When I was in the Army back in 1985, Politically, I didn’t consider myself a Republican or a Democrat.
I was a registered “Independent” that didn’t vote.
It was also “peace time”, in a manner of speaking, so matters of war and peace, and the interaction of politics was not foremost in our (soldiers) minds.
With 911 and the Bush/Cheney adventures in the middle east that look like perpetual wars that will go on and on for the foreseeable future, and the connected world through the internet, that disinterest among younger people/non-coms in the military has changed.
Military Times Article/Survey
In an exclusive survey of American military personnel, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders emerged as active-duty service members' top choices to become the next commander in chief….Almost a third of those surveyed do not affiliate with either the Republican or Democratic parties. Sanders was more popular than Trump among that group, but one in seven of those individuals indicated they plan on backing a third-party candidate.
Key word---OUTSIDERS…my bolding for emphasis….
The results — based on responses from 931 active-duty troops, reservists and members of the National Guard — do not offer a scientific status of military voting preferences. However, they do show that the outsider candidates’ messages are resonating with individuals in uniform.
And a phenomena that many in the armed services are talking about, including NOT MY FAVORITE GUY, Micheal Hayden that the troops will not follow orders from Trump.
Trump also appears to be the most polarizing of all the candidates, with several dozen respondents, in a comments section of the poll, calling him dangerous for the military and the country. Three individuals polled said they’d leave the service if he becomes commander-in-chief.
Also note that, once again, Sanders clobbers in Independents...
Almost a third of those surveyed do not affiliate with either the Republican or Democratic parties. Sanders was more popular than Trump among that group, but one in seven of those individuals indicated they plan on backing a third-party candidate.
