I've been military all my life. 21 years active duty, 26 working as a Department of the Army civilian. When Trump first announced, then said something akin that John McCain was a bad solider because he got caught. I was completely against him. Then Trump added insult to injury by dissing a gold star family who lost their son in Afghanistan, there was no way I ever vote for him. Hillary's disrespectful treatment of the military in the White House during her husband's tenure as president turned me against her. Another one I'd never vote for.
I think from attending my VFW and American Legion meetings back in late 2015 and early 2016 that a decent Democratic candidate had a chance of winning the military, veteran's vote for the first time since LBJ. Before and after those meetings it seemed all we talked about was Trump and his disrespecting POW's and families that had lost loved one's in defense of this country. That is until they nominated Hillary. Then like so many other Americans, it was a case of disliking Hillary more than disliking Trump.
Regardless, I never equated how one votes with patriotism. How or who one votes for I do equate to partisanship, to party affiliation. To personal likes and dislikes or the candidates, for candidates who meet your ideals and against those who don't along with many other reasons. But never patriotism. I can't stand Republicans accusing Democrats and Democrats accusing Republicans of hating America because of a difference in politics or party affiliation.
If you think those who vote for Trump are unpatriotic, that's your opinion. It's isn't mind. So we'll just have to agree to disagree there. As for Trump himself, I view him as a thin skinned, feud creating, egotistical, obnoxious, schoolyard bullying opportunist. Perhaps Trump always planned to run for the presidency, you ever look at his political party history? For all of his early life and during the Reagan presidency, Trump was a Democrat. During Bill Clinton he was a Republican. He actually ran for the Reform Party nomination in 2000 becoming a member of that tiny party. During G.W. Bush he was a Democrat again, reverted to being a Republican in 2009, then an independent in 2011 and finally for the third time a Republican in 2012. In short, Trump has been a Republican three times, a Democrat twice, independent twice and a member of the Reform Party once. I find that interesting.
