Reuters Touts 'Weary Warriors Favor Obama'
Reuters correspondent Margot Roosevelt touted over the weekend that “Weary Warriors Favor Obama.” According to the latest Reuters-Ipsos poll, “If the election were held today, Obama would win the veteran vote by as much as seven points over Romney, higher than his margin in the general population.”
Under the heading “Fading Cool Factor,” Roosevelt summarized that many veterans sound like Obama did in the last election cycle, pessimistic about the wars Bush started:
The GOP's heated rhetoric, aimed at the party's traditional hawks, might be expected to resonate with veterans. Yet in interviews in South Carolina, a military-friendly red state, many former soldiers expressed anger at the toll of a decade of war, questioned the legitimacy of George W. Bush's Iraq invasion, and worried that the surge in Afghanistan won't make a difference in the long run.
"We looked real cool going into Iraq waving our guns," said [Mack] McDowell, 50, who retired from the 82d Airborne Division in November with a Legion of Merit and two Bronze Stars. "But people lost their lives, and it made no sense."
Now he worries. "I really don't like the direction we are going, how we seem to come closer daily towards a war with Iran."
This is how it began, underlining how Obama is winning over the real rock ‘em-sock ‘em military:
Mack McDowell likes to spend time at the local knife and gun show "drooling over firearms," as he puts it. Retired after 30 years in the U.S. Army, he has lined his study with books on war, framed battalion patches from his tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, a John Wayne poster, and an 1861 Springfield rifle from an ancestor who fought in the Civil War.
But when it comes to the 2012 presidential election, Master Sergeant McDowell is no hawk.
In South Carolina's January primary, the one-time Reagan supporter voted for Ron Paul "because of his unchanging stand against overseas involvement." In November, McDowell plans to vote for the candidate least likely to wage "knee-jerk reaction wars."
Later, the stories get very heavy:
For combat veterans such as McDowell, who enlisted at 19, the statistics are starkly personal.
With his direct gaze, erect posture and fondness for war mementos, he may seem to fit the stereotype of a battle-hardened sergeant. But this father of five shudders at the memory of the young Vietnamese-American at Fort Jackson, whose fear of deployment was brushed off by an officer. The soldier tried to commit suicide by shoving a pencil up his nose into his brain.
He chokes up when he recalls "the geek-faced kid" from Oklahoma who was brought in to fix office computers in McDowell's Iraq bomb dismantling unit. The young man, with no combat training, was sent into the field to hack into terrorists' laptops. Within weeks he suffered a mental breakdown. Returning stateside, he shot his two children to death and killed himself.
"It was sheer terror," McDowell said of the improvised explosive devices that guerrillas hid along roadways. "They'd strap gasoline cans to IEDs. Our soldiers burned alive. You'd hear them screaming, and you couldn't do anything."
Now he is "watching the primaries very closely to see who will be the least careless with soldiers and their families."
- Tim Graham's blog
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Comments
Where?
Submitted by Jerry Mack on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 10:31pm.
No where did I read that the Sarge was going to vote for Obama. It is a mighty big jump from Paul to Obama.
Nowhere did I read that ANY
Submitted by motherbelt on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 7:37am.
Nowhere did I read that ANY of them say they are going to vote for Obama.
The also conveniently mention the Reuters/Ipsos poll, but fail to include it. I wonder why.
Generally when an news article cites a poll, they at least include the quick breakdown; this article doesn't even do that, simply saying Obama would win by as much as 7 points.
How does a poll come up with a number that's "as much as"???
WTH ever happened to the basics of news reporting...Who, what, why, how, when, where????
This is the WORST piece of "reporting" I've seen in a long time.
And given the current statue of the media, that's saying something.
motherbelt,
Submitted by Agnostic on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 8:39am.
The poll is included off to the side or here: http://www.reuters.com/article/interactive/idUSBRE84C02120120513?view=sm...
As you look through the results there seems to be a lot of stories not favorable to Obama that could have been highlighted - odd they were not the theme. Also, on the last page - it shows the number of responses used for each question and the highlighted question of voting for Obama had the fewest used responses and the highest 'error interval'. Probably a lot of 'hanging chads' that couldn't be counted.
