Free Republic

The Veterans In Politics International is in FULL support, to allow ALL active, reservist, and guards man, military service member of all branch of our arm forces including our civilian contractors and attache to our active military to be allowed to participate in ALL elections. Each service member should be able to vote in all local, state, or national elections in their current state of residency, regardless of their current duty station, regardless if we are in peace or war and regardless if they are in the United States or in a foreign land. We should not exclude the very...

PRINCETON, NJ -- With both presidential candidates addressing the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention this week (John McCain on Monday and Barack Obama on Tuesday), Gallup finds that registered voters who have served in the U.S. military solidly back McCain over Obama, 56% to 34%. This is based on aggregated data from Aug. 5-17 Gallup Poll Daily tracking, involving interviews with more than 11,000 registered voters, including 2,238 military veterans. Veterans are defined as those who are or have been members of the U.S. military. Obama leads McCain 46% to 43% among all registered voters during this time.

While troops deployed abroad might be giving more money to Barack Obama, a poll released today says that John McCain will get the vast majority of votes from members of the military and veterans. According to Gallup, McCain leads Obama 56 percent to 34 percent, with 11 percent expressing no opinion or picking someone else. Obama spoke to the Veterans of Foreign Wars today in Florida, a day after McCain addressed the gathering. Gallup said the poll is based on aggregated data from its daily tracking poll between Aug. 5 and Aug. 17, involving more than 11,000 registered voters, including...

Republicans may not be able to count on the military vote in 2008, according to a report issued by the Center for Responsive Politics, which shows that troops overseas have donated about six times as much to Sen. Barack Obama as to Sen. John McCain. Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has raised $60,642 to McCain's $10,665 among this group, said the nonpartisan center, which examined information required by the Federal Election Commission for contributions more than $200....

absentee ballots by email fax ballots live press conference for military voting and more

USA Today, link only http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-08-14-military-donations_N.htm

During World War II, soldiers crouching in foxholes penned letters assuring their sweethearts that they'd be home soon. Now, between firefights in the Iraqi desert, some infantrymen have been sending a different kind of mail stateside: two or three hundred dollars -- or whatever they can spare -- towards a presidential election that could very well determine just how soon they come home. 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...

Michelle Obama shared a stage this afternoon with six hand-picked military spouses in Norfolk as the campaign announced the formation of “Blue Star Families for Obama.” Obama said families of military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan not only are suffering the uncertainty of having loved ones in harm’s way, but also are coping with rising prices and unemployment. She wove details of her husband's plan to support military families into the conversation with the spouses. The wives talked about inadequate child care on bases, education opportunities for children and health care. The event was this afternoon at Old Dominion...

This is from Major General Buckman.(ret)My niece, Katelyn, stationed at Baluud , Iraq , was assigned with others of her unit, to be escorted/guarded/ watched out for Martha Raddatz of ABC News as she covered John McCain's recent trip to Iraq . Katelyn and her Captain stood directly behind Raddatz as she queried GI's walking past.They kept count of the GI's and you should remember these numbers. She asked 60 GI's who they planned to vote for, in November, '08.54 soldier's said John McCain, 4 for Obama and 2 for Hillary.Katelyn called home and told her Mom and Dad to...

According to latest news, only 15.5% of US voters in overseas locations requested a ballot for the 2006 election, and only 1/3 of those voted. Pardon while I laugh. The Army Times Publishing Company has surveyed military members and the military votes Republican at a rate of 69 - 85%. There were 600,000 military personnel stationed overseas in 2006. It seems a safe bet that had the true military vote count been tallied, the Dems would not have squeeked-by with "wins" in MT, VA, and several other states. In other words, the Dems probably took the Senate through disenfranchising the...

The Military Postal Service Agency is preparing measures for this election season that officials say will help absentee ballots move through the military mail system. From Sept. 1 to Nov. 25, the military mail will prioritize absentee ballots, which will be specially marked and tagged, and personnel will be instructed to deal with those parcels first. Postal personnel involved will be briefed and trained soon, according to Faye Johnson, MPSA chief of operations. They will be instructed that "whenever they see trays, tubs or anything with absentee ballots, that is to be expedited." Mail room personnel also will be told...

