Military donations favor Obama
August 15, 2008
From: Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S.
soldiers have donated more presidential campaign money
to Democrat Barack Obama than to Republican John McCain,
a reversal of previous campaigns in which military
donations tended to favor GOP White House hopefuls, a
nonpartisan group reported Thursday.
Troops
serving abroad have given nearly six times as much money to
Obama's presidential campaign as they
have to McCain's, the
Center for Responsive Politics said.
The results
also are striking because they favored Obama, who never has
served in the military. McCain meanwhile, is a decorated war
veteran who spent nearly five years as a prisoner of war in
Vietnam. The Arizona
senator graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and had a
22-year
career as a naval aviator.
Obama has
opposed the war in Iraq and says he would withdraw combat
troops within 16 months. McCain has been a steadfast
supporter of the war, saying he would withdraw the troops
only when conditions
on the ground warrant it.
"Obama will
work tirelessly to uphold this nation's sacred trust with
its
veterans, to ensure they are not forgotten after they return
home and he will provide our troops with the leadership they
deserve, as well as the support they and their families
need," Obama spokesman Nick Shapiro said.
McCain's
campaign played down the significance of the donations.
"John
McCain has been endorsed by more retired admirals and
generals than Barack Obama has military
donors," McCain spokesman Michael Goldfarb said in a
statement.
"We feel
confident that many U.S. troops stationed overseas will
support John McCain in the election this fall,
but we suspect most are too busy doing the important work of
defending this country than to make political
contributions," Goldfarb said.
The report
tracked donations of $200 or more. It found that 859
members of the military donated a total
of $335,536 to Obama. McCain received $280,513 from 558
military donors.
Among
soldiers serving overseas at the time of their donations,
134 gave a total of $60,642 to Obama while
26 gave a total of $10,665 to McCain. That was less than the
amount received by Republican Ron Paul, who
collected $45,512 from 99 soldiers serving abroad, the
report said.
# # #
August 15, 2008
Posted: 04:50 PM
ET
New report
shows troops
serving
abroad have
given almost
six times
as much money to Obama as they have to McCain.
(PHOTO
CREDIT:
GETTY
IMAGES)
FROM
CNN’s Jack
Cafferty:
THE CAFFERTY
FILE
When it
comes to the
money race,
it appears
Barack Obama
is ahead
on the
battlefield.
Members of
the military
are donating
more money
to
Obama than
to the
military man
John McCain.
A lot more
money.
A
nonpartisan
organization
called the “Center
for
Responsive
Politics”
reports U.S.
troops
serving
abroad have
given almost
six times as
much money
to the
Democrat
Obama as
they have to
the
Republican
McCain.
These are
pretty
shocking
results when
you consider
that
historically
military
donations
favor the
Republican.
Also, McCain
is a
decorated
war hero who
spent almost
5 years as a
POW in
Vietnam. He
graduated
from the U-S
Naval
Academy and
was a naval
aviator for
22 years.
His military
experience
is a big
part of his
candidacy.
Obama has
never served
a day in the
military.
It might
just mean
that Obama’s
message of
being
against the
war in
Iraq is
resonating
with the
people who
have been
called on to
fight it.
Obama says
he would
pull out all
combat
troops from
Iraq within
16 months.
McCain has
been a
staunch
supporter of
the war and
insists the
U.S.
will only
withdraw
troops when
the
conditions
on the
ground are
right. At
one point,
McCain
suggested
the United
States could
be in Iraq
for 100
years.
Here’s my
question to
you:
Why are
members of
the military
donating
more money
to Barack
Obama
despite John
McCain’s
military
background?
Interested
to know
which ones
made it on
air?
Read the
rest of this
entry
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