Military Presidential Preference

James G. Fausone

Veteran Advocate

 

According to a recent military poll, the vast majority of the U.S. military favors Mitt Romney over President Obama in the upcoming election. The reasoning behind the soldiers’ choice was unexpected however, as the 3,100 active and reserve troops surveyed all but ignored the war in Afghanistan as an issue of concern, and focused mostly on the economy and the candidates’ character.

The poll consisted of a secure email survey of active-duty National Guard and reserve members who are subscribers to the Military Times newspapers. As a whole, this population is older and more senior than the military at large, but represents the professional core of the all-volunteer force. When polled, the group identified ‘pocketbook’ issues as the most important and stated they had more faith in Romney’s tax plan helping them in that regard.

Despite the polls results, Obama has gained some recognition in the surveyed group due to the death of Osama Bin Laden, however the majority of the group felt that Obama mismanaged the handling of Libya after Moammar Gadhafi was removed, resulting in the death of a U.S. Ambassador.

“If you’re not an effective manager….you can’t run anything else,” Bowe, a Marine military police captain stated.

Military polls have been critical of Obama and his handling of the defense budget and national security strategy, while Romney has disappointed some with his lack of details regarding his plans.

Either way the military is paying attention. “I’ve heard them talk about the election quite a bit,” stated Bowe. “They’re more dialed in than some might think.”

To learn more or see the original article, please visit: http://militarytimes.com/news/2012/10/military-times-poll-romney-bests-obama-2-1-100712/