Trump May Not Even Show Up To His Own Military Parade

Posted by $ MikeMarotta 6 years, 8 months ago to News
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The fact is that the military is not 100% pro-Trump, loyal though they are to the Constitution and the Republic.

The American military tends to reflect the population at large, with some interesting differences. Twenty percent of the officers self-identify as liberal or Democrat. For enlisteds, that number is over 45%.

Even conservatives have problems with the Trump presidency. You can see that in the Congress, both the House and the Senate. And it is reflected in the military, also.

Incidentally, right now, I am reading My Share of the Task by Gen. Stanley McChrystal. His father was also a general. His mother was a political liberal. It must have been an intellectually vibrant dinner table.
SOURCE URL: https://taskandpurpose.com/trump-skip-military-parade/


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  • Posted by DrZarkov99 6 years, 8 months ago
    Dead wrong, Mike. President Trump is aware that with the draft no longer functioning, the majority of Americans no longer have much comprehension of the military and why they should respect those in uniform. His call for a parade is intended to reintroduce the American public to the folks who fight and die to keep their liberties possible.

    Trump is neither an establishment Republican nor a moderate Democrat, but a pragmatist (and I know how much the purists in this forum despise that term) and a capitalist. He understands that a sustaining welfare socialist state is an oxymoron, even though he appreciates the morality of the goals behind the concept. He's a firm believer in a society that can sustain itself and provide enough opportunity for all those willing to expend the effort to succeed. He also understands that the deterioration of the federal bureaucracies serves our people poorly, and that government needs a shakeup. To accomplish that goal, he needs a more cohesive citizenry, which is a real task, given the extreme divisiveness engendered by past administrations. Some degree of nationalist spirit can be unifying, and a military parade is part of that, as much as it may anger those with a globalist mindset.
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    • Posted by $ AJAshinoff 6 years, 8 months ago
      Well said. While I stand firm that Trump, like any politician or person in a public position of authority, requires continual scrutiny, I do not see much fault in the orchestration of this parade. I do find his handling of knees jerk naysayers to be masterful. First mention the parade, wait a week or so letting everyone vent their concerns and then inform it's intended to mark the anniversary of the end of WWI. Military parades are nothing new but, even as a veteran, I do not care for their connotations (despots, communists and dictators), but I do think you are right about the reintroduction of the military to the American public; and its a good thing. Friends, vets, from the Army and Marines said from the beginning this was good and it took some time to come to trust their assessment.

      Time will tell. I have little doubt that President Trump will be there.
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    • Posted by Herb7734 6 years, 8 months ago
      I think he is cleverer than a Pragmatist. Much, if not most of his actions have long term consequences. They may seem pragmatic because they treat the promblem immediately, but note that they either end the problem or continue to treat it. The guy is deeper than you might suppose.
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  • Posted by $ gharkness 6 years, 8 months ago
    I made the mistake of clicking on that link, to be assailed by loud talking and other noises that were probably trying to sell me something.

    I blocked it before reading the article, but could you be so kind as to not post links to annoying sites that intrude on the peace and quiet of a household?
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  • Posted by Dobrien 6 years, 8 months ago
    After reviewing your posts for the last 1 1/2 years
    you have not posted anything critical about Obama or the evil hag. Why do you ignore the subversion of the constitution that you took an oath to uphold https://www.cato.org/publications/com... . Illinois will have to spend 5 to 6 times JUST for road access to Obamas Museum than what a parade will cost. A parade to honor and to celebrate our past as well as current military on the 100th anniversary of WW1's end.. With regard to the nonsense of having to work on a holiday. Get a clue the military is not a job it is a voluntary service that is well rewarded for the lifers in benefits.

    " Please please tell us all how obama is such an angel and scandal free? How he stopped all these horrible things from happening in the world? Wait what? We're not talking about obama? Well now that's not fair. Didn't he put all of terrorism on the run? Nope that was for reelection. It all grew. Gun control? Nope. Benghazi? Made it up. Authorized Uranium? Not Russian collusion though right? Email scandal? Never happened? Except he actually did because he sent emails to it more than a few times. Pushed for small arms treaty to? We have To Give Up Freedoms To The America Loving UN To Be More Free And Safer? How was that supposed to work again? Oh yeah there were a few words left off of the end. Free And Safer just not for Americans Living In America!!! I.R.S. scandal? Never happened? Obamacare? Never lied? Iran Deal? Hezbollah? Oops. Fast &Furious? Oops. No School Shootings? Lied? No? A Scandal Free Presidency??? Just like society dictates whether you have a penis or a vagina instead of Biology!!! I guess we should start asking Merriam Webster and Dictionary .com to start replacing and erasing definitions and words to make people happy instead of just living in the real world and not the one in their heads."
    Michael " Chris" Byrnes.

