obama the most campaign contributions in 2008, by a $55,000 margin. Still, Republicans got more overall federal contributions in 2008, receiving just over half at 59 percent.

Also, McCain still leads among military donors overall, but if Obama's 2008 numbers hold, that could change.

Whether that converts to votes remains to be seen. The press release notes that seeing political activity of any sort among soldiers is notable, and a lot of the enlisted ranks are apolitical. I have to admit that I did not even vote for the first time until I had been in the military for 15 years.

However, the 6-1 margin speaks volumes.

"That's shocking. The academic debate is between some who say that junior enlisted ranks lean slightly Republican and some who say it's about equal, but no one would point to six-to-one" in Democrats' favor, said Aaron Belkin, a professor of political science at the University of California who studies the military, in the press release. "That represents a tremendous shift from 2000, when the military vote almost certainly was decisive in Florida and elsewhere, and leaned heavily towards the Republicans."

The Center for Responsive Politics is the nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy. Nonpartisan, independent and nonprofit, the organization aims to create a more educated voter, an involved citizenry and a more responsive government.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmm, the Mackinac Center claims to be non-partisan. Open secrets claims to be non-partisan.

Next, I suppose the writer of this blog will claim to be non partisan.

Brett
conservativelifestyle.blogspot.com

Communications guru said...

The Mackinac Center is a conservative think tank. Open Secrets is non-partisan. I don't know what's partisan about breaking down campaign contributions into categories. If you have something that says they are not non-partisan, please post it.

I am a partisan. I have never said anything different. I have said numerous times I am a proud liberal Democrat. Even my profile says I am a liberal/progressive.

Anonymous said...

Nothing new here. But then, I didn't expect anything new.

Brett

Communications guru said...

Really? So you already new the deployed troops favored Barack Obama by a margin of 6-1? Good.

Anonymous said...

I guess it was you that the other name was calling purposely ignorant.

Brett

Communications guru said...
The Mackinac Center is a conservative think tank. Open Secrets is non-partisan. I don't know what's partisan about breaking down campaign contributions into categories. If you have something that says they are not non-partisan, please post it.

I am a partisan. I have never said anything different. I have said numerous times I am a proud liberal Democrat. Even my profile says I am a liberal/progressive.

9:11 AM


Brett said...
Nothing new here. But then, I didn't expect anything new.

Brett

10:10 AM


Communications guru said...
Really? So you already new the deployed troops favored Barack Obama by a margin of 6-1? Good.

10:15 AM

Communications guru said...

I'm sorry, I'm apparently not as smart as you, and I am completely missing your point. Of course, I have to make a correction: new should be knew. Other than that, I stand by everything I wrote, and it is true and accurate to the best of my ability.

Anonymous said...

Apparently, Barack Hussein Obama is being sued in Federal court in Philadelphia by a Hillary Clinton supporter. He's claiming that Obama was not born in Hawaii but was born in Kenya.

If he fails in that, he's stating that he was a citizen of India when his mother married his stepfather.

You gotta love the unity in the Democrat party.

Brett

Anonymous said...

What a fucking tool you are.

Communications guru said...

Anybody can sue anyone for anything in this courryt, but they will lose. That stuff has already been tried by right-wingers and debunked.

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html

The only candidate born outside the U.S. was Grampy Sydney McSame. I know this, Democrats are passionate about their candidate, but in November they will vote for Obama. They just need to ask themselves: am I better off now than I was eight years ago? The answer is not only no, but hell no. Unless, of course, you are one of the richest 1 percent in this country.

liberalshateusa said...

That does not mean Omama will get more votes on a 6 to 1 ratio. It just shows whom contributed money.
C.G. Question. Why will Omama not put his hand on his heart during our National Anthem?

liberalshateusa said...

Lets here what Biden has to say about Omama.http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0808/McCain_to_air_Biden_TV_ad.html

Communications guru said...

I never said he will “get more votes on a 6 to 1 ratio.” Apparently, you do not read well. I said, “Whether that converts to votes remains to be seen.” But, it’s a good sign, don’t you agree, hate America?

I don’t put my hand over my heart over our natation Anthem either. The protocol is to remove your hat and stand at respectful attention. At least that’s how I always did it in the military. The better question, is what does it matter?

Communications guru said...

I didn’t bother to read it, but thanks for posting. What your opponent in a primary race says needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Plus, since then, Obama has demonstrated why he will be the next President. That’s why he won the primary.