Prepared text of speech delivered at the 2008 American GI Forum of the United States National Convention in Denver:Thank you for that kind introduction and warm welcome. I want to begin by talking about an issue in this campaign that I know concerns you as it concerns all Americans: the war in Iraq. Thankfully, the news from Iraq today is much more encouraging than I could have reported to you last year. Eighteen months ago, America faced a crisis as profound as any in our history. Iraq was in flames, torn apart by violence that was escaping our control. Al...

My heart was in my throat. Someone say McCain can’t give a good speech? Well, the live speech he just gave at the American GI Forum in Denver was something that really moved me, and I believe it would any true American. Especially the story of Benavidez, whom honestly I knew nothing about. I was watching on FOX News, cable. Prior to McCain describing us the story of Benavidez (and I’m sorry and ashamed, I am so ignorant of him that I do not even know if I am spelling his name correctly, and yet such an American hero should...

McCain is going after Obama on funding for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Live on Foxnews Give em hell! The more I hear McCain speak the more I'm liking...

Voters who have served in the U.S. military favor John McCain over Barack Obama by a 56% to 37% margin. This data, from a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, is based upon interviews with 3,000 Likely Voters, including 588 voters who have served in the military. Voters with no military service favor Obama 50% to 43%. The survey was conducted July 21-23 while Obama was on an overseas tour that included Afghanistan and Iraq. Overall, the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll showed Obama leading 48% to 45% (with leaners) over those three days.

ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today announced that John McCain will speak at the 2008 American GI Forum of the United States National Convention on Friday, July 25th in Denver, Colorado.

Rep. Roy Blunt, the House Republican whip, on July 8 introduced a resolution demanding that the Defense Department better enable U.S. military personnel overseas to vote in the November elections. That act was followed by silence. Democrats normally leap on an opportunity to find fault with the Bush Pentagon. But not a single Democrat joined Blunt as a co-sponsor, and an all-Republican proposal cannot pass in the Democratic-controlled House. Analysis by the federal Election Assistance Commission, rejecting inflated Defense Department voting claims, estimated overseas and absentee military voting for the 2006 midterm elections at a disgracefully low 5.5 percent. The...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rep. Roy Blunt, the House Republican whip, on July 8 introduced a resolution demanding that the Defense Department better enable U.S. military personnel overseas to vote in the November elections. That act was followed by silence. Democrats normally leap on an opportunity to find fault with the Bush Pentagon. But not a single Democrat joined Blunt as a co-sponsor, and an all-Republican proposal cannot pass in the Democratic-controlled House. Analysis by the federal Election Assistance Commission, rejecting inflated Defense Department voting claims, estimated overseas and absentee military voting for the 2006 midterm elections at a disgracefully low...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rep. Roy Blunt, the House Republican whip, on July 8 introduced a resolution demanding that the Defense Department better enable U.S. military personnel overseas to vote in the November elections. That act was followed by silence. Democrats normally leap on an opportunity to find fault with the Bush Pentagon. But not a single Democrat joined Blunt as a co-sponsor, and an all-Republican proposal cannot pass in the Democratic-controlled House. Analysis by the federal Election Assistance Commission, rejecting inflated Defense Department voting claims, estimated overseas and absentee military voting for the 2006 midterm elections at a disgracefully low...

That’s how it appears: A coalition of military groups is planning a nationally televised town-hall-style meeting with the presidential candidates near Fort Hood, Tex., the largest active-duty military installation in the country. But so far, only Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee, has agreed to attend.CBS has agreed to broadcast the meeting live from 9 to 11 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, Aug. 11. The candidates would face questions directly from an audience of 6,000 people, made up of veterans, service members and military families from the base.Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has...

John McCain has accepted an invitation to appear at a nationally-televised town hall meeting next month organized by a coalition of support organizations. Despite pleas from the group, Barack Obama has refused to appear at the same event, underscoring his desire to avoid extemporaneous exchanges with John McCain, especially on military matters in which he has no experience at all. The Fort Hood group has offered to change dates, but Obama remains obstinate: “Senator Obama strongly supports America’s veterans and military families and has worked hard on their behalf in the Senate,” said Phillip Carter, director of Mr. Obama’s veterans...

