500 Admirals and Generals endorse Gov. Romney

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monovillage

Diamond Member
Jul 3, 2008
8,444
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Former military endorsements would be interesting, at least from a national defense perspective, IF you believed that the people doing the endorsing were doing so for totally objective and non-personal/non-partisan reasons. As much as I respect people who have or are serving, it's ridiculous to go so far as to declare them perfect political super-humans able to make decisions about who to support without personal bias.

And that's effectively what arguments like this do. They claim, without actually saying so, that the ONLY reason military or former military people would support someone is because that person is a better choice for national defense in their expert, unbiased opinion. Not only does that sound pretty silly, it's kind of insulting to those in uniform to assume they're not people with political views like the rest of us and instead they're a prop for your political argument.

You mean like Colin Powell? Obama gets 1 endorsement from ex-military and Romney gets 500, but for some hyper-partisan reason only Obama's counts?
 
Feb 6, 2007
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You mean like Colin Powell? Obama gets 1 endorsement from ex-military and Romney gets 500, but for some hyper-partisan reason only Obama's counts?
Colin Powell has a political career beyond the military; he was Secretary of State under a Republican administration. I take Powell's recommendation with a grain of salt regardless, but his political history is more involved than just "Army general."
 

Nemesis 1

Lifer
Dec 30, 2006
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lol those clowns love death and destruction. if anything, their endorsement would be a reason NOT to vote for willard, they know hes their only chance for keeping this country in a state of perpetual war

Do you even know the history of the United states of America , Clearly you do not
 

Nemesis 1

Lifer
Dec 30, 2006
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Colin Powell has a political career beyond the military; he was Secretary of State under a Republican administration. I take Powell's recommendation with a grain of salt regardless, but his political history is more involved than just "Army general."

So he flip flopping I see.
 

Rainsford

Lifer
Apr 25, 2001
17,515
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You mean like Colin Powell? Obama gets 1 endorsement from ex-military and Romney gets 500, but for some hyper-partisan reason only Obama's counts?

Colin Powell's endorsement, or not, can have whatever impact you like based on your personal opinion of Colin Powell and his views on the election. Personally I don't value Powell's endorsement more than most endorsements, but everyone can make that choice for themselves.

I was talking more about the goofy idea that military endorsement implies expert opinion rather than personal bias of someone who happens to have served in the military. If Colin Powell endorsed Obama because he believes Obama is best for national security while the 500 endorsed Romney for personal reasons (I have no reason to believe that's the case, but it's worth thinking about), then yes, Powell's endorsement is the only one that "counts".
 

Lemon law

Lifer
Nov 6, 2005
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You don't 'fight' a cold war you fucking moron.
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Which is exactly correct in an era of mutual assured destruction, but in the interim, most of those retired generals stood four square for the purchase of now totally obsolete military toys. And the more expensive the toy is and the more useless the toys are, the better.

But when we then ask how worthwhile those 500 generals and admirals are in terms of winning the peace in modern world conflicts, we start talking the most clueless and worthless dumb asses on the planet.

Its why they endorse Mitt Romney, even if, the real Romney has never defined himself.

But still, in terms of making money off of the military Industrial complex Eisenhower warned us about, those 500 general and admirals are experts at looting the taxpayer in an era when the military industrial complex is less industrial and more military.
 

Rainsford

Lifer
Apr 25, 2001
17,515
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Which is exactly correct in an era of mutual assured destruction, but in the interim, most of those retired generals stood four square for the purchase of now totally obsolete military toys. And the more expensive the toy is and the more useless the toys are, the better.

But when we then ask how worthwhile those 500 generals and admirals are in terms of winning the peace in modern world conflicts, we start talking the most clueless and worthless dumb asses on the planet.

Its why they endorse Mitt Romney, even if, the real Romney has never defined himself.

But still, in terms of making money off of the military Industrial complex Eisenhower warned us about, those 500 general and admirals are experts at looting the taxpayer in an era when the military industrial complex is less industrial and more military.

