![\"JimGourley\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/JimGourley-260x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/center><\/p>\nThe other day, we discussed Jim Gourley and his list of ten reasons<\/a> to not vote for veterans. Apparently, he didn’t feel that he’d been beat up enough so he writes another piece in the Stars & Stripes<\/a> today. Basically he’s saying that he made gross generalizations about veterans to make his point; we shouldn’t make gross generalizations about veterans. What? You guys didn’t see that?<\/p>\n As to the respondents who disputed the validity of my reasons, I cannot agree more. They were entirely correct that the arguments against voting for veterans were gross generalizations that could not be readily applied to any candidate by simple virtue of their time in uniform. However, what these people missed is that this was the entire point of the essay.<\/p>\n If one cannot rationally apply blanket statements and stereotypes of military service in arguing against a candidates’ potential for elected office, then neither can they use them in support of that candidate. This is why they were listed as ten inconvenient reasons.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I guess that he was pointing out absurdity by being absurd, but you know rereading the original, I don’t see it. If that was his intent, he should have explained it in the original. He also says;<\/p>\n I have no strong leaning to either party. My voting record in presidential elections is 50\/50, and I’m a registered independent. As for my service record, I served as an Infantry platoon leader before moving on to the Intelligence career field.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Yeah, well, I voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Joe Manchin in 2012, and I’m a registered independent, but is there anyone on this blog that can’t figure out which way I lean politically based solely on the ideas I present here? <\/p>\n While I wouldn’t vote for a candidate based entirely on whether they served in the military or not (Tammy Duckworth, Chuck Hagel, never), their service is certainly a big consideration, especially if their service influences their politics. And I think the rest of you would agree. However, I would never write an opinion piece that gave you reasons to vote against any candidate solely because they didn’t serve, but that’s what dingus here wrote. <\/p>\n I should point out that I was right when I said in the original piece that he’d hide behind his service when defending himself. <\/p>\n Thanks to Chief Tango for the link.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"