Bush, Republicans losing support of retired veterans

Knight Ridder ^ | 07-28-03

[Brian S]

Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON - President Bush and his Republican Party are facing a political backlash from an unlikely group - retired veterans.

Normally Republican, many retired veterans are mad that Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress are blocking remedies to two problems with health and pension benefits. They say they feel particularly betrayed by Bush, who appealed to them in his 2000 campaign, and who vowed on the eve of his inauguration that "promises made to our veterans will be promises kept."

"He pats us on the back with his speeches and stabs us in the back with his actions," said Charles A. Carter of Shawnee, Okla., a retired Navy senior chief petty officer. "I will vote non-Republican in a heart beat if it continues as is."

"I feel betrayed," said Raymond C. Oden Jr., a retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant now living in Abilene, Texas.

Many veterans say they will not vote for Bush or any Republican in 2004 and are considering voting for a Democrat for the first time. Others say they will sit out the election, angry with Bush and Republicans but unwilling to support Democrats, whom they say are no better at keeping promises to veterans. Some say they will still support Bush and his party despite their ire.

While there are no recent polls to measure veterans' political leanings, any significant erosion of support for Bush and Republicans could hurt in a close election. It could be particularly troublesome in states such as Florida that are politically divided and crowded with military retirees.

Registered Republican James Cook, who retired to Fort Walton Beach, Fla., after 24 years in the Air Force, said he is abandoning a party that he said abandoned him. "Bush is a liar," he said. "The Republicans in Congress, with very few exceptions, are gutless party lapdogs who listen to what puts money in their own pockets or what will get them re-elected."

Veterans have two gripes.

One is a longstanding complaint that some disabled vets, in effect, have to pay their own disability benefits out of their retirement pay through a law they call the Disabled Veterans Tax.

Since 1891, anyone retiring after a full military career has had their retirement pay reduced dollar for dollar for any Veterans Administration checks they get for a permanent service-related disability. However, a veteran who served a two-or-four-year tour does not have a similar reduction in Social Security or private pension.

A majority of members of Congress, from both parties, wants to change the law. A House proposal by Rep. Jim Marshall, D-Ga., has 345 co-sponsors.

But it would cost as much as $5 billion a year to expand payments to 670,000 disabled veterans, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld earlier this month told lawmakers that the president would veto any bill including the change.

The proposal is stuck in committee. A recent effort to bring it to the full House of Representatives failed, in part because only one Republican signed the petition.

"The cost is exorbitant. And we are dealing with a limited budget," said Harald Stavenas, a spokesman for the House Armed Services Committee.

The second complaint is over medical care. After decades of promising free medical care for life to anyone who served for 20 years, the government in the 1990s abandoned the promise in favor of a new system called Tricare. The Tricare system provides medical care, but requires veterans to pay a deductible and does not cover dental, hearing or vision care.

A group of military retirees challenged the government in a class-action lawsuit, won a first round, then were seriously disappointed when Bush allowed the government to appeal. Government won the next legal round.

"I voted for the president because of the promises," said Floyd Sears, a retired Air Force master sergeant in Biloxi, Miss. "But as far as I can tell, he has done nothing. In fact, his actions have been detrimental to the veterans and retired veterans. I'm very disappointed about the broken promise on medical care."

Stavenas said House and Senate negotiators were working this week on proposals to address the veterans' two specific complaints. He added that Congress has increased spending for veterans' benefits, including a 5 percent increase next year for the Veterans Health Administration.

Christine Iverson, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said: "The Bush administration and the Republican Congress have taken and will continue to take steps to enhance benefits for our veterans."

Not all military retirees will vote against Republicans, of course. Some, like retired Air Force Lt. Col. Gene DiBartolo of Tampa, will vote for Bush again gladly.

Though he believes his fellow veterans have a just complaint, he said the government simply cannot "do everything."

As for Bush, he said, "he has restored honor and dignity to this nation ...

