Women in military, female veterans shifting from GOP

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Women in military, female veterans shifting from GOP

By HOPE YEN and JENNIFER McDERMOTT
December 29, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — It had been months since retired Lt. Cmdr. Michele Fitzpatrick paid attention to news coverage. She was turned off by President Donald Trump’s tweetstorms and attacks on critics such as the late Republican Sen. John McCain, a war hero. But as the November midterm elections approached, she fired up her laptop.

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Long seen as a bastion of support for Republicans, the face of the U.S. military and its veterans is changing — and perhaps too is their political bent.

Veterans by and large did vote for GOP candidates on Nov. 6, affirming Trump’s frequent claim that they stand among his strongest backers. But more women are joining the military, and they are bucking the pattern, according to data from AP VoteCast.

The 60-year-old Fitzpatrick recalls suppressing her opinions as a young “hardcore Democrat” in an overwhelmingly Republican military but finding other ways to promote change, such as supporting other female cadets.

Now, women in the military are helping elect new Democratic lawmakers and spur discussion on once little-mentioned topics such as sexual harassment and women in combat roles. As political candidates, female veterans also had a breakout performance in the midterms, sometimes campaigning as a foil to Trump: empathetic and competent on issues such as health care while also trustworthy on military and defense, typically a GOP strength.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/1e39fbbc959c4c4b9d9bb9dec09a5844

[Ciaphas Cain]

1. Veterans outreach

It's certainly not too farfetched that women in the military are more liberal than their male counterparts. It's also slightly absurd to believe that every single male member of the military is a dyed in the wool Conservative Republican. They just don't talk about it because of reasons.

Maybe some outreach to these people could be worthwhile?

[Aristus]

2. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool liberal Army veteran.

I wasn't shy about It when I was in, either. I was surrounded by a huge number of ultra-right-wing bigots, racists, and general assholes. But I refused to go along to get along.

My last duty station was Fort Knox, Kentucky. I had friends in Louisville's thriving gay scene, and hung out with them most weekends. When a guy in my unit threatened to report me and get me kicked out of the Army on an accusation of homosexuality ( this was during the whole 'Dont Ask, Don't Tell' flap), I told him: "Go ahead. Do your worst. I'm not gay, and having gay friends isn't a crime. Even in the Army." He mumbled a little, and never reported me.

I take my hat off to all liberal service members for not allowing the right-wingers to dim your progressive light.

[akraven]

3. Me, too - USAF.

I never backed down, and did convert a few!