Dems to revive draft demand

[Terwilliger]

http://thehill.com/news/100703/draft.aspx

By Alexander Bolton


Key Democrats in the House and Senate will renew calls for the military draft as part of a critical barrage they are preparing to launch against President Bush over the length of troop deployments and the heavy reliance on reservists in Iraq.

Military experts outside Congress say there is a political advantage to be gained by Democrats who want to make the president squirm at a time a growing frustration among military families and other Americans over the occupation.

But they also say that there are legitimate policy grounds for re-instituting the draft, which was phased out after the Vietnam war.

<snip>

......MORE.......

[Postman]

1. I'd like to know who the "key Democrats" are so I can vote them out...

of office.

No way in hell are my kids going into the stinkin' military.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

22. I support them - why should the rich get out of service?

Our military is made up of black people and other minorities and white working class males. I think the rich should have to fight and die too.

[Redclydesider]

2. no way

this is a losing proposition, no way soccer moms or nascar dads are gonna stand for this.

[NashVegas]

4. gross miscalculation on the Dems' part

Didn't California just prove that voters won't see beyond their own short-term self interest?

[The Backlash Cometh]

21. You got it.

No soccer mom would approve of it. And believe me, not all soccer moms are Republican.

[FlemingsGhost]

3. Shrewd move. Serious hardcore politics here...

No one can claim Democrats are "weak on defense," plus they scare the shit out of complacent Americans.

[ComerPerro]

6. Its a mistake

They scare the shit out of Americans, but they scare them right into voting Republican. All you will hear is "the Democrats want your kids to die for them".

[FlemingsGhost]

9. Ummmm... kids ARE dying. For a manufactured Republican war

The GOP will have to explain why more trrops aren't necessary, while indefinitely extending the stays of those already there.

Democrats are bluffing, and the GOP knows it, but it backs them into a very tight corner.

[ComerPerro]

11. Well, you and I know that

Everyone here knows that.

But trust me: All that will get reported (and repeated) is that the Democrats in congress want to bring back the draft.

[FlemingsGhost]

14. See post #12

Dems

[ComerPerro]

20. Oh man, now I have to go to post 12

Ugggh. Ok.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Oh and I agree with you

I thik Rangel and his pal, as they stated back in January,
are playing this correctly.

They said, this will make Congress think twice about sending
their own kids to war.

[The Backlash Cometh]

23. You know it will never happen that way.

We don't even trust our own presidential elections. How can we possibly trust a draft? I'm not risking the life of my son for some not-well-thought-out Democratic crap shoot.

[Terwilliger]

8. yep, and screw themselves yet again

do you not remember "The Plan"?

[FlemingsGhost]

12. The more the focus is on Bush's failed war, the better.

No one will care about Ahnuld or Kobe if they think they might have to go and die in Bush's war.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. And that will get those kids to the booth

Now what the democrats do with this and point to the fact
that we woudl not need it if BUSH was not bad for National
Defense....


Yep, bush has given us National Defense on a silver platter.

[Terwilliger]

18. Do you remember "The Plan"?

Democrats ALWAYS lose out when they try to pre-empt the Pukes...ESPECIALLY on an issue where they're already so weak.

[ComerPerro]

24. Yeah, you are right, however

I still contend that this is a losing angle.
Granted, it will ideally bring attention to Bush's failed (and still failing) war, and will show people that they could be directly personally affected by this if they don't take action.

However, I really do think you are giving the public WAY too much credit for being able to think for themselves.

Picture it. The Dems propose a draft, they could even have a sound byte saying "this is the only way to call to the public's attetion how wreckless this admistration has been".
It won't make a difference to mainstream America. You should know by now that when people face a difficult truth and an easy lie, they almost ALWAYS opt to belive the lie. This is why Republicans do so well.

For example, take taxes. Dems know that to properly fund education, health care, defense, and other essentials for our country, we need taxes. Republicans promise people that they can lower and even in some instances eliminate taxes, all while still funding "compassionate" programs.

Its a lie. I know its a lie, you know its a lie, even the general public knows its a lie. But its more comforting than the truth, so it is accepted.


