If money talks, the troops are saying, 'Vote Obama'
By Steve Benen Wednesday Aug 13, 2008 8:00pmWay back in September, we learned that Barack Obama and Ron Paul, who don’t have too much in common, were the top two presidential candidates when it came to financial support from U.S. troops.
It had a certain political salience — opponents of the war in Iraq took note of the fact that the top two recipients of military donations went to critics of the Bush policy — but it was still relatively early in the process. Would the trend continue once the race grew more competitive? Actually, yes.
The Center for Responsive Politics reported today that Obama has received six times as much money from the troops as John McCain.
According to an analysis of campaign contributions by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Democrat Barack Obama has received nearly six times as much money from troops deployed overseas at the time of their contributions than has Republican John McCain, and the fiercely anti-war Ron Paul, though he suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination months ago, has received more than four times McCain’s haul.
Despite McCain’s status as a decorated veteran and a historically Republican bent among the military, members of the armed services overall — whether stationed overseas or at home — are also favoring Obama with their campaign contributions in 2008, by a $55,000 margin. Although 59 percent of federal contributions by military personnel has gone to Republicans this cycle, of money from the military to the presumed presidential nominees, 57 percent has gone to Obama.
Aaron Belkin, a professor of political science at the University of California who studies the military, said, “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. “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.”
That last point is especially striking. Eight years ago, Bush outraised Gore among military personnel almost 2 to 1. Four years ago, Kerry did better, but Bush raised $1.50 for every dollar Kerry raised.
And yet, now the numbers have shifted to Obama, in a big way.
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it makes sense to put your money on the winner.
You know what they say, "Money Talks, Bullshit Walks"
Keep walking John.
Yeah, whatever. I'll believe it when I see Obama ushered into the White House on the votes of the military, until then, I have my doubts. Besides, I'll only have respect for and listen to the opinions of military personnel when they start refusing to "do their duty" and show some conscience. Yeah, that isn't the popular line, I know, but I don't care. I want a little yellow ribbon with a BIG RED CIRCLE around it with a line through it.
odanny @ 2:
I rather have the truth to walk than money or BS.
I like Johnny Walker and that aint BS.
"Support the troops" LOL. The troops SUPPORT Obama.
it's a common sense thing. the age of the stupid is at an end. (i hope)
One has to question why the military would be so much in favour of Obama. It's obvious from his speeches, he is much more hawkish than some would lead you to believe, what with his tough talk on Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. I would imagine military leaders have some inside scoops that the general public does not. Election results do not catch the military industrial complex off guard.
odanny @ 2:
I believe the phrase is "money talks, bullshit goes on FOX!"
lovin' it!
I wonder what the MSM will do with this?
This merely shows desperation. Obama will send them to Iran or Afghanistan at the behest of AIPAC. Same story different face.
Steve Benen and thecarpetbaggerreport.com, you are a hero! You too C&L!
William
Aaron Belkin, a professor of political science at the University of California who studies the military, said, “That’s shocking...
Only to a bunch of PHONEY academics who either just repeat what they hear from the right-wing-controlled news media, or repeat the carefully constructed public myth, without actually doing any research of their own.
Makes sense to me that members of today's modern military would vote THHEIR OWN INTERESTS by voting for Obama. McCain is a bumbling idiot who does NOT carry credible chops as a military leader or commander in chief. I know a lot of career military guys and girls who are registered Democrats. They had no respect for Rumsfeld... they KNEW that going into Iraq was CRAZY AND WRONG... and they are looking forward to supporting a guy who genuinely seems to hold their best interests front and center... OBAMA.
McCain should roll his eyes and chuckle when Obama speaks, like he did when Paul spoke sense about the illegal occupation of Iraq at the Republican debates, to show voters his abiding contempt for the soldiers' values/preferred candidate.
CowBoy Bob in Austin @ 14:
How unpatriotic of them. Don't they just want to die for there country, flag and freedom? I hope that at least they wear a lapel pin. The bastards.
JasonS @ 8:
Woohoo! You said it!!!
