Democrats courting military vote
Washington Post
WASHINGTON — For years, veterans were seen as solidly in the Republican camp. But Democrats, especially those in Congress, are fighting hard for veterans' votes in 2004.
On Veterans Day, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., released a report on how many disabled veterans will fail to benefit from a recent GOP-crafted tax reduction. She mentions veterans repeatedly in news conferences, and has assigned a staffer to e-mail veterans about what the Democratic Party is doing to help them.
"Our veterans served for all of us," Rep. Nancy Pelosi said. "We must be there for all of them."
"Our veterans served for all of us," Pelosi said recently. "We must be there for all of them."
From healthcare to disability benefits, the two parties are sparring on issues important to veterans. Some observers say these retired military personnel, often impatient with Bush administration domestic and foreign policies, are listening.
"Democrats for the first time are really courting the military vote," said Joe Barnes, national executive secretary of the Fleet Reserve Association.
According to Peter Feaver, a Duke University political scientist, veterans constitute 19 percent of the American public. A 4-year-old study by Feaver concluded that 37 percent of them were Republicans, 31 percent were Democrats and the rest were divided among independents, minor parties and political nonparticipants.
In the 2000 election, veterans leaned solidly Republican, unhappy with President Bill Clinton's sex scandal and his handling of foreign affairs. Now, however, "that appeal has receded a little bit," Feaver said. "Veterans are not as prone to be Republicans as four years ago."
Veterans, he said, are concerned with issues including national defense, foreign affairs and public morality. "Four years ago, every single one of those factors pushed against Democrats," he said. "Some of those issues still push against Democrats, but not as much."
Several observers said veterans are disappointed in Bush's handling of matters important to them.
"They don't think he's sincere in actually wanting to help veterans," said Jonathan Shay, a Boston psychiatrist who treats many veterans. "They just see him as trying to use them as a puppet: You jerk the patriotic string, and the veterans say, 'Yeah, prez.' "
Bush's efforts to hold down domestic spending has also worked against him. This fall the administration fought — unsuccessfully — a bid to add $1.3 billion in emergency healthcare funding for veterans in fiscal 2004.
