 |
SwiftVets.com
Service to Country
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Dimsdale
Captain
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 527
Location: Massachusetts: the belly of the beast
|
 Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2004 1:09 pm Post subject: Polls suggest that veterans prefer Bush; no clear answer why |
 |
|
From the Naples Daily News (you have to register if you want the original)
http://reg.naplesnews.com/npdn/web/loginForm?from=www.naplesnews.com/npdn/news/article/0,2071,NPDN_14940_3293994,00.html
| Quote: | Polls suggest that veterans prefer Bush; no clear answer why
By CHRISTOPHER KRIVA, cjkriva@naplesnews.com
October 31, 2004
The battle for the veterans' vote in the presidential race reached a boiling point in Naples in recent days, with Republicans sending Arizona Sen. John McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, and Democrats dispatching former Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig.
Some area veterans say Sen. John Kerry's combat record leaves many unanswered questions. Others say President George W. Bush's foreign policy has left the military badly overextended and in need of new direction.
This year, polls suggest that veterans as a group — nationally and in Florida — favor Bush over Kerry by a substantial margin. There is no clear answer why. What is clear is that military service frames a stark choice between two men with clashing foreign policy views.
"I wouldn't vote for Kerry if it was a one-person race," said Bob Petersen, 66, of Naples, a non-combat Navy veteran.
Veterans who oppose Kerry base their views on three primary issues: questions about the medals Kerry earned while piloting a Swift boat during the Vietnam War; his public, vocal criticism of the war upon returning to the United States and his record in the U.S. Senate, which opponents say is deficient on military and defense issues.
Upon returning from his Vietnam tour, Kerry testified in 1971 before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations regarding his opposition to the war.
Some veterans have interpreted Kerry's various remarks, including references to war crimes by others, as a slap in the face to those who served.
"Kerry has never said, 'I'm sorry for what I did,'" Petersen said.
A nonprofit group, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, took to the airwaves in battleground states — including Florida — throughout the summer with anti-Kerry advertisements, questioning Kerry's 1971 remarks and the validity of his medals.
"I hate to see (the ads), but I understand it. He insulted the living hell out of us," said Ray Truelove, 64, of Naples, a veteran of the Marine Corps.
"Some of the ads I take with a grain of salt. I don't think they're fair or appropriate," said Naples resident Bernard Weiss, 70, a retired Air Force major general.
Some veterans supporting Bush acknowledge Kerry's right to speak out.
"He has a right to do what he did (after) Vietnam. It wasn't a popular war. I didn't feel proud when I returned. I respect the man's right to do what he did," said Weiss, who said he voted for President Clinton in 1992, Sen. Robert Dole in 1996, then Bush in 2000.
Veterans supporting Kerry believe his Vietnam experience would make him a superior commander-in-chief.
"I've seen Bush's decisions and they've had disastrous consequences. Iraq, because of bad execution — it's a quagmire over there," said Steve Duckworth, 64, of Naples, a Vietnam veteran who served in the Navy.
Duckworth said there were substantial parallels between his experience in Vietnam and the war in Iraq, saying that Defense Department idealogues were ultimately responsible for each.
About 50 veterans and wives gathered Friday to listen to Danzig, Secretary of the Navy during Clinton's second term, explain why Kerry's Vietnam credentials make him superior to Bush in handling international crises.
Danzig, introducing a pro-Kerry Vietnam documentary, urged those in attendance to pay attention to Bush's record as well.
"The contrast is going to be pretty striking," he said, referring to a two-year period in which Bush's National Guard service has been called into question.
To attract more veterans to his fold, Kerry faces an uphill struggle. A recent Florida-Times Union and South Florida Sun-Sentinel poll showed the state's veterans breaking for Bush, 56 to 39 percent.
During the presidential debates, Kerry addressed older veterans by discussing issues such as Social Security and veterans' affairs benefits, which he says have declined substantially under Bush.
Matt Gobush, press secretary for Southwest Florida Democratic Victory 2004, said that the problem "begins with (VA hospitals) chronically underfunded."
Gobush said Bush has taken veterans for granted and, in doing so, short-changed a core Republican constituency.
