That being said…
I read a poll today that asked military members “If the presidential election were held today, for whom would you vote?”
Of active duty members, 72% would vote for Bush, 17% for Kerry, 6% were undecided and the remaining 5% was split between Nader, other and declined to answer. In the Guard and Reserve, 73% would vote for Bush and 18% for Kerry (the remaining percentage mirrors that of the active duty).
Of the active duty, those polled who had not been deployed since September 11, 2001, 72% would vote for Bush and 18% for Kerry. Those polled who had been deployed for two or more months since September 11, 2001, 74% would vote for Bush and 17% for Kerry.
In the Guard and Reserve, of those polled who had not been called to active duty since 9/11, 71% Bush, 21% Kerry. Those who had been activated since 9/11, 76% Bush, 17% Kerry.
Of military members who had not been deployed to a combat zone since 9/11, 73% Bush, 19% Kerry. Those who had been deployed to a combat zone since 9/11, 76% Bush, 16% Kerry.
Here is the poll that really surprised me. When asked “Do you approve of the way President Bush is handling the situation in Iraq?” Active Duty responded with 60% approval and 23% disapproval. Guard and Reserve responded with 63% approval and 25% disapproval. The remaining percentages in both groups were equally split between “declined to answer” and “no opinion”.
Also asked was “In making your decision about voting for president, how important is the military service record of the candidates? The results, active duty gave 47% somewhat important, 19% somewhat unimportant, 12% very important, and the remaining split evenly between no opinion and very unimportant. The Guard and Reserves responded with 54% somewhat important, 16% very important, 14% somewhat unimportant and the rest also evenly split between no opinion and very unimportant.
To the question “Do George W. Bush’s actions while in the National Guard make you more or less likely to vote for him, or not much effect on your vote? Active duty replied with 73% not much effect, 12% less likely, 6% more likely and the rest no opinion. The Guard and Reserves responded with 8% not much effect, 16% less likely, 10% more likely and the remainder no opinion.
The responses to whether “John Kerry’s combat experiences in the Vietnam War make you more or less likely to vote for him, or not have much effect on your vote?”
Not much effect: Active 58%, Guard & Reserve 53% Less likely: Active 21%, Guard & Reserve 26%. More likely: Active 12%, Guard & Reserve 15%. Again the remaining percentages had no opinion.
Here was another surprising one. “Do John Kerry’s anti-war activities after he returned from serving in the Vietnam War make you more or less likely to vote for him, or will they not have much effect on your vote?” Less likely: Active 65%, Guard & Reserve 67%. Not much effect: Active 24%, Guard & Reserve 20%. More likely: Active 7%, Guard & Reserve 9%. The rest held no opinion.
I don’t know if these results echo the election during WW2, in which the country felt they shouldn’t changes horses in the middle of a race (terminology from those days, not my own) and wanted to maintain consistency while the country was at war, or if we will instead follow in the footsteps of the Vietnam era, with a change in leadership during a war, and the ensuing conflicts and confusion the military members found themselves in at that time.
I will be interested in seeing the debate tonight, and interested in the way it is picked apart afterwards. I found it curious last week that I came away from the debate with an impression that neither candidate truly came out ahead of the other, but those “professionals” who scrutinized if afterwards held a different opinion. I was also amused by the comments that Bush looked angry, when to me it just looked like his contacts were bugging him. But I’m not a professional and haven’t been trained in facial expression translation, what do I know?
In the big picture of this election, the military makes up a small percentage of voters. I don’t know that their votes will be what decide the election, but I do know that the public should be aware of where the military members stand in regards to the issues surrounding the election. The war in Iraq, needless to say, is one of the major issues. By no means is it the only issue though.
I think it is important for the public to know that a majority of the military members support what the current president is doing. They believe in the actions he is taking with regards to Iraq. For those protestors out there touting slogans to bring our soldiers, seamen and airmen home, many of those believe in and support the mission they are on. You might want to ask them first if they want you making these protests “on their behalf”. Don’t get me wrong. No one “wants” to go to war. But if our military members believe there is a job to be done, don’t get in their way of doing it. If you want to protest the war, don’t hide behind the excuse of wanting to bring our soldiers home.
I could go on more on this, but I've rambled enough and given enough fodder to the flames of protest about this subject.