They also don't specify the
Submitted by motherbelt on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 10:32am.
They also don't specify the ratio of Democrat/Republican, or whether they were "likely voters."
They don't provide any rationale (that I can see) for assuming that Iraq, Afghanistan, or Iran are the reason for those favoring Obama. Yet those are the opinions that they chose to highlight in the article, even though none of the cited people actually say they are going to vote for Obama.
I'm not putting my salt shaker away just yet.
no specifics
Submitted by Agnostic on Tue, 05/15/2012 - 10:03am.
While all that is true it is very telling that the sample size dropped dramatically for the only question they chose to highlight and also for a question dealing with Obama's handling of Healthcare for which even the reduction in accepted responses couldn't give them a positive result.
Just with the information given this looks so biased that any additional information would raise too many questions.
As for the wars - despite the rhetoric of many liberals, neither soldiers nor conservatives are fans of war and both are generally not happy about the prospect of war or bringing up children in a world where such violence is prevelent. This poll, like most, is nothing more than a prop (I've heard of push-polls but is there such a term as prop-poll?) for a biased article and any additional information like that which you so adeptly pointed out would lead the writers to just point out that this was not a poll aimed at political prognostication but just a current events poll and therefore such things as balance in the sample and quality specimens is not a priority.
My Opinion
Submitted by Big_John on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 8:25am.
I'll be sixty-one, on Sunday, and have either been in (Retired USAF) or around the military my entire adult life and I have absolutely no intention of supporting the America Hating/Narcissistic/Race Baiting/Hypocritical/Lying Scumbag.
Well, Big_John,
Submitted by Jer on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 8:41am.
I'll be sixty-five the following day [one week from today] and looking forward to canceling your vote. (Of course, that would require that we both are registered in the same state.)
Anyway, happy birthday!
Jer
Lawyers Voting for Obama???
Submitted by bigdaddy on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 1:15pm.
Oh No, Not That!
Hmmmm!
Submitted by pcnav on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 1:19pm.
I guess I will reactivate his vote. We ex-military folks stick together against Obama supporting socialists.
Of all the retired buds I have not one of them are voting for Obama because he is useless.
Same here, PC, ...
Submitted by Newsbubba on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 3:37pm.
... and I have a bunch of them!
Also know a lot of active duty types, just because I'm lucky enough to live in a military town most of the year, and have yet to meet one who would vote for the RBFSOB, or admit to it.
May I ask your reasons?
Submitted by Model850 on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 4:29pm.
Don't know if you'll be back to this thread, Jer, but if you don't think it impertinent of me may I inquire as to your reasons for voting for Obama? I'm just curious about what it is he's done that you (apparently) admire and deem deserving of his serving a second term.
I don't want to argue the points, or try to persuade you to change your mind (as if that could happen, and not just because you would easily destroy me in a debate!), I'm just interested in your reasoning.
Thanks, and cheers!
Jer is to NewsBusters...
Submitted by bigdaddy on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 5:10pm.
...What Juan Williams is to Fox News...
TULDBS ---
Submitted by matthewdean on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 10:42pm.
The usual Lib-Dim BS.
MD
Exactly what "heated rhetoric" is she talking about?
Submitted by WingletDriver on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 10:46pm.
I can't think of one Republican presidential hopeful who has said anything that can be considered "heated." Since Romney has all but won the nomination, perhaps old Margot could have provided us with a list of quotes from him that meets that standard.
Please don't bother them.......
Submitted by GregE on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 11:05pm.
..........with requests to actually give examples.
Same ol same ol. Romney will be (and has been in some circles) labeled as extreme right wing, which is par for the course. They must label any Republican as extreme so that any actual conservative, when placed next to them, is seen as a being from another planet. And of course it also serves the purpose of making Obama out to be "moderate" which is completely laughable.
We hear "right wing" and "extreme right wing" alot. Not so much about "left wing" and "extreme left wing" even though Obama fits into the latter like a glove.
Anecdotal stories like this a a dime a dozen
Submitted by Kevin Groenhagen on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 11:05pm.
Then they have actual polls of veterans and the GOP candidate is favored by veterans by a least a 2-1 margin.
