Does David Broder think all Republicans served in the military?

[democracy1st]

David Broder:

Some adaptation is necessary for almost every president because few experiences can really prepare them for the challenges Obama described to Meacham. George W. Bush went through it after Sept. 11, 2001, subordinating his domestic agenda to focus on the terrorist threat -- and never changing.

But the step is harder for today's Democratic presidents than for their predecessors -- or their Republican contemporaries.

...

And a third reason is that today's Democrats really are isolated from the military. Harry Truman had been an artillery captain; John Kennedy and Carter, Navy officers. But Bill Clinton did everything possible to avoid the draft, and Obama, motivated as he was to public service, never gave a thought to volunteering for the military.

As opposed to George W. Bush, who got out of serving in Vietnam due to his daddy's connections, then skipped out on his National Guard Duty?

And, since Broder made the broad claim that "today's Democrats" (not just recent Democratic presidents) "really are isolated from the military" due to a lack of military, what about Dick Cheney, who had "other priorities" than serving in Vietnam? Or Newt Gingrich? Or these Republicans?

NONE Of The New GOP Congress Members Has Served In The Military...

Below are the bios of the GOP's freshman congressional class. Note that not one new GOP congress member has served in the military.


Rep.-Elect Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
22nd District

Born: January 26, 1965
Religion: Baptist
Family: Wife, Judy McCarthy; two children
Education: Bakersfield College, attended 1984-85; California State U., Bakersfield, B.S. 1989, M.B.A. 1994
Military Service: None
Career: Congressional district aide; deli owner

----
Rep.-Elect Doug Lamborn (R-CO)
5th District

Born: May 24, 1954
Religion: Christian
Family: Wife, Jeanie Lamborn; five children
Education: U. of Kansas, B.S. 1978 (journalism), J.D. 1985
Military Service: None
Career: Lawyer

----
Rep.-Elect Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.)
9th District

Born: February 8, 1963
Religion: Greek Orthodox
Family: Wife, Eva Bilirakis; four children
Education: St. Petersburg Junior College, attended 1981-83; U. of Florida, B.A. 1986; Stetson U., J.D. 1989
Military Service: None
Career: Lawyer; college instructor

----
Rep.-Elect Bill Sali (R-ID)
1st District

Born: February 17, 1954
Religion: Evangelical
Family: Wife, Terry Sali; six children
Education: Boise State U., B.B.A. 1981; U. of Idaho, J.D. 1984
Military Service: None
Career: Lawyer; musician; heavy equipment warehouse clerk

----
Rep.-Elect Peter Roskam (R-IL)
6th District

Born: September 13, 1961
Religion: Anglican
Family: Wife, Elizabeth Roskam; four children
Education: U. of Illinois, B.A. 1983 (political science); Illinois Institute of Technology, J.D. 1989
Military Service: None
Career: Lawyer; education scholarship nonprofit executive director; congressional aide; teacher

----
Rep.-Elect Tim Walberg (R-MI)
7th District

Residence: Tipton
Born: April 12, 1951
Religion: Protestant
Family: Wife, Sue Walberg; three children
Education: Western Illinois U., attended 1969-70; Fort Wayne Bible College, B.S. 1975; Wheaton College (Ill.), M.A. 1978
Military Service: None
Career: Religious school fundraiser; education think tank president; minister

----
Rep.-Elect Michele Bachmann (R-MN)
6th District

Born: April 6, 1956
Religion: Evangelical Lutheran
Family: Husband, Marcus Bachmann; five children
Education: Winona State U., B.A. 1978 (political science & English); Oral Roberts U., J.D. 1986; College of William and Mary, LL.M. 1988 (tax law)
Military Service: None
Career: Homemaker; U.S. Treasury Department lawyer

----
Rep.-Elect Adrian Smith (R-NE)
3rd District

Born: December 19, 1970
Religion: Christian
Family: Single
Education: Liberty U., attended 1989-90; U. of Nebraska, B.S. 1993
Military Service: None
Career: Storage company owner; realtor; education workshop coordinator; substitute teacher

