Democrats Need to "Take the Offense on Defense".

• Author: Book, Elizabeth G.
• Position: Support by military officers of Democratic Party - Brief Article

Military officers identify themselves as Republicans eight times more often than as Democrats, according to Steven J. Nider. In an article he wrote for the Democrat Leadership Council's magazine, Nider said, "Democrats need to begin rebuilding bridges to men and women in uniform."

The flare-up over absentee military ballots in Florida last year serves as an example of the importance of military voters. Nider said that calls from service members flooded Capitol Hill, mainly to "express their anger over what they considered to be a systematic attempt by Democrats to exclude many ballots cast by members of the military."

Reasons attributed for the increasing partisan identification in military voters goes back to the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War defeat "had a profound effect; many members of the military blamed vocal critics in the Democratic Party for it," Nider said. Also, the Reagan administration in the 1980s shored up the defense budget, making many in...