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  • Influential Vets Group slams McCain

    Vets group slams McCain on voting record
    By Rick Maze - Staff writer, Navy Times
    Posted : Tuesday Oct 7, 2008 13:45:33 EDT

    The nation’s most prestigious group for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans released a congressional scorecard on Tuesday that ranks Republican presidential candidate John McCain as having one of the worst voting records when it comes to supporting troops and veterans.

    The grade is due to his absence on several key votes on military and veterans’ issues over the last two years.

    McCain, ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee and a decorated Navy fighter pilot who spent 5½ years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, received a D on the report card from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. He is one of nine lawmakers — four senators and five members of the House of Representatives — who received a D or F from the nonprofit, nonpartisan group.

    McCain’s presidential campaign staff did not respond to calls asking for comment on the report.

    Two people — both Republicans — received an F: Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas.

    For senators, scores were based on 10 votes involving increased funding for veterans’ programs, expansions of benefits, a vote to purchase Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles and four separate votes at various stages of consideration of the Post-9/11 GI Bill of Rights and co-sponsorship of the bill.

    McCain’s Democratic challenger, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, received a B on the report card, the same grade received by Obama’s vice presidential running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del. Obama and Biden also missed key votes; Obama missed four and Biden three.

    Fifty-five senators received an A on the report card.

    In the House, grades were based on 13 votes and co-sponsorship of the full-tuition GI Bill benefits that became law earlier this year. Votes included increasing veterans’ funding and benefits, a veterans’ suicide prevention bill, a bill giving refugee status to translators who worked with U.S. troops in Iraq, expanded wounded warrior treatment programs and a bill ending the government’s policy of requiring repayment of bonuses for people who did not complete their military obligation because of death or disability. Five House members received a D, but 250 others received an A.

    Vanessa Williamson of IAVA said the grades are based on items drawn from the association’s legislative agenda, which was provided to every congressional office.

    Getting a good score was not that difficult because many of the votes on veterans’ issues were unanimous or nearly unanimous. In the Senate, only three votes on the Post-9/11 GI Bill made a significant difference in grades. In the House, two votes on the GI Bill and a 2007 vote about whether Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans should be given two years or five years of no-questions asked health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs made the difference.

    One hundred fifty lawmakers received perfect scores.

    Link
    Hillary receives an A on the report card.

    Ron Paul logically gets an F.

  • #2
    ouch

    Thats got to hurt
    sigpicFEAR NAUGHT

    Should raw analytical data ever be passed to policy makers?

    Comment


    • #3
      No, not really. You can stack the deck on things like this by counting the votes that they missed.

      Can ANYbody plausibly claim that McCain supports veterans LESS, and Obama supports 'em MORE?

      Sure you can, if you're a dishonest front group that exists to smear a war hero. Look 'em up.

      Comment


      • #4
        Paul Rieckhoff, the group's founder, is a self-described "little i" independent who was tapped to deliver the Democratic radio response on the first anniversary of Mission Accomplished, a soldier who feels "revulsion for the President".

        Comment


        • #5
          You could say the same thing about Swift Boat veterans and their organization but I suspect you are too biased to say that.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Bluesman View Post
            No, not really. You can stack the deck on things like this by counting the votes that they missed.

            Can ANYbody plausibly claim that McCain supports veterans LESS, and Obama supports 'em MORE?

            Sure you can, if you're a dishonest front group that exists to smear a war hero. Look 'em up.

            Paul Rieckhoff, the group's founder, is a self-described "little i" independent who was tapped to deliver the Democratic radio response on the first anniversary of Mission Accomplished, a soldier who feels "revulsion for the President".

            Blues,

            IMO your posts would carry more weight if you appeared the least bit even handed in how you addressed individuals and groups that do not share your very narrow view of what it means to be a patriot.

            To besmirch other veterans who have honorably served their country because you do not share their political views diminishes your position and the strength of your argument.

            While I have no doubt that your service to this country has been acknowledged many times, you do not appear, to me at least, to acknowledge the same debt of gratitude to other former service men and women if they do not share your political leanings.

            If I am mistaken in my assessment I offer my apologies.
            Buy the ticket, take the ride.

            Comment


            • #7
              That shows the ''record'' of fellow feeling for the compatriots!

              Patriotism is for the birds!