----
Rep.-Elect Dean Heller (R-NV)
2nd District

Born: May 10, 1960
Religion: Mormon
Family: Wife, Lynne Heller; four children
Education: U. of Southern California, B.S. 1985
Military Service: None
Career: Commercial banker; chief deputy state treasurer; stockbroker

----
Rep.-Elect Jim Jordan (R-OH)
4th District

Born: February 17, 1964
Religion: Christian non-denominational
Family: Wife, Polly Jordan; four children
Education: U. of Wisconsin, B.S. 1986; Ohio State U., M.A. 1991; Capital U., J.D. 2001
Military Service: None
Career: College wrestling coach

----
Rep.-Elect Mary Fallin (R-OK)
5th District

Born: December 9, 1954
Religion: Christian non-denominational
Family: Divorced; two children
Education: Oklahoma Baptist U., attended 1973-75; Oklahoma State U., B.S. 1977; U. of Central Oklahoma, attended 1979-81
Military Service: None
Career: Real estate broker; hotel properties manager; state tourism agency official

----
Rep.-Elect David Davis (R--TN)
1st District

Born: November 6, 1959
Religion: Baptist
Family: Wife, Joyce Davis; two children
Education: California College for Health Sciences, A.S. 1983, Milligan College, B.S. 1991
Military Service: None
Career: Oxygen therapy clinic owner; medical equipment company owner; respiratory therapist

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/12/06/none-of-the-new-gop-congr_n_35722.html

There are 96 military veterans in the House of Representatives, and 25 in the Senate. That leaves more than 400 members of congress who are not veterans. I'm not going to bother counting them up by party; suffice to say: there are a lot of Republican members of Congress who didn't serve in the military. Broder's suggestion that Democrats, and only Democrats, are isolated from the military because of a lack of military service is nonsense.

Link : Membership of the 111th Congress: A Profile

http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40086_20081231.pdf


http://mediamatters.org/blog/200905210009

[elleng]

1. Several Dem reps are Vets, and Senators!!!

and how does he know that Prez O 'never gave a thought?'

[Submariner]

2. Broder probably never gave it a thought like most of his neo-con overlords

[Supersedeas]

17. some reporters new gave a thought to investigating the 'service' of AWOL

[izzie]

3. That is an odd statement.

I am wiling to bet a good percent of kids in the service come from middle class families on the lower side of the income scale and are Dem. families. There are few McCain's in the field and they are usually at West Point etc. Lots of people make up the service but few come from WP. I do not see why the GOP thinks the military service is a arm of the party. It does not ring true to me.

[Norrin Radd]

4. This list was from 2006 (can't find an updated one):

http://www.awolbush.com/whoserved.html

[democracy1st]

12. very good

[Optical.Catalyst]

5. There were two other Democratic Presidents that served in the military

President Gore was in the Army - Oh wait, his election was stolen

President Kerry was in the Navy - Oh wait, his election was stolen

[zbdent]

6. Bet Bush43 was never pulled over for DWB ...

and there are no arrests on record for his drunken driving ...

"Don't you know who my daddy is???"

[Teaser]

7. David Broder's brain died years ago.

but his rudderless body keeps writing columns.

[Joe Bacon]

8. If Rush said 2+2=5, Broder would defend him.

NOBODY kisses up to the asshole of the Republic Party more than David Broder. He is their #1 stenographer. If Rush went on the radio and said the moon is made of green cheese, Broder's next column will carefully describe the version of brie that the Republic Party loves. But, then again, Broder's columns have been cheesy for years!

[saltpoint]

9. If you like ukelele concertos, you'll probably like David Broder.

[ellie]

10. David Broder is an idiot

[Kingofalldems]

11. I bet Broder is a vet ---not

[mitchum]

14. He served honorably...under General Washington

[CatWoman]

15. LOL!!

[LynnTheDem]

13. Who served?

http://www.awolbush.com/whoserved.html

Prominent Republicans
Representative Patrick McHenry, R-NC - did not serve. Saw fit to endanger American troops' lives after a visit to Iraq by violating operational security and helping militias target their mortar attacks on the Green Zone.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY - did not serve (1)
Senate Assistant Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-MI - avoided the draft, did not serve.
Senate Republican Conference Chairman Jon Kyl, R-AZ - did not serve.
Senate Republican Conference Vice Chair John Cornyn, R-TX - did not serve.
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair John Ensign, R-NV - did not serve.