Can anyone think of a GOP candidate more with heated rhetoric than Obama's spiking of football on bin Laden?
I work on a large military
Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 11:10pm.
I work on a large military base in Europe, coming or going to the middle east you pass through where I work. I am also retired military, I have yet to hear any service member do anything except complain about the clown-in-chief, just more BS from the spin machine.
anecdotal not factual - try these facts
Submitted by Jerry Frey on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 11:13pm.
Mitt Romney, trying to be the Alpha-male, is more hawkish about Aftergascan, than President Obama. Sure, he has the requisite coterie of advisors, but has he read any books? Is he clueless about the reality on the ground like Bush was before the invasion of Iraq? Like another priveleged character, he avoided service in Vietnam and instead received a religious deferment. Romney went on a mission to France to proselytize for his goofy religion.
http://napoleonlive.info/politics/romney-and-afghanistan/
And in what capacity did Obama serve?
Submitted by Radical1979 on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 11:24pm.
Your characterization of Mormonism as a "goofy religion" is insulting.
Baggin' on Bush, eh? Pretty doggone ---
Submitted by matthewdean on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 11:33pm.
original, that, J. Frey.
Raggin' on Romney's religion, eh?
Pretty damned petty.
Show some testosterone, and get after the Caliph in Chief or his religion; Islam.
MD
drive by
Submitted by bkeyser on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 11:05am.
spammer.
Aftergascan?????
Submitted by pcnav on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 1:24pm.
You must be incredibly stupid. No one is drilling for oil in Afghanistan.
same 'ol song
Submitted by MidAmerica on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 11:13pm.
So after going on four years of obama as Comander in Chief it's still all Bush's fault.
Is Rueters Kidding
Submitted by mmilesll on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 11:16pm.
All you have to do to see if the military is going to vote for nobama is watch any video of him going thru the troops to give a speech. Compare that with Bush's reception.
Weary Warriors Favor Obama?
Submitted by kristensuzanne on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 11:19pm.
That is so much BS...there's no way military veterans will vote for a man who is in the process of destroying the American military by throwing 90,000 members out on their ear and costing them their employment...no this is a sign of desperation by the 'journalist' writing this particular expose...such nonsense...the Democrats have always loathed and despised the military for the last sixty or so years..now is not the time for a change of attitude on their part and it isn't.... the military knows and understands this on the most basic of levels...that hasn't changed in all these decades after WWII...and it's not about to change any time soon...we always knew on a visceral level the nature of Democrats versus Republicans...Democrats have never appreciated or even liked this country's military and it's warrior status while Republicans have always supported and maintained them...there's never been any way to hide, evade or disguise it and certainly not with this piece...another sign the MSM doesn't care for the military either...that's quite plain with Margot Roosevelt's particularly dismissive article...
Oh really?
Submitted by CorkyNM on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 11:19pm.
I think this is caca. Nobody I know wants this commie to get another term. And as far as active duty, I have relatives in Marines and Air Force and they have not met a single person who wants this commie as CIC. Where do they get this data? From their wildest dreams?
I saw this story earlier today
Submitted by bkeyser on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 11:20pm.
What a croc. They interview a couple bitter veterans who were probably always liberal and put it under the banner of "weary warriors" which implies they represent a majority. No way in hell there are a significant number of Marines who "favor" Obama. Warfighters in general -that is, real war fighters, the ones who get dirty and face incoming fire- would never support someone who uses them for political posture.
I'm missing something...
Submitted by NascarShizzle on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 11:33pm.
Obama ends the ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy and the military will vote for him over Romney? Ummm...okay....
Knew this story was bogus from the get-go
Submitted by chaburchak on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 11:48pm.
A vet who spends his time at gun and knife shows "drooling over the firearms" is gonna vote for Obama? Yeah, sure, I can see that happening...
Radical Islam started the
Submitted by robert108 on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 11:53pm.
Radical Islam started the wars when it bombed the WTC in '93 and on 9/11, but we didn't respond properly until President Bush led the way. Now, obama is cutting and running away from them, while pretending to be a badass. Too funny.