              "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

              I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

              HAKUNA MATATA

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Bluesman View Post
                Paul Rieckhoff, the group's founder, is a self-described "little i" independent who was tapped to deliver the Democratic radio response on the first anniversary of Mission Accomplished, a soldier who feels "revulsion for the President".
                Rieckhoff publically supported Obama on the Bill Maher show last spring. I watched it. Will provide link soon...can't access Youtube right now.
                America doesn't deserve its military

                -Emma Sky

                Comment


                • #9
                  Here's the question though: WHY did McCain vote against those bills?

                  Maybe they are full of pork spendings.

                  I would vote against a bill that gives veterans $1 million in benefits/aid but $5 million in other unrelated projects. Am I against veterans?
                  "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by gunnut View Post
                    Here's the question though: WHY did McCain vote against those bills?

                    Maybe they are full of pork spendings.

                    I would vote against a bill that gives veterans $1 million in benefits/aid but $5 million in other unrelated projects. Am I against veterans?
                    Vets to McCain: Back New GI BIll
                    no, surprisely McCain has a record pretty hostile to vets
                    Vets to McCain: Back New GI BIll
                    Where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost.”
                    ~Ronald Reagan

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Roosveltrepub View Post
                      Vets to McCain: Back New GI BIll
                      no, surprisely McCain has a record pretty hostile to vets
                      Vets to McCain: Back New GI BIll
                      The article did not mention the details of the bill.

                      My question stands. What was in those bills besides veteran benefits?
                      "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by gunnut View Post
                        The article did not mention the details of the bill.

                        My question stands. What was in those bills besides veteran benefits?
                        Another important aspect of the Bill that McCain rejected was the enticement of vets to leave the service to pursue their education. Right now, it's difficult enough to enlist Soldiers, let alone retain them for future service. This has been especially hard on the junior NCO and Officer ranks. Kudos to McCain recognizing this fault.
                        America doesn't deserve its military

                        -Emma Sky

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by osage18 View Post
                          Another important aspect of the Bill that McCain rejected was the enticement of vets to leave the service to pursue their education. Right now, it's difficult enough to enlist Soldiers, let alone retain them for future service. This has been especially hard on the junior NCO and Officer ranks. Kudos to McCain recognizing this fault.
                          osage,

                          Just a crazy thought but perhaps the fact that we have active duty and reserve units some on their third and forth deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan is the greater difficulty in retaining junior NCO’s and Officers and not a Bill improving their educational benefits.

                          One of the reasons that post war America did so well after WW II was that large numbers of GI’s that took advantage of the GI Bill and attended college. This provided a huge boost to the country and the economy and gave America an edge in the global marketplace.

                          IMO McCain did our service people a disservice in not supporting the bill.
                          Buy the ticket, take the ride.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by tim52 View Post
                            osage,

                            Just a crazy thought but perhaps the fact that we have active duty and reserve units some on their third and forth deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan is the greater difficulty in retaining junior NCO’s and Officers and not a Bill improving their educational benefits.

                            One of the reasons that post war America did so well after WW II was that large numbers of GI’s that took advantage of the GI Bill and attended college. This provided a huge boost to the country and the economy and gave America an edge in the global marketplace.

                            IMO McCain did our service people a disservice in not supporting the bill.
                            Small difference though. Back then we had the draft. Now our forces are voluntary. So the comparison isn't really valid.

                            Still I ask the same question: what exactly was in that bill besides education grants?
                            "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by tim52 View Post
                              osage,

                              Just a crazy thought but perhaps the fact that we have active duty and reserve units some on their third and forth deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan is the greater difficulty in retaining junior NCO’s and Officers and not a Bill improving their educational benefits.

                              One of the reasons that post war America did so well after WW II was that large numbers of GI’s that took advantage of the GI Bill and attended college. This provided a huge boost to the country and the economy and gave America an edge in the global marketplace.

                              IMO McCain did our service people a disservice in not supporting the bill.
                              My Dad flew a B26s and lived to talk about it. he became a machinist right after the war going into the GE tool and die program. Because of the Gi Bill he was able to go to MIT. He ended up becoming a published Engineer whose specialty was small power plants[ he has dementia now but is happy] I would think it is a no brainer he created more wealth designing small plants/boilers for plastics factories in the 60s and 70s than He would of making turbine fixtures. Boy did the govt get bang for the buck with that "socialist" program. This is the EXACT kind of program the govt should be doing.
                              Where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost.”
                              ~Ronald Reagan

                              Comment

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