The military has two sets of voters: enlisted and officer corps. The main group of folks voting for Obama will be the enlisted, basically because they represent a closer reflection of the makeup of the entire U.S.
The officer corps is mainly made up of white males and many of those are funneled into the MIC (Military Industrial Complex) train of thought from early on in the pipeline - especially those who attend the various military academies.
With the enlisted ranks being the larger population within the U.S. military (especially when you include the wives/husbands/of age teens that make up the families of those in the military), it will undoubtedly tip the balance of the military vote to Obama.
All this is assuming, of course, that the absentee ballots make it past the censors.
Reason @ 11:
No. AIPAC is only asking for you to be sent. Then you'll both be happy, AIPAC because you'll be there, and you, because you get to say, "I told you so!"
BTW, that time last week when the ice cream truck driver didn't stop as you went chasing after him- AIPAC.
“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.”
OMG, ANOTHER One! Somebody should revoke Professor Aaron "Braniac" Belkin's tenure! That's another carefully constructed myth that he just repeated as truth! (Along with the myth that George won Florida on election night 2000, which was instantly echoed by the rest of the media, becoming the official "version" of the truth.)
We do not KNOW if the military vote was "decisive" in Florida because most of the overseas ballots were not counted in Florida. The Bush team argued that the overseas ballots, which had not yet all come in, were mostly from military personel who, ACCORDING TO THE MYTH, overwhelmingly vote Republican. Therefore, there's no point in quibbling over a tiny difference between Bush and Gore when the overseas ballots are going to be overwhelmingly for Bush anyway. So, lets not continue to tear the country apart with this recounting any longer. Let's just declare Bush the winner, and start the healing process. (A line that's been used to cover every Republican crime since Watergate.) Apparently the myth of military personel being 80% Republican is so well established that even the Democrats bought into it, and folded on the Bush/Gore contest.
Well, for once we have some real numbers, and not truty-sounding myths that 'feel' right. Let's stick with those for a change.
The troops aren't saying "Vote Obama" they're saying "Get Us TF Outta Here"
Too bad for them, neither of the candidates seem altogether very serious about it.
Refine this.
cant blame them. republicans have been cavalier with the lives of the soldiers, and mccain is no different.
Look, McCain has been to Iraq. It doesn't matter what the soldiers say or who they give money to. He KNOWS what they REALLY want.
Contributions from U.S. Troops Deployed Abroad
Recipient-------- Total ---Number
Obama, Barack $60,642 ---134
Paul, Ron $45,512 ---99
McCain, John $10,665 ---26
Huckabee, Mike $7,950 ---10
Thompson, Fred $6,350 ---7
Romney, Mitt $5,550 ---10
Clinton, Hillary $3,240 6
Out of the hundreds of thousands of troops deployed abroad worldwide, a total of 134 donated to Barack Obama. I don't know what anyone can honestly glean from these statistics, but I don't think the fact 134 people contributed to the Obama campaign is as much a bombshell as some are making it out to be.
And I don't think it could be objectively extrapolated that Obama will get 6 times the number of votes from military personnel that McCain will. Not scientifically, anyway.
So I suppose soon Lieberman will be giving speeches about some other political donation givers in uniform being unpatriotic and not fully committed to the 100 year war effort.
Maybe they're getting tired of war in particular the ones started on lies.
dennis @ 24:
dennis, are you saying that only 134 soldiers donated to the Obama campaign? With a total of over 60k? Soldiers don't make that much money dennis.
Well, I guess it's possible, but these numbers looked skewed to me.
mudshark @ 27:
This is bull. According to this the average donation for any candidate is about $588.00. I don't think so. This just demonstrates how far from reality republicans really are.
Gotta love it, I guess Obama isnt so terrible when it comes to the knowledge of the army
mudshark @ 27:
That only makes a 452,55 average.
Alerta alerta @ 30:
I haven't bothered doing the numbers yet. But I suppose it's possible. Soldiers make around 1200. to 1400 a month (lower rank, enlisted) So I suppose it's possible. But For some reason, I think these numbers are from at least 6-7 months ago. Note the names.
samdog @ 3:
You do that in field and your CO has the right to shoot you.
mudshark @ 31:
Shit.
