Kerry Campaign Myths Fail To Rob Veteran Support From Bush
Rick Erickson,
05/26/04
Any presidential candidate has to reckon with the overwhelming voting bloc of American veterans, which consists of about 25 million people. In addition to alienating the veterans themselves, candidates who take political positions opposing veterans can also risk losing the support of non-veterans. Veteran support is vital to the presidency, the Congress and the nation.
Senator John F. Kerry knows this. He also knows that his anti-war demonstrations after serving in Vietnam continue to polarize veterans, who either distinguish Senator Kerry’s post-war efforts as honorable or despicable. As though there are, nonetheless, veterans lost in the middle between honorable and despicable, Kerry is hoping to gain veteran votes by directing myths about President Bush and to persuade that his politics are anti-veteran.
One myth is that President Bush proposed providing $257 million less in funding for Veterans Administration (VA) health care. To the contrary, since 2001, the President’s VA budget increases have provided over 40 percent more in VA health care.
These increases enabled 1.4 million more VA patients to receive treatment they did not previously enjoy. For 2005, moreover, President Bush is seeking $29.5 billion for VA medical care. This is an increase of $1.2 billion and 4.2 percent more than the amount sought in 2004. The numbers just do not jive with Senator Kerry’s claim that the President wants veterans to have much less.
Another ridiculous myth is that President Bush, in a time of war, wants Congress to cut combat pay. Not only is there no conceivable plan to reduce any compensation for our troops, the 2004 Defense Authorization bill that President Bush signed into law increases imminent danger pay from $150 to $225 per month. The Bill also preserved the allowance for family separation.
Perhaps the most irresponsible myth is nothing more than a scare tactic. The Kerry campaign claims that President Bush is failing over 90,000 veterans who are waiting for care in VA facilities and another 41,000 who are waiting to visit a doctor for the first time.
President Bush’s 2005 budget for VA medical care grew by 40 percent when he took office, and, since 2001, the VA enrolled 2.5 million more veterans. Last year, the number of veterans waiting six months to see a primary care physician peaked at 317,000, but that number is now under 100,000. This year, the President’s plan will eliminate any such waiting period so that all veterans receive the immediate care they deserve.
In addition, under President Bush, the number of veterans registered for health benefits increased by 18 percent and will increase by almost 26 percent by October 2004. In the February 18, 2004 article, “Funding for Veterans Up 27%, But Democrats Call It a Cut,” www.FactCheck.org illustrated the lack of trustworthiness in the claim that veterans are receiving less health care under President Bush.
Meeting the needs of 27 million veterans is, to be sure, no easy political or economic task. President Bush is, nevertheless, devoted to the task of honoring the commitment of American veterans. When it comes to veterans, President Bush is as dedicated to veterans’ welfare as he is to winning the War on Terrorism.
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