Veterans opposing Kerry's candidacy disagreed, saying Bush has provided strong support for the armed forces while Kerry has vacillated.
"I trust Bush more," Truelove said, echoing the beliefs of many veterans interviewed. |
I can't believe some of the stuff the KerryKampf will say to get a vote, particularly Gobush (LOLOL!), "Bush has taken veterans for granted" spiel. If anyone assumed that vets would be on his side, it was Kerry the Seditious.
_________________
Everytime he had a choice, Kerry chose to side with communists rather than the United States. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
RogerRabbit
Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined: 05 Sep 2004
Posts: 748
Location: Oregon
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2004 1:36 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: | | Veterans who oppose Kerry base their views on three primary issues: questions about the medals Kerry earned while piloting a Swift boat during the Vietnam War; his public, vocal criticism of the war upon returning to the United States and his record in the U.S. Senate, which opponents say is deficient on military and defense issues. |
...............and they still don't understand the reason why after they printed it themselves -- this is pretty inane
_________________
"Si vis pacem, para bellum" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
BuffaloJack
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Joined: 10 Aug 2004
Posts: 1637
Location: Buffalo, New York
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2004 1:49 pm Post subject: |
|
|
During and prior to WWII they executed collaborators. If the same rules were in effect now this site would not be needed.
_________________
Swift Boats - Qui Nhon (12/69-4/70), Cat Lo (4/70-5/70), Vung Tau (5/70-12/71) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dimsdale
Captain
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 527
Location: Massachusetts: the belly of the beast
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2004 1:50 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Exactly!
It is the old NYTimes trick of printing a misleading headline that disagrees with the facts of the story.
No matter who wins, the MSM must lose.
_________________
Everytime he had a choice, Kerry chose to side with communists rather than the United States. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Sun Tzu
Seaman
Joined: 20 Aug 2004
Posts: 169
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Algesan
Seaman Recruit
Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 43
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2004 2:51 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: | | About 50 veterans and wives gathered Friday to listen to Danzig, Secretary of the Navy during Clinton's second term, explain why Kerry's Vietnam credentials make him superior to Bush in handling international crises. |
ROFLMAO. Drop everything else about Kerry. Assume he truly is a honorably decorated war veteran. Why does a few years as a company grade officer with some combat time give any person an 'edge' in "international crises"? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Tom Poole
Vice Admiral
Joined: 07 Aug 2004
Posts: 914
Location: America
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2004 3:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Perhaps here's another reason.
| IAN BISHOP and STEFAN C. FRIEDMAN, New York Post wrote: | ... "In times of war and in hours of crisis, Senator Kerry has turned his back on 'pay any price' and 'bear any burden', and he's replaced those commitments with 'wait and see' and 'cut and run,' " the president told supporters...
http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/33061.htm |
Curious about this article is the fact that Humpty Dumpty is SILENT ON CHARGES HE WAS DISHONORABLY DISCHARGED! Hmmm...
_________________
'58 Airedale HMR(L)-261 VMO-2 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Grampa
Lt.Jg.
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 143
Location: Eureka, CA
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2004 3:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
The article is chock full of Democrat talking point lies that have been used by Kerry/MoveOn/DNC throughout the campaign and unchallenged by the MSM.
Reduced VA funding=Lie.
Iraq is Vietnam so its a quagmire = Lie.
Bush takes vets support for granted? Yea by giving us the biggest pay raises and benefits increases since the 1970-80s.
And ANY enlisted man who would claim that an 0-2 is a great leader is either a new recruit or needs to rethink that.
Just more Kerry pimping and shilling disguised as a news article.
Maybe they ought to examine the role of an obviously partisan hack media attempting to ramrod their favorite candidate into office as an effect on the veterans vote; that despite their best attempts to destroy Bush's military record and present Kerry as Audy Murphy, the troops and vets support Bush.
Maybe they ought to rethink their opposition to the leader who has the OVERWHELMING support of the troops who are being shot at.
While they're at it, they might want to question their support of the guy that the majority of troops are AFRAID of being elected.
_________________
Iraqi Freedom 2003-2004. We won't take any of that 1960s crap when We come home! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