House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-OH - did not serve.
House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-MO - did not serve.
House Republican Conerence Chair Adam Putnam, R-FL - did not serve.
House Republican Policy Committee Thaddeus McCotter, R-MI - did not serve.
National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-OK - did not serve.


Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani - did not serve.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney - did not serve in the military but did serve the Mormon Church on a 30-month mission to France.
Former Senator Fred Thompson - did not serve.
Senator John McCain - McCain's naval honors include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross. Why did the Bush campaign smear him so in 2000? At least Senators Cleland (D-GA), Kerry (D-MA), Kerrey (D-NE), Robb (D-VA) and Hagel (R-NE) defended him.

Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert - avoided the draft, did not serve.
Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey - avoided the draft, did not serve.
Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay - avoided the draft, did not serve (1). "So many minority youths had volunteered ... that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like himself."
Former House Majority Whip Roy Blunt - did not serve
Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist - did not serve. (An impressive medical resume, but not such a friend to cats in Boston.)
Rick Santorum, R-PA, formerly third ranking Republican in the Senate - did not serve. (1)
George Felix Allen, former Republican Senator from Virginia - a supporter of Nixon and the Vietnam war, did not serve. (1)


Former Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld - served in the U.S. Navy (1954-57) as an aviator and flight instructor. (1) Served as President Reagan's Special Envoy to the Middle East and met with Saddam Hussein twice in 1983 and 1984.
GW Bush - decided that a six-year Nat'l Guard commitment really means four years. Still says that he's "been to war." Huh?
VP Cheney - several deferments (1, 2), the last by marriage (in his own words, "had other priorities than military service") (1)
Former Att'y Gen. John Ashcroft - did not serve (1, 2); received seven deferment to teach business ed at SW Missouri State

Jeb Bush, Florida Governor - did not serve. (1)

Karl Rove - avoided the draft, did not serve (1), too busy being a Republican.

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich - avoided the draft, did not serve (1, 2)
Former President Ronald Reagan - due to poor eyesight, served in a noncombat role making movies for the Army in southern California during WWII. He later seems to have confused his role as an actor playing a tail gunner with the real thing.
"B-1" Bob Dornan - avoided Korean War combat duty by enrolling in college acting classes (Orange County Weekly article). Enlisted only after the fighting was over in Korea.
Phil Gramm - avoided the draft, did not serve, four (?) student deferments
Congressman Ron Paul - active duty flight surgeon from 1963-65; Air National Guard from 1965-68. (link)
Former Senator Bob Dole - an honorable man. http://www.bobdole.org/bio/wwII.php
Chuck Hagel - two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star, Vietnam. http://www.senate.gov/~hagel/Information/bio.htm
Duke Cunningham - nominated for the Medal of Honor, received the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, fifteen Air Medals, the Purple Heart, and several other decorations Recently entered plea bargain on felony charges of bribery, etc. etc.
Senator Jeff Sessions U.S. Army Reserves, 1973-1986
Colin Powell. What are we to make of Powell? On the one hand, a long career as a military manager. On the other hand, accused of covering up the My Lai massacre. Back on that first hand, one of the seemingly sane voices in this administration when it comes to Iraq (or at least he used to be). On the other hand, a clear hypocrite ("I am angry that so many of the sons of the powerful and well-placed... managed to wangle slots in Reserve and National Guard units...")
Representative Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), served in USMC in Vietnam; wounded in action.