I'm not sure I'd go that far, but it's certainly worth remembering that our system of government is set up explicitly to ensure civilians control the military and not the other way around. Folks in uniform deserve a lot of respect for what they do, but anyone who thinks they should be running the show should give it some more thought.
 

MagnusTheBrewer

IN MEMORIAM
Jun 19, 2004
24,122
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At least they're consistent. They made bad decisions when they served and are still making them.
 

GarfieldtheCat

Diamond Member
Jan 7, 2005
3,708
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Ownage not found. Just like in the hundreds of other attempts that have been made. Lift your blinders and see the truth! :cool:

Fact is, Obama has literally a handful of endorsements from the senior military that have chosen to play in this arena, and those endorsements seem for reasons other than Obama's purported sense of foreign policy and defense "expertise."

Romney, having not even been the Commander-In-Chief, has vastly more endorsements. That is cold, hard fact.

Why would someone endorse?

Someone is in business, they know that if their man loses, they will too, and often very big bucks. So most businessmen play it safe, even give to both sides, go to both R and D dinners, etc.

The military guys tend to stay military, however. They cannot just leave behind the lives they led in service to the country. They are much less likely to make a cynical ploy as is argued above. They actually do love the country they devoted their lives to. This love sustains them now as it did when their lives were on the line.

If they are now in a senior position in business, all they have to do is be silent and watch the election play out. Neutral, uncommitted - that is the safe game to be played.

Now, a day before the election, a supposedly very close and uncertain election, these guys have risked their reputations and their livelihoods to endorse Romney.

The "progressives" and the lefties and the re-distributionists that post here despise the military and what it represents - the defense of a nation they do not understand and a nation that has rejected their false utopianism time and again. Those who spat on troops returning from every modern conflict have not changed their tune, have they?

So, as before, they attack the messengers and ignore the message.

Tomorrow we will see how many agree with the generals and the admirals and the business owners and the housewives and the millions who know that Romney is a much better choice for the next four years.

Until then, we might consider that the courage of those who have served continues on...

LOL...you posted an opinion piece, and once again, tried to pass it off as fact. This is like the zillionth time you have done so, and just about every time, someone has called you out on it, just like this time.

So a bunch of MIC military types are supporting the guy that will give them billions....wow, shocking, no? Did you just get your RNC check, so you can start "supporting" them again too?

And you kinda forgot about Colin Powell, as several people correctly pointed out. Former CJCS and SecState has loads more "cred" then a bunch of random ex-military defense contractors.

Didn't see a post by you about Powell supporting Obama, I wonder why, LOL?
 

Lemon law

Lifer
Nov 6, 2005
20,984
3
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I'm not sure I'd go that far, but it's certainly worth remembering that our system of government is set up explicitly to ensure civilians control the military and not the other way around. but anyone who thinks they should be running the show should give it some more thought.
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The thing I question in the Rainsford statement is in the assertion that " Folks in uniform deserve a lot of respect for what they do" when that respect has to be earned by deeds and not automatically given.

But still I agree with the Rainsford assertion, our average enlisted service men and women below the rank of Captain earn and deserve our respect, but IMHO, most of those 500 generals and admirals earn and deserve no respect. And in fact most are a bunch of worthless parasites with the collective wisdom of a salmonella bacterium. And a clear and ever present danger to the service men and women they use for cannon fodder and the taxpaying public they rip off.
 

Regasak

Junior Member
Nov 6, 2012
2
0
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Colin Powell's endorsement, or not, can have whatever impact you like based on your personal opinion of Colin Powell and his views on the election. Personally I don't value Powell's endorsement more than most endorsements, but everyone can make that choice for themselves.

I was talking more about the goofy idea that military endorsement implies expert opinion rather than personal bias of someone who happens to have served in the military. If Colin Powell endorsed Obama because he believes Obama is best for national security while the 500 endorsed Romney for personal reasons (I have no reason to believe that's the case, but it's worth thinking about), then yes, Powell's endorsement is the only one that "counts".

