Posted on 02/06/2016 8:59:27 PM PST by RightFighter
Did anyone else notice how badly Rubio, Bush, and Christie mangled the question of women registering for the Selective Service tonight? They all three demonstrated that they apparently don't understand what that means. Either that, or they're all heartless bastards who think that young women should be able to be forced to enter military service and die in combat.
I've skipped some of the non-relevant chatter, but I've done my best to capture each candidate's response to the question.
Radditz: Senator Rubio...should young women be required to sign up for Selective Service in case there's a draft?
Rubio: ...I have no problem whatsoever with people of either gender serving in combat so long as the minimum requirements necessary to do the job are not compromised, but I support that, and obviously now that that is the case, I do believe that Selective Service should be opened up for both men and women in case a draft is ever instituted...
Radditz: Governor Bush, do you believe that young women should sign up for Selective Service, be required to do so?
Bush: I do, and I think that we should not impose any kind of political agenda on the military, if women can meet the minimum requirements for combat service, they oughta have the right to do it...
Radditz: Tell me what you'd say to American people out there who are sitting at home who have daughters and might worry about those answers, who might worry that the draft is reinstituted.
Bush: Why would they worry? Well, the draft is not gonna be reinstituted, but why, if women are accessing..
Radditz: Would you just do away with it?
Bush: No, I didn't say that. You asked a question not about the draft. You asked about registering, and if women are going to be supporting...
Radditz: But you register for the draft.
Bush: We don't have a draft. I'm not suggesting we have a draft...
Christie: Martha, could I be really clear on this, because I am the father of two daughters....if a young woman in this country wants to go and fight to defend her country she should be permitted to do so, and part of that also needs to be a part of a greater effort in this country so there's no reason why young women should be discriminated against from registering in the Selective Service...
I was surprised too,and disheartened.
I am dead set against women registering.
.
I thought Christie answered well.
Not allowing women to register is discrimination.
With equal rights go equal responsibilities.....
You’re making the same mistake Christie did. It’s not that men are ALLOWED to register and women aren’t. Men are REQUIRED to register, and women are not, because we’ve always had this fundamental belief, really throughout the history of the world, that women shouldn’t be forced to die in combat. I have no problem with saying a woman should be able to fight for her country if she wants to, but the question was whether girls should be required to register for the draft.
Right. If men are required to register, women should be required to register. I liked the way Christie framed his answer.
This doesn’t mean that women should be placed in the frontlines in combat positions.
That was a terrible answer from all three. If a woman wants to volunteer for combat, that’s her prerogative (which I strongly disagree with). However to force our daughters into conscription, no thanks.
You’d think Rubio, Bush and Christie would be better prepared for a question like that.
Political correctness reigns. If you accept that women and men are totally equal without any difference, then I guess the logical conclusion is that women should be treated just like men and be subject to the same rules.
I was surprised when Bush said something like women had to right to be in combat units. I guess he must think that it is a matter of choice whether to serve in combat or not.
Yes, it is discrimination. And why is that wrong? Drafting women was part of the radical feminist agenda from way back. Now the GOP is spouting feminist agenda?
I don't think that is the point either. Women are MADE differently from men, no matter what the liberal loons like to think. Throwing a woman into the middle of a combat zone and expecting her to be able to lift her 230/270 lb fellow soldier should he become wounded is STUPID. The military took a survey on opening ALL positions for women and the resounding answer came back NO....and that was one reason cited. Course "destroy our fighting forces" Obama just ignored the survey.
it was the equality thingy...
they think they have to pander to women...
. If men are required to register, women should be required to register
That’s the classic feminist position, from way back. Sad to see that radical feminism has won out over so many modern “conservatives”
It is mandatory for men to register and be subject to the draft should it be re-instituted. It is not a matter of allowing women to register, it is making it mandatory that they register. Moreover, if they meet the physical and mental standards, they can be forced into combat units, just like men.
Is this what we want as a nation?
I am, too. Maybe I’m too much of a traditionalist, but this going way too far- esp since it removes the personal choice/ freedom to be a full time wife & mother. Not a good direction to be going in, imho.
Cruz would have put the others away and had the audience on their feet!
You ask if this is the "new" position of the GOP. I am assuming you are referring again to the Establishment and yes, this is their position. It's Obama's position, just like gays in the showers, so of course, the Establishment's position!
Until our other fundamental beliefs are restored, I am all for drafting women. Why should men die to protect women? Under current rules and judicially misinterpreted law, they are to be treated absolutely equally. No difference. Otherwise the new way to dodge the draft will be to claim the Caitlyn Jenner exception. If you are really a woman, should you be able to dodge the draft? If you feel like a man, should you have to register?
