Thehill.com: “Poll: Libertarian Johnson beating Trump, Clinton among active troops”
Poll: Libertarian Johnson beating Trump, Clinton among active troops
July 20, 2016
Military troops favor Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson for president over Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, according to a new survey.
Johnson garnered 38.7 percent of the active duty vote, versus 30.9 for Trump, and 14.1 for Clinton, according to the survey, which was conducted via the popular military personality Doctrine Man.
Although the survey was not a scientific poll with a margin of error, it provides a snapshot of the preferences of about 3,500 active duty, reservists, retired and former members of the military and their family members, 95.7 percent of which were registered voters.
Among all services except for the Navy, Johnson performed better than Trump and Clinton.
Current, reserve and former members of the Army preferred Johnson at 35.4 percent. Trump, the Republican nominee, came in second at 31.4 percent, and Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee, at 15.3 percent.
Among the Marine community, an overwhelming 44.1 percent chose Johnson, while 27.1 percent chose Trump, and 12.7 percent chose Clinton.
The majority of the Air Force respondents chose Johnson at 39 percent, but Trump next at 29.9 percent and Clinton at 12.9 percent.
Trump ranked the top choice for the Navy community, at 32.4 percent, versus 31.7 percent for Johnson and 22.9 percent for Clinton.
Despite Clinton’s underwhelming performance among active duty troops in the poll, their family members preferred Clinton at 29.4 percent to 27.5 percent for Trump. Johnson came in third, at 24.5 percent.
Trump came out on top among members of the military who retired after serving at least 20 years.
Retirees preferred Trump at 37.4 percent, compared to 32.2 percent for Johnson and only 11 percent for Hillary Clinton.
However, when former members of the military who served fewer than 20 years were included, Johnson came in first, at 36.1 percent, while Hillary Clinton garnered 12.6 percent.
The new survey underscores the unpopularity of both Trump and Clinton, something that was also reflected in a recent Military Times survey.
Troops have found themselves at the center of several heated campaign debates, many of them sparked by Trump.
Trump has said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who was held captive during the Vietnam War, is “not a war hero” and has said that if he ordered troops to re-institute waterboarding, they would do it. Trump has also called for killing terrorists’ families.
Trump has also railed against the Department of Veteran Affairs and suggested Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl should be executed for leaving his post.
The attention to troops this campaign cycle has prompted the nation’s top military officer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, to remind troops not to politicize the military during the elections.
“What we must collectively guard against is allowing our institution to become politicized, or even perceived as being politicized, by how we conduct ourselves during engagements with the media, the public, or in open or social forums,” he wrote in the July issue of Joint Force Quarterly, a military academic journal.
Armed Forces Members, Veterans Use #iwillprotectyou After Muslim Child Says She’s Afraid
Shame on Donald Trump for scaring this little girl!
Hooray for these members of the U.S. military for protecting her!
Armed Forces Members, Veterans Use #iwillprotectyou After Muslim Child Says She’s Afraid
December 20, 2015
Veterans and current service members are using social media to reassure Muslim Americans that they will fight for their rights as citizens.
On Facebook and Twitter, military service members and veterans have started using the hashtag #iwillprotectyou after one mother’s post went viral about her daughter’s fear of being kicked out of the country.
Melissa Chance Yassini posted about her daughter’s reaction to hearing proposals by Donald Trump to ban Muslims from entering the country.
“She had began collecting all her favorite things in a bag in case the army came to remove us from our homes,” Yassini wrote on Facebook about her daughter Sofia. “She checked the locks on the door 3-4 times. This is terrorism. No child in America deserves to feel that way.”
Yassini’s post went viral and was shared more than 20,000 times. Eventually she and her daughter told their story to The Associated Press. Kerri Peek, an Army veteran saw the story on social media and was horrified.
“I was up all night, it bothered me,” Peek told ABC News. “I’m a mom, for mother to mother … I know you want to protect your children from everything.”
Peek said she was especially upset that Sofia was worried about soldiers coming to take her away.
“What’s a way [for her] to know that soldiers are not going to come to her door,” Peek told ABC News, who eventually sent her a picture of herself in her Army uniform.
Included with the photo was a message, she said: “Here’s a picture of me as a mom and soldier and I’ll come to protect you.”
But Peek didn’t stop there, she asked her friends to continue to send Sofia messages of support. She started a hashtag, #iwillprotectyou, last Wednesday and implored other military service members and veterans on social media to pledge to protect Muslim children like Sofia from being discriminated against.
“Post a picture of you in uniform with the hashtag ‘#WillProtectYou’ to let these children know that we will not hurt them. That they are safe here in America,” she wrote on Facebook.
I need your help my friends. Will you help me please?? I am asking all my friends in the Armed Forces, Active or…
Posted by Kerri Peek on Thursday, December 17, 2015
Peek said she has now received hundreds of messages from people who shared their fears over discrimination or who pledged to support others’ freedom of religion.
The hashtag has quickly gone viral with veterans and service members posting pictures of themselves on social media offering words of support and comfort to Sofia and other children who are Muslim.
Sofia, u r the reason I serve. I don’t ask what religion ppl r b4 I help them: I just do. #iwillprotectyou pic.twitter.com/CDHAAYIjnw
— Elizabeth April (@Cinders09051984) December 19, 2015
Peek said she has even heard from Yassini about Sofia’s reaction to the new viral hashtag.
“She said she’s been reading the posts to her daughter and her daughter feels so much better knowing that she’s a part of America,” Peek said.
Peek says she has now set up a Facebook page for people to voice their support and hopes the group will continue to grow.
Sofia, #Iwillprotectyou, too, with voice, pen, name, sweat, and blood. I meant my oath when commissioned. I mean it now. USAR ’90-’01.
— Graham R. Scott (@graythebruce) December 19, 2015
Sophia, still serving and #IWillProtectYou pic.twitter.com/eUPP3EnlRY
— katie lewis (@laylamedic) December 20, 2015
Dan from Squirrel Hill's Blog 