    " I'm getting tired of the dividers focusing on bashing a president who for the first time in many decades is trying to bring us together. Get off the damn band wagon and roll up your sleeves. He's not your favorite POTUS, but he's doing a whole lot better than the last four. We are a year and two months into this presidency and so far I'm liking where we are going. He knows how to get things done, but along the way he's ticked off a lot of folks. Reminds me of butchering hogs; their squealing until they take their last breath. However, in the end we are MOSTLY pointed in the correct direction. Trump is no "Mr. Nice Guy", but he's pretty much sticking to what he said he'd do during his campaign. He's not always right, but we've seen our share of POTUS's who have been dead wrong throughout their entire presidencies, yet all they get are accolades. Is a parade a waste of time and money? I don't know! Maybe if that parade was made of up two or three million veterans and active duty personnel who actually want to be there would that change your mind? So, enough already.
    USN Vet 1962-1968."
    Gary Tandberg
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    • Posted by $ 6 years, 8 months ago
      Criticism of President Obama was never necessary here. In fact, it was redundant. By "the evil hag" I know that people here mean former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, rather than Sen. Nancy Pelosi or White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. But, again, there is little point in discussing her except as it might actually have some relevance to a matter of philosophical principle.

      It is philosophical principle that separates Objectivists from libertarians and conservatives. So, it is important here to write about that. Even when libertarians and conservatives share our values, as in their easy support for unregulated markets, they tend to do so without the proper (strong) philosophical foundations. That is why they fail to persuade people the way that Ayn Rand's works do. Reality works.

      As far as President Trump is concerned, he is not even a conservative. He was always a Democrat. He sells Americanism the way a fast food drive through now sells salads where before they sold hamburgers. They don't care. Neither does President Trump. He is only marketing what people want to buy, pandering to the crowds.

      The recent tariffs should be a bellwether. They will not come from Congress, but from executive orders. How does that conform to your view of the Constitution?

      You can find Veteran's Day parade in Washington DC here
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSuvB...
      and a Memorial Day parade in Washington DC here
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JAN6...

      You can spend hours on YouTube watching parades.

      President Trump's "call" for these events was just a tweet for attention. He is a master of that.
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      • Posted by Dobrien 6 years, 8 months ago
        You are a chronic evader an adroit manipulator.
        Ignoring the reality of your candidate's actions to use and pay a foreign agent in coordination with the FBI and DOJ to create a phony dossier used to spy on the Trump Campaign and then causing the first year of his presidency to be investigated
        With phony charges.
        If that defines an objectivist
        or a libertarian or a conservative . I want no part of it. I am anti-corrupt establishment. But I do know that you do not reflect an objectivist because an objectivist would never confuse Sarah Sanders with an evil hag!!
        "They don't care. Neither does President Trump. He is only marketing what people want to buy, pandering to the crowds."
        No President has suffered so much indignation, rudeness and virulent lies and smears you are anything but objective.
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  • Posted by $ Radio_Randy 6 years, 8 months ago
    I have a hard time with the assertion that such a high percentage of enlisted men identify as liberals. This appears to fly directly in the face of the attitude most liberals have toward our country. Military men and women think exceptionally highly of this country and I would think your typical liberal would rather stay home and protest against it.
    As for military officers...they ARE college grads, after all.
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    • Posted by DrZarkov99 6 years, 8 months ago
      Marotta, like many with a liberal mindset, has an obnoxious habit of making up facts. I checked a number of various polling organizations, and military members who identify as conservative make up the highest percentage of both officers and enlisted, in the high 30+%. What is more striking is that the number that identify as liberal is in single digits, with libertarians just in the double digits. When it comes to party, military that profess to be Republican mirror the conservative tag, in the high 30+%. What is more surprising is that the independents outnumber Democrats by almost double. As a caution, the number who declined to respond either way were nearly a quarter of those polled, protecting their privacy. Anyhow, them's my numbers, and I stand by them.
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      • Posted by $ 6 years, 8 months ago
        We went around on this back in November.
        https://www.galtsgulchonline.com/post...

        I gave different numbers from a different perspective that supported the general statement that the military is not solidly behind Pres. Trump, apart from his being the Commander-in-Chief.

        I pointed out that college education among officers who self-identify as Republican correlates with a disapproval of the President's policiies. You condemned the officers as apple-polishers.
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  • Posted by LibertyBelle 6 years, 8 months ago
    My military service did not amount to much. I was a
    4-by-10 Naval Reservist and was discharge for epilepsy (Honorable). But my father, a (now-deceased) Naval veteran of World War II (and proud of it) expressed a dislike and disgust for military parades.
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  • Posted by $ 6 years, 8 months ago
    We have patriotic parades in America, on important occasions, such as the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Veterans Day. President Trump's Twitter tweet call for a parade was not a reminder for hometown parades in celebration and support of America. He wants (or wanted, for the moment) a grand military show in Washington DC. But we have those, anyway, even in the nation's capital: appropriately modest American celebrations that include members of the military. We celebrate people, not weapons on rollers.