So one black General is less likely to be personally biased then 500 multi racial mix of Generals and Admirals?

After Benghazi, the only military person who could endorse Obama's stellar handling of national security maters, would be the all knowledgeable and experienced private or 2Lt.

Each Special Operator out there should be asking them selves, is my air support really coming? Or will it be stopped or diverted. Will I be here for 7 hours only to die with air support never leaving the air base.

No General worth anything can honestly endorse Obama's military/national security abilities.
 

CitizenKain

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2000
4,480
14
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So one black General is less likely to be personally biased then 500 multi racial mix of Generals and Admirals?

After Benghazi, the only military person who could endorse Obama's stellar handling of national security maters, would be the all knowledgeable and experienced private or 2Lt.

Each Special Operator out there should be asking them selves, is my air support really coming? Or will it be stopped or diverted. Will I be here for 7 hours only to die with air support never leaving the air base.

No General worth anything can honestly endorse Obama's military/national security abilities.

Ooooh, another sockpuppet spreading lies, we certainly needed another one.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,851
31,343
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So one black General is less likely to be personally biased then 500 multi racial mix of Generals and Admirals?

After Benghazi, the only military person who could endorse Obama's stellar handling of national security maters, would be the all knowledgeable and experienced private or 2Lt.

Each Special Operator out there should be asking them selves, is my air support really coming? Or will it be stopped or diverted. Will I be here for 7 hours only to die with air support never leaving the air base.

No General worth anything can honestly endorse Obama's military/national security abilities.

Governor Romney, is this you?

:hmm:
 

Pens1566

Lifer
Oct 11, 2005
13,726
11,346
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So one black General is less likely to be personally biased then 500 multi racial mix of Generals and Admirals?

After Benghazi, the only military person who could endorse Obama's stellar handling of national security maters, would be the all knowledgeable and experienced private or 2Lt.

Each Special Operator out there should be asking them selves, is my air support really coming? Or will it be stopped or diverted. Will I be here for 7 hours only to die with air support never leaving the air base.

No General worth anything can honestly endorse Obama's military/national security abilities.

Apparently there is someone dumb enough to believe everything they've heard on the net about the Benghazi attack.
 

shadow9d9

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2004
8,132
2
0
Pretty sick that we already spend 48% of the world's military spending while being surrounded by oceans while China, surrounded by Pakistan, Iran, NK, and Russia, only spends 8%. We haven't launched a necessary war since WW2... How many failures will it take for people to wake up. 1 trillion a year down the drain.
 

xj0hnx

Diamond Member
Dec 18, 2007
9,262
3
76
and what do RETIRED admirals and generals do? they get jobs at corporations and as lobbyist in the death and destruction industry. oh my god, if obama is re-elected hell stop the wars and we wont be able to sell our drones and cruise missles! we need mitt to start a war with iran so keep the gravy train going

Um, yea, I'll let you figure out the delicious ironing in that.
 

Caminetto

Senior member
Jul 29, 2001
821
49
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These are the same 500 guys who signed the petition go after all of Saddam Hussein's WMDs.
 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
80,287
17,081
136
Pretty sick that we already spend 48% of the world's military spending while being surrounded by oceans while China, surrounded by Pakistan, Iran, NK, and Russia, only spends 8%. We haven't launched a necessary war since WW2... How many failures will it take for people to wake up. 1 trillion a year down the drain.

People honestly think one party or the other will manage the DoD better. When they finally wise up and vote outside the norm, this problem will see some real action.
 

shadow9d9

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2004
8,132
2
0
People honestly think one party or the other will manage the DoD better. When they finally wise up and vote outside the norm, this problem will see some real action.

With republicans the military will only continue to grow and more wars will be started. Romney even talked about how we need more ships and we should go after Iran.

Unfortunately, the Dems are too spineless to gut the military like it should... however, at least it won't grow under them at the same rate nor will we be attacking random foreign countries.