Now, somewhere in that mess I went way off on a tangent. But bear with me:

It doesn't matter what our angle is, because the Republicans and their talking head whores on TV and radio will take our intentions, and they will twist, pervert, and mangle them until they are unrecognizable. Once this is done, it will be packaged and sent out to the public, as just another bulk shipment of propaganda, paranioa, and patriotism.

Does any of that incoherent mess make sense?

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. The reason for Rangel's call makes sense

but his legislation, which excempts NO ONE and includes women
will not pass as proposed.

Hear me out, if we are indeed at war, which is what he has argued,
and this is WW IV as Wooseley has stated, then ALL Americans should
serve.

now count on the service chiefs and the President resisting this.

you will see a draft by bush only after 2004.

If you have draft age kids, the good news this will make them
go and vote...

Yes I am a Navy Wife, and yes the troops are being put through hell and yes Rummy and CO have all but destroyed the Armed Forces.

[Postman]

10. Navy wife criticizing Bush?......

I like you already gal.

I served in the Navy too 1981-1986. I put my wife through the same shit your going through.

How does your husband view Bush?

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Lets just put it this way

Bush is not a favorite subject in his household.

Neither of us likes the chimp...

Oh and here is the shocker for many on DU...

The Commander in Thief is not popular with many in the armed
forces. Getting an accurate number will be impossible, as you
remember from your years in the Navy... but the services are
not unified and in lockstep behind the boss, but... as you understand
from the UCMJ, they cannot say such publicly... and I cannot wait for my husband to retire.

By the way, welcome home sailor and thanks for your service.

[Postman]

16. Thank you. I'm sure you've seen the latest video footage of Bush

meeting with those reservists in New Hampshire.....enter Bush stage right, flags waving, military personnel clapping with adoring eyes, Bush shaking hands with reservists......

It's those types of media events that go a long way toward conveying to the public that...see, the military really does love my policies....

I know it'll never happen but just once I'd like to see those guys just sit on their hands when this clown talks about Iraq.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. Mandatory fun time

You were there.

YOU WILL HAVE FUN AND YOU WILL SMILE!

Problem is that nobody has contact with the military no more
that is why a draft would be good. Those tactics would not
work with people who remember that...

This is an order soldier, got it?

Yes Sir!

by the way I do have my own experience even if not in the US Military.

So in a way I understand this better than most dependents.

[Postman]

28. Good point about non-contact with the military....

I think where we as a public relying on the corporate media types get short changed is that there are no reporters that I know of that have prior military service and so they have this Hollywood view of the military, they have no clue of what it's like to be in the military or to be the wife of a military service member yet these are the same people who tell us of events that involve the military....

Not that you should be required to have been in the military to report on the military, it's just that I think that the plight of service members would be understood better and conveyed better to the general public instead of just reporting them as happy backdrops for presidential propaganda moments..

[The Backlash Cometh]

19. I don't care what the Democrats motive is in pushing the Draft...

but if they succeed, I will be voting straight line Republican because I couldn't possibly vote for a party that can't recognize when it's shooting itself in the foot.

[ComerPerro]

27. See, Backlash doesn't care about the motivations behind this legislation

So what chance do the Dems have of communicating their intentions to the general public?

[bluestateguy]

25. not helpful

Let the Republicans call for the draft, which I'm sure they will at some point. Democrats would be taking an issue which would be sure to blow up in the Republicans faces and letting themselves get screwed over it. It would be like taking a grenade out of your enemy's hand and pulling the pin on it.

[MattNC]

26. this is nothing new

These two have been proposing a draft for almost a year now. While I think there are good intentions here, the Dems supporting a draft is a huge mistake politically and it's also unneeded militarily.

If the majority of Dems came out in support of this, I'd be voting Republican.

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. And this shows the

disconnect.

Just a question, how many of you know how many active brigades
we will have stateside when everybody is deployed?

Big huge hint, two brigades.

The only reason why nobody takes us on is the nuclear umbrella

[MattNC]

30. how does my post show disconnect

anyone with an understanding of the modern military knows what a bad idea the draft is