A coalition of military groups is planning a nationally televised town-hall-style meeting with the presidential candidates near Fort Hood, Tex., the largest active-duty military installation in the country. But so far, only Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee, has agreed to attend. CBS has agreed to broadcast the meeting live from 9 to 11 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, Aug. 11. The candidates would face questions directly from an audience of 6,000 people, made up of veterans, service members and military families from the base. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has not agreed...

Since the start of the presidential campaign in the USA, greatest differences between the Republicans and the Democrats could be seen in their views towards war in Iraq. The primaries are over and John McCain and Barack Obama remain as the pivotal rivals, one of which will head the country in the next four years. Republican John McCain is a famous Vietnam War veteran and has been an eager supporter of war in Iraq even before the US Army invaded the country. On the other hand, Democrat Barack Obama opposes war, he has done so from the very start and...

Democratic presidential presumptive Sen. Barack Obama (IL) met with his terrorist supporting fundraiser, Jodie Evans, at a $5 million Hollywood fundraiser held last week at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion on Tuesday, June 24.In what can only be described as a big middle finger to the veterans and military families who have urged Obama to renounce Evans, Obama met with Evans and was photographed with her at the fundraiser.Evans is co-founder of the leftist anti-American group Code Pink. She and Code Pink have endorsed the terrorists in Iraq and have sent over $600,000 in cash and humanitarian aid to "the other...

In a 2007 report by the Election Assistance Commission, less than 50 percent of the nearly one million absentee ballots submitted by military voters were actually counted in the 2006 elections. Ten percent of these were not counted because they were received too late by the servicemembers' state election officials. I don't think you need me to explain the irony inherent in the disenfranchisement of the men and women who are willing to sacrifice their lives in defense of the U.S. Constitution. Approximately half a million servicemembers are stationed or deployed overseas today and their electoral participation is increasing. In...

WASHINGTON: The highest-ranking U.S. military officer has written an unusual open letter to all those in uniform, warning them to stay out of politics as the United States approaches a presidential election in which the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be a central, and certainly divisive, issue. "The U.S. military must remain apolitical at all times," wrote Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "It is and must always be a neutral instrument of the state, no matter which party holds sway." (snip) Mullen said he was inspired to write the essay after receiving a constant...

Mullen said he was inspired to write the essay after receiving a constant stream of legitimate, if troubling, questions while visiting U.S. military personnel around the world, including, "What if a Democrat wins?" and, "What will that do to the mission in Iraq?" "I am not suggesting that military professionals abandon all personal opinions about modern social or political issues," Mullen wrote. "What I am suggesting - indeed, what the nation expects - is that military personnel will, in the execution of the mission assigned to them, put aside their partisan leanings. Political opinions have no place in cockpit or...

ARLINGTON, Va. — According to newly released FEC reports, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has received more military donations than the other three remaining Republican candidates combined. "The latest numbers make it clear: the troops support Ron Paul," said Ron Paul campaign chairman Kent Snyder. "Dr. Paul has worked his entire career working for veterans, and has many awards and endorsements due to his dedication to their cause." A search of the FEC database by employer reveals that Dr. Paul has received 1160 donations from military donors, nearly triple that of John McCain, and more than McCain, Mitt Romney, and...

On a couple of other boards, I have heard the allegation that "Ron Paul is the Military's Candidate." I always figured it to be your typical overblown hyperbole... So I decided to research the numbers, in order to blow away the conspiracy theory. There's no way that he could be the leading candidate for military contributors...right? Well, I went to the FEC Contributions Database that is maintained by opensecrets.org...the numbers I came up with were both surprising and very, very disturbing. First of all, the methodology: I did individual contributor searches for a number of different employer types: "Army," "US...

As we roll into November, every American needs to be reminded of how the Democrats treat the military.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2008 --- For the Federal Voting Assistance Program, getting deployed troops and their families engaged in the current election season is a primary goal. Ahead of the November general election, FVAP, which fosters voting participation by uniformed and U.S. citizens abroad, is assisting eligible absentee voters who wish to cast ballots in their states’ primary election. “It’s important that voters participate in the upcoming primary elections,” said Polli Brunelli, the program's chief. “We have over 20 primaries occurring in February, so now is the time, if you’ve received your ballot, to vote and get it back...

