2020 Issue: Defense Spending

[vcczar]

Here are some more issues, with candidate stances. Please let me know if anything should be changed. 

FL: Defense spending should be reduced to focus on other things.; No overseas deployment. [Sanders]

L: The armed forces using too much of our budget. Cancel unneeded future weapons systems. [Paul, Garcetti, Warren, Grayson, Newsom]

CL: Reorganize the armed forces to deal with modern threats. Avoid ground troops for drones and rockets, and cut down on ground troops currently in use. [Biden, McAuliffe, O'Malley, KHarris, Castro, Gabbard, Bullock, Steyer, Booker, Gillibrand, ShBrown, Heinrich, Schultz, HClinton, Franken, Buttigieg, Cuomo, Moulton]

C: The military is solid, but could use more ground troops. [Chafee, Edwards]

CR: The military could use more funding, but we don't need funding to all the future and current weapons systems. [Trump, Kasich, Cruz, Rubio, Martinez, Huntsman, Cotton, Sasse, Collins]

R: We need a major expansion of military budget to combat possible threats from places like Iran and Russia. 

FR: The armed forces must be cable of fighting a multi-front war, including engaging with China. [Graham]

[vcczar]

For whatever reason, the default for CL was more ground troops and less other military technologies. I think the reverse is the CL position, especially considering Obama's stance of cutting ground troops and increasing drone attacks. 

[Bruce Fischer]

Didn't Rubio want to up the defense budget by like $1T?

[vcczar]

5 minutes ago, President Garrett Walker said:

Didn't Rubio want to up the defense budget to like $1.3T?

I was a little divided on Rubio, between CR, and R. If I can get someone else to second him moving to the R position, then I'll move him. He's been inconsistent in his military bellicosity. 

[Guest]

@vcczar I also think Rubio's position is closer to R than it is to CR.

[vcczar]

5 minutes ago, NYrepublican said:

@vcczar I also think Rubio's position is closer to R than it is to CR.

Ok, I'll change him then. 

[bippycup]

Bernie is definitely not a hawk in any sense, but I don't think he's "no overseas deployments" Far Left. His usual answer was we should use our military in conjunction with other allies. I think Left is more fitting.