donations

I actually heard someone complaining about Haiti at one of my town's hottest coffee shops today...An older gentlemen was really gettin' upset about the entire situation. Haiti was, in his opinion, not worth America's time or money. Those people could take care of themselves. They, he claimed, would never do the same for us.

I really wanted to explain to him that you don't do the right thing because you expect something in return...you just do it because it is right.

We're America...and this, my friends, is what we do. I am proud of the 16,000 members of our Armed Forces that have been sent to help the Haitian people. I am proud of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have donated money to the cause...I only wish I, personally, could do more.

I encourage you to donate to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, the Red Cross, or the charity of your choice that is working in Haiti (just check them out on Google to make sure they're reputable first). Every dollar counts and will help these devastated people.

I am amazed at how the American people have pulled together - raising more than $22 million through text message donations alone.

To donate $10 to the relief efforts, click the links above or text QUAKE to 20222 (Bush-Clinton Fund) or HAITI to 90999 (Red Cross).

Open Secrets is reporting that troops overseas are giving to Barack Obama over John McCain at a rate of 6 - 1:

According to an analysis of campaign contributions by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Democrat Barack Obama has received nearly six times as much money from troops deployed overseas at the time of their contributions than has Republican John McCain, and the fiercely anti-war Ron Paul, though he suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination months ago, has received more than four times McCain's haul.

Despite McCain's status as a decorated veteran and a historically Republican bent among the military, members of the armed services overall -- whether stationed overseas or at home -- are also favoring Obama with their campaign contributions in 2008, by a $55,000 margin. Although 59 percent of federal contributions by military personnel has gone to Republicans this cycle, of money from the military to the presumed presidential nominees, 57 percent has gone to Obama.

How does that stack up against previous years?

"That's shocking. The academic debate is between some who say that junior enlisted ranks lean slightly Republican and some who say it's about equal, but no one would point to six-to-one" in Democrats' favor, said Aaron Belkin, a professor of political science at the University of California who studies the military. "That represents a tremendous shift from 2000, when the military vote almost certainly was decisive in Florida and elsewhere, and leaned heavily towards the Republicans."

In 2000, Republican George W. Bush outraised Democrat Al Gore among military personnel almost 2 to 1. In 2004, with the Iraq war underway, John Kerry closed the gap with President Bush, but Bush still raised $1.50 from the military for every $1 his Democratic opponent collected.

The real question is this - is this indicative of a trend in support for Obama across the armed services (enlisted and officers)? And if so, does it translate into votes? It certainly does go along way towards disproving Republicans' claims to speak for (and have the backing of) the troops.

Hat tip to Jonathan Singer at MyDD, who first brought this to my attention.