Obama Makes His Push for Veteran Votes

Charlotte, NC -- Military votes are clearly part of the Democratic calculus for keeping the White House in 2012. First Lady Michelle Obama made military families a recurring theme of her address to the Democratic National Convention, and on Wedneaday night Ed Meagher, Director of the Wounded Warrior project celebrated increases in the VA budget. And surrogates across the DNC are keen to close the deal.

National conventions are a grab bag of callouts to voting blocs, and the frequent mention of veteran issues by Democrats are as noteworthy as the absence of veterans issues from Mitt Romney's RNC speech in Tampa last week.

Looming Cuts

While this week's DNC speeches are cast in a patriotic light, there's also a distraction from a major issue for veterans: the 100,000 troops that Obama plans to cut which could leave some of those servicemembers out of work. 

The planned reduction of troops between now and 2017 would bring the ground forces back to where they were in 2005. (Over the natural progression of a 20 year military career, many troops will be retiring and will not be affected.)

But the Republican argument to veterans has stuck closer to national security: "Romney's stance on Iran, nuclear weapons and imposing tougher sanctions on them is where our country should be looking towards," said Sgt.Maj. (Ret.) Alexander Lowery of Manassas, Va, still on the fence on who he will vote for. "If we re-elect Barack Obama, Iran will have a nuclear weapon, hands down. He does not have the kind of talks he should be having as our Commander-in-Chief."

The Democratic Argument

Back at Fort Bragg, Jillian McCarthy, a military spouse who was a protester during Paul Ryan's private visit to Fayetteville last month, has a lot to say about why she will vote again for Obama as she follows the DNC this week from home.

"They reaffirmed my belief that our administration cares for our veterans and their family members," McCarthy said after Michelle Obama's well-received speech. "I hope that they will mention the toll that the last 10 years have taken on our families and our economy."

"Look, I know something about what it takes to keep this country safe, and I watched this president as he helped make America stronger," said Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Claudia Kennedy, the first woman to reach the rank of three-star general in the U.S. Army, at a DNC veterans event. "President Obama has brought our troops home and taken care of them upon their return. He has taken the fight to our enemies and restored our alliances and standing in the world. He has ended 'don't ask, don't tell.'"

Another heavy-hitter for the Democratic Party is wounded warrior Tammy Duckworth. The former helicopter pilot who lost both of her legs during the Iraq war gave a poignant message of what the Democratic Party is doing right for female veterans.

Duckworth praised the president and recalled years ago spending time in the military's Walter Reed Medical facility when Barack Obama would spend time there at night just listening to the wounded warriors.

"Under Barack Obama we got the largest increase in veterans benefits in 30 years," she said.

Kuniholm's Story

On New Years Day 2005, Iraqi insurgents ambushed Jonathan Kuniholm's U.S. Marine patrol near the Euphrates River. The insurgents detonated an explosive device and then fired on the soldiers, killing several members of the unit. Kuniholm was wounded by the initial explosion. Later, his right arm was amputated below the elbow. Kuniholm has been fitted with three prostheses that allow him to move his right shoulder muscle, hold pens, extend his arm and do other tasks.

Today, Kuniholm is the Founder and President of Stumpworx and he also runs a non-profit organization called The Prosthetics Project. Both companies work towards innovative advancements in field of prosthetics.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Click here to hear wounded warrior and Marine John Kuniholm's perspective on why Democrats get veteran votes.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Kuniholm, a former Marine and wounded warrior attending Wednesday's DNC Veteran caucus event, said even with the looming cuts, he does not understand how any veteran could vote for Romney after the former Massachusetts governor didn't mention veterans in his RNC speech. 

"While we all care about military jobs, it's reasonable to make intelligent moves where we need to in order to reduce military budgets," said Kuniholm. "These are not as dramatic as the cuts we'll have to see in other places, or the $11 billion slated in The Ryan budget to be cut from veteran's funding."

And that's the thrust of the Democratic argument: Democratic cuts would come, but they would be done in a respectful, strategic manner. Republican cuts, Democrats argue, will fall on the too-easily forgotten amputees and PTSD victims of war.