unkown1961
5-Year Member
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2016
- Messages
- 1,089
If there are Dem and Rep vets debating each other, that will be interesting. http://www.politico.com/story/2017/..._term=Editorial+-+Military+-+Early+Bird+Brief
If there are Dem and Rep vets debating each other, that will be interesting. http://www.politico.com/story/2017/..._term=Editorial+-+Military+-+Early+Bird+Brief
Uh...just for accuracy sake; if you mean James Webb, USNA graduate, politician, etc...etc...his decorations don't include the Medal of Honor: Navy Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and a group of others.If there are Dem and Rep vets debating each other, that will be interesting. http://www.politico.com/story/2017/..._term=Editorial+-+Military+-+Early+Bird+Brief
After World War 2 you could not run for political office in America without a military record. This lasted from 1946 (when young men like John F Kennedy & Richard Nixon got elected just months off of active duty) until the early 1990s. Now, when 99% of American manhood either doesn't serve or is never even asked to, not so much.
Since the early 1990s the following war veterans have lost elections to opponents who never served at all (or at least on active duty):
George HW Bush (fighter pilot, shot down over the Pacific)
Robert Dole (nearly killed fighting Wehrmacht in Italy)
Al Gore (REMF, but at least he served, as a "senator's son" he didn't have to)
John Kerry (3 purple hearts)
John McCain (fighter pilot, 5.5 yrs in NVA prison camp)
Max Cleland (triple amputee in Vietnam)
James Webb (Medal of Honor winner; best candidate of either party in 2016; confirmed to occasionally read this website)
Compare this to the overall political success of Vietnam War draft dodgers, whom I will refrain from naming (I could be typing all night long & I'm on my 9th gin & tonic, so I won't bother.)
I often catching myself making the same mistake.... even when "talking" to myself - as do must people. On better days I immediately change it to "was awarded" or "awardee". It feels so much better to me but I'm confident others have thought of more appropriate phrases.Note - I hate using the word winner as it's not a game or something to be won. Just wanted to make no one misconstrued my use of 'winner.'
It's too late to Google this info, but I didn't realize that Dole, Gore, Kerry, and McCain lost elections. Also, Webb retired from the Senate, he wasn't defeated.
And the dodgers are a nonpartisan group: Clinton, Biden, Romney, Cheney and Trump to name a few.
But there is a small influx of veterans, so things look hopeful: http://taskandpurpose.com/meet-7-veterans-newly-elected-congress/
It's too late to Google this info, but I didn't realize that Dole, Gore, Kerry, and McCain lost elections. Also, Webb retired from the Senate, he wasn't defeated.
And the dodgers are a nonpartisan group: Clinton, Biden, Romney, Cheney and Trump to name a few.
But there is a small influx of veterans, so things look hopeful: http://taskandpurpose.com/meet-7-veterans-newly-elected-congress/
For a guy who never lost an election I would nominate MOH recipient Senator Daniel Inouye. I mostly never agreed with his politics but I respected him as a patriotic man. For the record I always admired Tip O'Neill although he never served. Hey, we were all stoners so who would want us as President. Haven't you seen Platoon or Apocalypse Now?