Yes it is nuts. Unless the left has to follow through on the hard part of this nonsense, they will keep selling the public these double standards. Don't give me the "I have daughters" excuse. What about mothers of sons? Why should they lose their children just because they were born male? Why should men be required to die in combat and not women? When sanity returns to those old Judeo/Christian fundamental beliefs, fine. But otherwise there is no excuse. If they are physically able to serve -- and I do not mean are they as strong as men -- then draft them. Weaker men are drafted right along with stronger men. The folly of feminism on full display. Just the registering could cause a revolt.
I want to move on to the military. Senator Rubio, all restrictions on women in combat as long as they qualify. Positions including special operations forces, like Navy Seals. Just this week military leaders of the Army and Marine Corps said that they believed young women, just as young men are required to do, should sign up for Selective Service in case the Draft is reinstated.
Many of you have young daughters. Senator Rubio, should young women be required to sign up for Selective Service in case of a national emergency?
RUBIO: First, let me say there are already women today serving in roles that are like combat. That, in fact, whose lives are in very serious danger, and so I have no problem whatsoever with people of either gender serving in combat so long as the minimum requirements necessary to do the job are not compromised. But, I support that, and obviously now that that is the case I do believe that Selective Service should be opened up for both men and women in case a Draft is ever instituted.
I think the more fundamental challenge we’re now facing is what’s happening to the U.S. military — I’ve said this many times, and I think it’s important to start paying attention to this. Our Air Force is about to be the smallest it’s been in 100 years. I’m sorry, in our history. Our Army is set to be smaller than it’s been since the second World War, and our Navy is about to be the smallest than it’s been in 100 years.
I think we need to begin to refocus on rebuilding our military because every time we have cut our military in the history of this country we have had to come back later and rebuild it, and it costs more, and it’s a lot more chaotic and dangerous. When I’m president, we are rebuilding the U.S. military.
(APPLAUSE)
RADDATZ: Thank you, Senator Rubio. Governor Bush, do you believe that young women...
BUSH: ... Say it again?
RADDATZ: Do you believe young women should sign up for Selective Service, be required to sign up...
BUSH: ... I do, and I do think that we should not impose any kind of political agenda on the military. There should be — if women can meet the requirements, the minimum requirements for combat service they ought to have the right to do it. For sure. It ought to be focused on the morale as well. We got to make sure that we have readiness much higher than we do today. We need to eliminate the sequester which is devastating our military.
We can’t be focusing on the political side of this, we need to realize that our military force is how we project our word in the world. When we’re weak militarily it doesn’t matter what we say. We can talk about red lines, and ISIS being the J.V. team, and reset buttons and all this. If we don’t have a strong military than no one fears us, and they take actions that are against our national interest.
RADDATZ: Tell me what you’d say to American people out there...
(APPLAUSE)
RADDATZ: ... Who are sitting at home, who have daughters, who might worry about those answers, and might worry...
BUSH: ... Why would they worry about it...
RADDATZ: ... if the Draft is reinstituted?
BUSH: ... Well, the Draft’s not going to be reinstituted, but why — if women are accessing...
RADDATZ: ... Are you saying you’d do away with it?
BUSH: No. I didn’t say that. You — you asked a question not about the draft, you asked about registering. And if women are going to be...
RADDATZ: You register for the draft.
BUSH: If — but...
RADDATZ: If it’s reinstituted.
BUSH: ... we don’t have a draft. I’m not suggesting we have a draft. What I’m suggesting is that we ought to have readiness being the first priority of our military, and secondly, that we make sure that the morale is high. And right now, neither one of those are acceptable because we’ve been gutting the military budget.
We also need to reform our procurement process. We need to make sure there are more men and women in uniform than people — than civilians in our Defense Department. There’s a lot of things that we need to reform to bring our defense capabilities into the 21st century and I’m the guy that could do that. That’s why I have the support of generals, of admirals, of 12 Medal of Honor recipients and many other people that know that I would be a steady commander-in-chief and rebuild our military.
(APPLAUSE)
CHRISTIE: Martha?
RADDATZ: Thank you very much.
CHRISTIE: Can I — can I be really — can I be really clear on this, because I am the father of two daughters. One of them is here tonight. What my wife and I have taught our daughters right from the beginning, that their sense of self-worth, their sense of value, their sense of what they want to do with their life comes not from the outside, but comes from within. And if a young woman in this country wants to go and fight to defend their country, she should be permitted to do so.
Part of that also needs to be part of a greater effort in this country, and so there’s no reason why one — young women should be discriminated against from registering for the selective service. The fact is, we need to be a party and a people that makes sure that our women in this country understand anything they can dream, anything that they want to aspire to, they can do. That’s the way we raised our daughters and that’s what we should aspire to as president for all of the women in our country.
(APPLAUSE)
RADDATZ: Thank you very much, Governor Christie.
What I heard is Bush, Rubio and Christie announce to us that they have drunk deeply from the wells of feminist dogma and that they are good little progressives.
I just know that having a lot teenage women in the ranks with all the boys will do wonders for good order and morale. At least until the jealousy, favoritism, sexual harassment charges, and competition for sexual favors starts at around the second week.
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