Maybe for most of you, this isn't a surprise. For me, it is a surprise that he ever enjoyed any support in the military, but that's just me....
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/39 ... -john-fund
The thing I found both surprising AND encouraging is that the percentages of self-identified republicans have fallen too, while the percentages of self-identified as either "libertarian" (small L) or "independent" have risen. This leads me to believe that the military's suspicion of politicians has increased, even against conservative as well as liberal politicians. Perhaps they do not feel like politicians of any stripe have used them purposefully and for honorable military reasons.For the last nine years, the Military Times newspaper has surveyed an average of 2,300 active-duty service members. Their latest poll has just been released and concludes that “Obama’s popularity — never high to begin with — has crumbled, falling from 35 percent in 2009 to just 15 percent this year, while his disapproval ratings have increased to 55 percent from 40 percent over that time.”
Much of the opposition to Obama has come from military members who believe he has been an inconsistent and flawed leader in foreign policy — for example, his 2011 removal of all troops in Iraq helped lead to the rise of the Islamic State, which then required a new U.S. intervention in the region. But some of the resistance comes from those who see his moves to change the military’s culture as “heavy-handed social engineering that erode deep-seated traditions and potentially undermine good order and discipline.”
The thing is, the traditions, methods, and culture of the military aside, our military tends to be a snapshot of We, The People. Today's young people of military age seem to be far more willing to question established values/virtues than even young people just a few years ago. Perhaps they are bringing some of this independence of thought into the military, as much as they are being influenced in that direction by their military experience.
I myself am part of the trend of disillusionment with party politics, including the republican party of which I was most recently a member. I'll bet I've typed these words, or words similar to them more than 100 times in the past year, describing myself as a libertarian-leaning conservative and an independent. At times, I've used the shorthand description of "liberative conservatarian".
I think (and hope) that we are at the cusp of a tectonic shift in national party dynamics which will have generationally profound implications. Although it must be discouraging at times to be committed to military service during a time of poor leadership and social transition, I think we will be producing a wiser class of civilian leader when these folks muster out.