The only way to "end" a war is with an American victory.
President Bush killed the terrorists over there, while obama tells us that the major terror threat is "home grown". What happened?
Our soldiers don't favor the Kenyan Muslim commie POTUS
Submitted by Dave. on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 1:05am.
But there is a reason why they are polling pretty positively toward Ron Paul.
They are sick and God-damned tired of being treated like cannon fodder by having their hands tied behind their backs by PC bullsh*t rules of engagement.
-And that includes rules put in place by the CIC RINO pansy known as George W. Bush.
This country hasn't won a war since WWII.
There is a reason for that.
BTW: I come from a huge military family, so don't even try telling me I don't know what I am talking about.
George S. Patton, Jr., would be appalled.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Hell, Dave - my dad, the Col.
Submitted by killa37 on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 11:55am.
Hell, Dave - my dad, the Col. would be appalled!!! He was so frustrated by the way the Vietnam War was being handled (and at that time, he was working 14 hour days at the Pentagon - fortunatly he didn't take us with him!!!) that he took an early retirement and went back to being a grade-school PE teacher - and he got a whole lot younger in the process!!!
Hey, I'm a veteran, and I
Submitted by texastommy on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 7:32am.
Hey, I'm a veteran, and I wouldn't vote for Obama even if his opponent was Karl Marx. At least Marx admitted he was a communist.
Count Em If You See Them
Submitted by BuffNBone on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 7:36am.
If the article's premise were true the Dems would be falling all over themselves to get the absentee ballots in on time instead of blocking them every way that they can.
This is SHOCKING!!!
Submitted by bigdaddy on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 1:38pm.
...since the Dums are so concerned with the voting rights of minoritys, illegals, and the deceased, standing against any and all voter ID legislation...
Frey, where was the other anti-american Henley?
Submitted by Tomorama on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 9:16am.
Funny how the coward in the "Jerk Frey'............. spewed hate and lies and ran without any rebuttal, but being a lib I really am not shocked.
I do the VFW hospital thing and am a member of the local VFW and the legion and the folks there are NOT voting for Obysmal, this "story" is a crock of bullsh**.
In Mass the Sec of state is under a consent decree to TRACK and COUNT and send out the military ballots on time as this never served a day POS tended to not do any of the above and is being FORVED to do so.
This being a horrid "blue state" is anyone really shocked?
For anyone to even infer that veterans would vote for Obysmal is a joke and a bunch of lies and frankly again - bullsh**.
Glenn Frey lives over here
Submitted by killa37 on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 11:59am.
Glenn Frey lives over here part-time............he's a bigtime lib, and extremely rich.....................and I have heard Henley flappin' his self-appointed jaws with his own liberal BS. Another extremely rich big-time lib. Shaddup and sing..................actually, aside from a few good songs, I can only handle Henley's singing when he's doing harmonies.
The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence", despite what Margot
Submitted by drsamherman on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 11:13am.
is trying with the piece. All of her stories are just that--stories of people but not accurate of the voting Demographic.
Looking at the poll, it appears to have been badly constructed and conducted. Garbage in equals garbage out in surveys.
Warriors Don't Favor Obama
Submitted by EWRoss on Tue, 05/15/2012 - 8:50am.
Election Day is still more than six months away, but already the negative approach President Obama and his cohorts in the mainstream media are pursuing is faltering. President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign strategy is to define Gov. Mitt Romney as someone who will make the United States and the American people worse off than they are already. It attempts to brand Gov. Romney as a homophobic, anti-women, out of touch country-club Republican who wants to take America back to the protect-the-rich policies that got the country into the mess that it’s in. The “Republican war on women” campaign fizzled. The “Buffet rule” everyone-should-pay-their-fair-share-in-taxes strategy isn’t working. The Washington Post treating questionable reports about Gov. Mitt Romney assaulting a fellow high-school student because Romney thought he was gay, as if it was the equivalent of the Watergate scandal, doesn’t wash. President Obama’s election campaign openly intimidating contributors to a superpack that supports the governor, by publishing their names and encouraging personal attacks on them, is beginning to backfire. http://ewross.com/president_obamas_failing_reelection_strategy.htm