Republican Ron Paul is out with a new TV ad, set to run in New Hampshire through Tuesday's primary, stressing his military credentials. Patriotic music booms. Soldiers salute. The announcer begins: "A proud military veteran who served our nation. Ron Paul salutes and supports our troops who protect and defend our freedom." A flag waves. The announcer continues, "But who do the troops support? Ron Paul. The record shows they're standing up for him." The ad concludes: "Ron Paul is their choice for commander-in-chief." His campaign spokesman Jesse Benton said Paul "has long been a praised as staunch advocate for...

DES MOINES, Iowa: Jason Huffman has lived in Iowa his whole life. Lately he has been watching presidential debates on the Internet and discussing what he sees with friends and relatives. But when fellow Iowans choose their presidential nominees Thursday night, he will not be able to vote, because he is serving with the Iowa National Guard in western Afghanistan. "Shouldn't we at least have as much influence in this as any other citizen?" Huffman wrote in an e-mail message. He is far from the only Iowan who will be unable to participate. Because the caucuses, held in the early...

FredHeads are everywhere…including serving our country near Basra in Iraq. Click here to see the pics.

Last Tuesday, 6 November, 2007, was Election Day here in Philadelphia. On an average Election Day there are between 100 and 150 absentee ballots from active duty service members. This election there were 8. Maybe only 8 men and women voted. Maybe this is much ado about nothing, but it does seem suspicious. Special Forces officer David Oh was on the ballot for a City Council At-Large seat. It is a close election. Votes are still being tallied. Currently only about a dozen votes separate him and his challenger. We are actively soliciting anyone from Philadelphia, PA who has a...

Many active duty military are praising Fred Thompson, as the conservative leader they want as the next Commander in Chief. Typical of these comments is this one from a soldier in Ohio: "As a soldier, I know there is some pressure to not get involved in anything political, but as a current member of the finest Army to have ever existed, and a Combat Veteran of the crucial Iraq campaign, I feel it is my duty as a patriotic American to see a good conservative succeed our current commander and chief. Every Soldier wants a leader that they can proudly...

As Clinton demonstrated during her pentathlon of Sunday talk shows, she is an effective Q-and-A advocate for her new health-care plan. And that probably guarantees her the Democratic nomination. But Clinton is ahead of the Republican hopefuls, although not by much - just three points or so - against the leading Republican, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. And that's a surprisingly narrow margin, given the anti-Republican mood of the country; the best overall metrics of public opinion are President Bush's job-approval ratings and the right track/wrong track question - and both are 2-1 negative. In such a situation,...

Military shifting donations to Democrats As the Iraq war drags on and US casualties mount, members of the military appear to be showing their discontent by donating more to Democrats, a campaign finance watchdog group said today. Service members have traditionally supported the Republican Party, but there has been a dramatic shift since the war started in 2003 away from financial backing for GOP candidates for president and Congress, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics said. So far this year and in the 2004 election, about 40 percent of contributions from donors identifiable as military members has gone to Democrats,...

Bill Clinton says Hillary gaining military support BY MELISSA NELSON ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER DESTIN, Fla. -- Former President Bill Clinton says his wife has strong support among military voters and that the Democratic presidential candidate is up to the task of rebuilding the nation's military after years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. "I think she will do better than you think (with military voters) because she has an enormous amount of allies around the country in the military," Clinton told The Associated Press on Monday night following a private, $2,300-a-plate fundraiser for Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Florida Panhandle....

Paul’s active service member donations get noticedBy Klaus MarreAugust 03, 2007Rep. Ron Paul (Texas), the anti-Iraq war candidate for the Republican presidential nomination and darling of the Internet, said his colleagues have taken notice that he has raised more money from active service members than any other GOP White House hopeful."Lots of military people turned out to be aware that our campaign got more donations from soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines than any other," said Paul in a statement on his website. "Funny, that made a big impression in Congress too. Many of my colleagues were amazed and encouraged that...

Twelve senators are asking Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to make it easier for troops abroad to vote, saying the current system is outdated. Seven Republicans and five Democrats wrote to Rumsfeld this month, asking the department to create a new voting system that would allow members of the military to easily ''request, receive, download and print'' absentee ballots regardless of their location. Under the current system, members of the military must contact local officials by regular mail and request a ballot, which is then mailed to them. The voter then must fill out the ballot by hand and send...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26, 2006 – U.S. servicemembers and federal employees stationed overseas need to act quickly to request absentee ballots for this year's primary and general elections, a Defense Department official said here yesterday. This year, U.S. citizens will elect 34 senators, the entire House of Representatives, 37 state governors, and hundreds of state and local officials. Primaries begin in March, and the general election is Nov. 7. To participate in their home states' elections, servicemembers and overseas citizens need to complete a Federal Post Card Application requesting an absentee ballot, said Scott Wiedmann, deputy director of the Federal Voting...