[old mark]

18. Re: Powell - There are fighting officers and there are management officers -

Powell had one tour as a fighting officer,the remainder of his carreer as apolitician/manager officer. This is sometimed called "getting your ticket punched," that is, fulfilling a requirement that a professional officer who may be destined for high rank must have certain command and combat experiences and "I-Was-There" medals to be eligible for the right schools, the right jobs, etc to assure a smooth carreer path. Powell is an intelligent, probably even a moral man who saw a path to advance himself in the Army. He is certainly not the first and will not be the last.

mark

[BrotherBuzz]

19. Reagan was an old geezer with a crappy memory as a president, but to his credit....

Reagan home studied and joined in the Army Enlisted Reserve on April 29, 1937. He was appointed Second Lieutenant in the Officers Reserve Corps of the Cavalry on May 25, 1937, three years before the draft, and four years before WWII.

[jberryhill]

27. ...and that was when the cavalry still had horses /nt

[spooky3]

16. k&r

[SoCalDem]

20. Canceling the draft is largely responsible

as was the closing of many military installations in democratic areas.. Military bases become a part of the fabric of a community, and as military families retire and stay there, it's no unusual for the younger people to see the military as a positive option for themselves.

When the military moves or retains bases is predominantly "republican" areas (especially if it's in a poor area where no real job opportunities are available to young people), it's not unusual at all.. If you live in Podunk, USA, and the only option is military with benefits or $6 an hr at the soft serve ice cream place, the military option looks pretty good.

When we had a draft, the drift net caught MOST young people(male only, but still).. It caught up the dreamers, the readers, the poets, the writers, the auto mechanics, the scholars, the athletes, the gunnies and the anti-gunnies..There was a natural "balancing effect".. Of course the rich folks were able to keep their own sons out, to some degree, but there was a large enough "sample", to include young men of ALL "flavors"..

and it allowed people to meet each other, who never would have met (and become friends) in any other setting..

When the "sample" is concentrated, you have a whole "other" thing entirely.


..........from way-back"..

SoCalDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-04-06 01:10 PM

The draft is a "drift net".. It catches a variety of people

Volunteer service is another animal altogether. Volunteer military by its very nature, attracts people who "need" something from the military..something personal.. It could be as ordinary as a chance at a decent education once the tour is up...or it could be because the applicant is looking for an "extreme adventure", and may just be a psycho. Probably more often than not, most applicants are interested in the medical benefits for their families and a chance at an education, but the military suffers at the hands of the few loonies who gravitate to a lifestyle that gives them all-encompassing power over other people, arms them to the teeth, and sends them out to kill..

When there's a draft, although it sometimes passes by the elite children, it does manage to catch a wide variety of the rest of the population. It catches bookish guys, musicians, poets, artists, athletes, right along with the "adventurous" types. The military can be a place where it all "evens-out"... the bookish ones gain a self-reliance, a toughness they never had...and some of the "tougher" ones may actually learn to like reading and music...

When I went to my first high school reunion, I found out that one of the guys who I went to high school with had been killed in Viet Nam.. He was the kid with the pocket-protector, the Buddy Holly glasses (before they were cool), and who carried an expansion briefcase to school.. people belittled him, teased him, and yet HE died a hero in Viet Nam.. He obviously had a transformative experience when he was tested, but no one in a million years would have ever expected Craig to even survive boot camp.. There were also guys who were headed straight for jail, and who turned their lives around after being drafted.. The modulating effect of all kinds of people from all places cannot be underestimated..

You don't get that from an all volunteer service.. It's an inner-outsourcing.. What used to include most, now only looks for the "few".. they even say it in their ads..

[Captain Hilts]

26. We have an economic draft now. nt

[Uncle Joe]

21. Virtually all Republicans wear a flag lapel pin and that confuses Broder;

he thinks that's a uniform.

[jgraz]

22. You could have stopped that question at "think"

[Thothmes]

23. your point is,

Pope Benedict has more active duty military service than Presidents Clinton and Obama combined.

[Captain Hilts]

24. Same guy that said in '95 that Clinton "trashed" the White House. Coded language for 'white trash'.

[Captain Hilts]

25. This stuff really ticks me off. nt