"It would take a lot more than this issue to dissuade me from my support of this man."

[ohioWfan]

Rush has said this numerous times: he's an entertainer.

Bingo! He's an entertainer.....not a political guru.

One of Rush's favorite tactics is to get people riled up, and then to laugh at them when they do. It makes great radio.

Ranting is very entertaining, and Rush does it better than anyone else.

[joybelle]

The President has to pick the ones he feels he can win, which are mainly terrorism and taxes. He has stolen the dems favorites right out from under them. Unfortunately, the welfare state has been around so many decades, it will take time to convince the electorate they can stand on their own two feet. We can not expect changes overnight, which Americans seem to expect. Solutions may take years. The dems favorite president outside Clinton, Kennedy, said the people get the government they deserve.

[ohioWfan]

One act??? Throwing his military medals away is ONE ACT to you?? You've got to be kidding!

You are seriously touting John F Kerry on a Conservative forum as a positive contrast to George W. Bush??

Now I've seen everything! LOL!!

[Poohbah]

"It makes for better radio (and, hence, better ratings)."

What? You can't be serious.

I am very serious.

He is an entertainer. Appearing to be more conservative than Bush is very entertaining for most people, and generates ratings, which in turn allows EIB and the local stations to charge "confiscatory rates for advertising." (BTW, that is a direct quote from Rush as to what his primary goal is.)

That's right. Slander me. I'm a robot who can't think for myself

You practically admitted it. Deal with it.

[VRWC_minion]

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. July 24-25, 2003. N=858 registered voters nationwide. MoE ± 4.
						.
"In general, would you like to see George W. Bush reelected to another term as president, or not?"
		Yes	No	Don't Know
		%	%	%
	7/24-25/03	49	43	8
	7/10-11/03	47	46	7
	5/1-2/03	51	38	11
	4/10-11/03	52	38	10
	11/02	49	42	9

 

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

Since 1891, anyone retiring after a full military career has had their retirement pay reduced dollar for dollar for any Veterans Administration checks they get for a permanent service-related disability.

Should this date be 1981 or 1991, because if it's correct at 1891 I really can't get too worked up.

[ohioWfan]

You practically admitted it. Deal with it.

He didn't 'practically' admit it, Poohbah.......he DID admit it. He hasn't done anything in his past 10 posts except quote Rush, and say he says "what we all think."

If Rush says it, it must be so.....

[AAABEST]

The PC cosmetic like revenue based unconstitutional laws being piled upon the sholders of the men and women that get up every day, go to work, earn a wage, pay their taxes, teach their children responsibility and respect for Mom , Apple Pie and the American Way . They are kicked in the teeth by those they vote for.

Very well put sir. As I've told you many times I very much enjoy your posts when you go political.

[ohioWfan]

Does Rush have you on his payroll?

[carenot]

I haven't paid a dime to Tricare and don't plan to either. I'll just die young.

Ha, Fred.
We are too old to die young. :)

[Poohbah]

1891 is the correct date. My father was prohibited from concurrent receipt as a retiree from 1969 to 1999.

[WhiteGuy]

The President has to pick the ones he feels he can win, which are mainly terrorism and taxes. He has stolen the dems favorites right out from under them.

Perhaps...............

Changes overnight? I agree, hard to do, but it appears that the majority party in our nation lacks the will and the leadership to even address fixing the domestic problems.

That, I suspect, is the "big rub" with most who are less than satisfyed.

[ohioWfan]

And you're not going to vote for Kerry because he likes vets so much better?

Linking that pro-Kerry website kind of destroys your credibility....

[WhiteGuy]

And of course the best way to do that is to increase the size of the welfare state and addict even more people to it.

---

Maybe..............

That explains all the increased "foreign welfare" ?

[Poohbah]

BTW...you never answered my initial question:

Interesting use of "Bushbot" from someone who joined 17 days ago--because that insult is SO 2002. One might be forgiven for wondering if you're an example of reincarnation.

Would you care to comment on this?