    But, that moment passed... and the President is on to the next thing...
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    • Posted by GaryL 6 years, 8 months ago
      For every one of the "Important Occasions" you mentioned as "Patriotic Parades" you fail to understand the truth of the matter. Well over half of the citizenry don't have the slightest clue what we are celebrating on any of those "Important Occasions"! Go ahead, I Dare You. Ask around of anyone under about 35. What is Labor or Memorial Day? You will be lucky to find half of the fools you ask what is the 4th of July all about. Veterans day, Oh! That's a day we celebrate a bunch of gun totting, NRA loving idiots who call themselves Patriots but never got a college degree from some liberal school in the "Social Sciences" or even "Under Water Basket Weaving".
      I think I remember you from when I was walking through Penn Station coming home from Vietnam in 1973 and being spit at.
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      • Posted by $ pixelate 6 years, 8 months ago
        Thanks for your point Gary. I have seen a few YT videos that clearly make light of the lack of basic knowledge and understanding of United States history. I make it a point to expressly use the phrase "United States Independence Day" instead of "4th of July" -- I do this, in part, since several of my coworkers are Ukrainian contractors and they have their own "Independence Day" (August 24, starting in 1991). Plus, I believe that there has been a very real and covert plan to remove the word "Independence" from the public vocabulary... and so we have this mushy "4th of July" or its variants "celebrating the 4th." When on social media, if I am commenting on another friend's post regarding "the 4th of July" and its attendant activities, I will use "US Independence Day" as part of my commentary. The idea is to bring the word Independence back into mainstream use.
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        • Posted by GaryL 6 years, 8 months ago
          No excuse is necessary for those here from another country however they will need to know some of our history if they hope to become citizens. We or at least I was taught what all these American holidays commemorated back in grade and middle school in the 50 s & 60 s. Too bad the kids today are not taught American History these days and this is why most of them are clueless as to what the significance of these holidays really are.
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          • Posted by $ pixelate 6 years, 8 months ago
            This reminds me of a Facebook post from about six years ago ... when I posted the following "When the people find that they can vote themselves money from the treasury, that will be the end of the republic."
            One of my neighbors, who is a government school teacher, then inquired "Did Hitler say that?"
            I am serious. Dead serious.
            I had to then reply that it was a paraphrase of a quote often attributed to Benjamin Franklin.

            So there you go ... if a bit of philosophy -- or an observation from reality happens to disagree with statist dogma, then its source must be Hitler. This is what we are dealing with in the government schools. The kids come out after 15 years of indoctrination dumber than when they went in. And these kids think that they will find economic salvation in the likes of Bernie Sanders.
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            • Posted by GaryL 6 years, 8 months ago
              The mindset of those who believe all of this crap appears to be going above the average of common intellect. There is no are such thing as free shit yet we have a fully staffed free shit army. The promotion and funding of this FSA is by the political forces who in essence are paying the price for the votes they need with our tax dollars. We see a TV commercial all the time, 1-877- Kars for kids, Donate your car today. Just a bunch of young kids playing fake instruments. Digging into the facts behind this organization will show the money from the donated cars goes directly to a Jewish Hasidim sect and hard to say just how much of the actual cash actually gets to anything of value to those who make the donations. They will accept anything, motorcycles, boats, property and probably your old dog or mother in law. We can always just buy some TV hawked item and get a second one free just pay a separate fee and they wonder why we are going so un-trusting.
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            • Posted by CircuitGuy 6 years, 8 months ago
              I love that quote.
              ", then inquired Did Hitler say that?"
              I wonder what he meant? Maybe one of these:
              - The quote is evil because voting money from the treasury is a good thing.
              - I disagree with you and therefore associate you with Hitler. (Godwin's Law)
              - It sounds like a famous quote from history, but I can't remember where.
              - Who'd want to destroy a Republic on purpose? Was this from Hitler's private letters about how he destroyed the Weimar Republic on purpose to gain absolute power.

              It's hard to imagine he was saying the people voting themselves money is a good thing, but anything's possible.
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    • -1
      Posted by CircuitGuy 6 years, 8 months ago
      "that moment passed... and the President is on to the next thing..."
      He's probably contemplating something you and I can't think, with high outrage-to-substance ratio. I try to think of them:
      - Laughing about a freak accident
      - Saying virgins and grandmothers deserve a special kind of respect.
      - Saying he may be guilty of a federal crime, but he won't say what law he broke or turn over the evidence
      - Musing about working out an agreement to annex northern states of Mexico into the US.

      See mine suck. He's thinking of some truly inane things that will get people fired up and angry. And as someone on this site said, if he's making people furious and fired up about nothing, that's his main job. It's an odd thing to aspire to in life.
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  • Posted by exceller 6 years, 8 months ago
    Mike, what is your point? Why the sneaking hostility toward Trump?

    Weather he shows up or not does not change the fact who he is. Don't look for "others" to support your opinion. Either you know what your objectives are or you don't.
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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 6 years, 8 months ago
    The fact that matters what military personnel as a group think about politics is precisely why I think a large standing army and permanent arms industry are undesirable.
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