I guess that's why Bush doesn’t want veterans voting.
Support our troops! So long as they support us and so long as it is politically expedient to do so.
someguy @ 32:
Yes he does, but you need to be in a combat area and get a quik court martial and you have to be found guilty( yeah, I know but humor me) After receiving a Field Grade AR 15. And being found guilty. Your CO can then decide what he wants to do with you.
They can't shoot you outside of a combat area. Unless it's treason.
The troops, every one of whom is a hero in his own right, don't feel intimidated or obliged to support a "war hero"
CowBoy Bob in Austin @ 14:
yes they will probably be creaming in thier cammys all the way to afganistan!
Princess picked up her debunked talking points from the trolls at Think Progress. Princess, you've been trolling liberal blogs for 12 hour today, how many McGrampa points did you earn today?
Alerta alerta @ 30:
My average was for all candidates, not just Obama. You're right about the Obama average. But the point is there's no way that this information is accurate.
With the state of this country being in the mess it is in, not just the troops in record numbers are supporting Obama, but most Americans that are not stinking rich off the blood and sweat of their fellow Americans, will be supporting OBAMA.
Left&Left @ 5:
They quietly have been supporting Obama for some time. One of those things the press does not want to report.
4 career family members have given nonverbal strong messages as to how "the troops" are leaning....
mudshark @ 27:
Mudshark,
I pulled these numbers from the same website cited above in the blog post, Center for Responsive Politics. The same place I believe that was the source of the story.
I'm not disputing anything, I'm not giving 'talking points', whatever those are really. I'm just saying it's hard to come up with any real concrete conclusions either way.
And I agree, the numbers don't look right to me either, but I have have no idea the political donation habits of military personnel. Especially for this election.
Pericles @ 13:
Actually, this comment isn't fair to Dr. Belkin. He's openly gay and a critical thinker. I once saw him give a terrific presentation on the US military's "Queen for a Day!" exceptions to the Uniform Code of Military Justice when it comes to discharges for being homosexual. His paper was very well researched and had the audience in stitches, as he pointed out the bizarre twists and lack of logic in many military decisions on who's gay and who should be discharged based on homosexual behavior.
Belkin's not drinking the Kool Aid and neither was the late great Charlie Moskos -- but watch out for Pete Feaver from Duke. He is a fully owned subsidiary of the Karl Rove White House. THAT man is definitely not to be trusted. He's a typical GOP "warrior" - pasty, little, scrawny, bespectacled and got (via his PhD, not normal ROTC or a service academy, where he might have had to SWEAT or figure out a way to get those little arms do a push-up or two) a commission as a navy intell officer, spending a weekend a month in air conditioned offices writing papers. He swaggers around on paper, though, a typical John Wayne big talker. Check out this piece on Mr. Feaver for the New York Times. His work selling Bush's war to the US people was as a propagandist, not a scholar. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/politics/04strategy.html?sq=feaver%20i...
Read anything citing Pete Feaver as a "military expert" (it pains me to type that phrase) with extreme caution.
Do ya think that might have somethin to do with the bush administration bein apposed to wounded troops in all the vetrans hospitals no bein aloud to register to vote???
"And yet, now the numbers have shifted to Obama, in a big way."
Of course.
No wonder the VA is trying to stop non-partisan voter registration drives at VA facilities. Congress needs to pass an immediate law overturning the VA's decision.
Navas anecdotally confirmed that soldiers are often conservative but that many are making an exception in the presidential race. "Most of my friends are conservative Republicans and they say, 'I'm voting for Barack.' McCain does not have a lock on the military vote, that's for sure," he said. "We'll complete our duty -- I'm deploying next year -- because it's a commitment I made to the nation, not to a president. But we all know that Iraq was a big mistake."
And there you have it. The troops may lean Republican, but they're not stupid. They know a buddy fucker when they see one.
Maybe it's me. The Republicans got more total donations then the total Dem donations and you call that a WIN? No wonder Obama's doing so GREAT in the polls.
someguy @ 32:
...and THAT is why the enlisted men invented "fragging."
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