Today's fighting men and women follow an ancient, elite code of honor and duty. And Democrats just don't get it. Virtually all close observers inside and outside the U.S. military estimate that anywhere from 70 percent to 80 percent of active-duty servicemen, reservists and National Guardsmen voted Republican in the last presidential election. I suspect that among the noncommissioned ranks of the combat arms community – the grunts – that figure may have been significantly higher. What makes me think so? ...Very large snip... I spent part of the summer of 2004 in West Africa with a platoon of U.S....

ITHACA NY—A Republican Town Supervisor has lost re-election by one vote, after a judge ruled on Tuesday that a military ballot not be counted.According to the Ithaca Journal, the decision by Supreme Court Justice Walter Relihan left incumbent, Gary Fisher of Enfield, one vote shy of his opponent, Democrat Jean Owens.The military voter was Fisher's son, who was stationed aboard a ship in the U.S. Navy and unable to receive the ballot prior to the election. The ballot was returned to the BOE by the deadline for military ballots, with supporting documentation from a military commander explaining the circumstances. But...

While President Bush has tumbled in the polls, he still retains support among America's military veterans. Sixty-percent (60%) of Veterans approve of the way the President is performing his job, including 30% who Strongly Approve.

My family has lived on Fort Bliss for almost 6 years. Like all military families, our business is not limited to the facilities on post. Our daughter attends preschool at our church on off-post. We regularly shop at Basset Center, businesses around Fort Bliss, and, when we want to get away, the Sunland Park Mall area. We are zoo society members, cheer for the UTEP Miners, and regularly support the El Paso Diablos, our minor league baseball team. Until Saturday, 7 May, I thought that El Paso appreciated the military. Mayor Joe Wardy, Dem., touted his achievements this campaign season,...

From: [snip] Subj: 2004 military ballots didn't count Hey, all. Ready for this? Paper says nearly a quarter of all 2004 absentee ballots weren’t cast or counted =================================================== A new survey of nationwide election centers found that 24 percent of those who requested absentee ballots — mainly military personnel — didn’t cast a ballot or have their vote recorded in the 2004 election. The National Defense Committee, a nonprofit group that conducted the unofficial survey, said it’s unclear what happened to the no-show ballots. Some requested ballots may have gone unused, in some cases because the service member ended up...

Feds threatened suit over military ballotsBy David Postman and Ralph ThomasSeattle Times staff reporters   OLYMPIA — Less than a month before the November election, the U.S. Department of Justice threatened to sue Washington state because it was moving too slowly in mailing military ballots overseas. At that point Washington was the only state that hadn't mailed its overseas ballots. Questions about military ballots have come up frequently since the Nov. 2 election ended with a deadlocked governor's race. Democrat Christine Gregoire was certified governor-elect Dec. 30 and is to be sworn in Wednesday. But Republican Dino Rossi has...

Dear Friend, Last Thursday the Secretary of State certified Chris Gregoire governor-elect. We have just finished the longest, most scrutinized election in Washington State history. Ballots have been checked, double-checked, and triple-checked. Democrats and Republicans from across the state have joined together to make this the most accurate election in state history. But, instead of taking Chris Gregoire's call for unity to move our state forward, Dino Rossi and the Republican Party have gone off on a bitter battle to tear down this election. They are trashing the Republican Secretary of State, they are trashing county auditors across the state,...

Thankfully, our nation was spared a lengthy and contentious recount in the Presidential race this time, but the same cannot be said for the State of Washington and its gubernatorial election. Finally, on December 23, Democrat Attorney General Christine Gregoire was certified the winner over Republican State Senator Dino Rossi, by 130 votes out of 2.9 million cast - a difference of 0.000048. This margin could easily have been accounted for by overseas military personnel who tried to vote, but whose ballots were not counted. Rear Admiral (Retired) James J. Carey, a regular Military.com columnist, founded the National Defense Committee...