Military veterans to Obama: Too bad, so sad, buhbye

Obama’s so-called “edge” with military veterans has evaporated over the last few months, according to recent polling numbers (hat tip):

President Barack Obama is trying hard to win veterans, but it looks like they’d prefer a new commander in chief.

The Obama campaign had been hoping that veterans and their families — especially among the post-Sept. 11 generation that served in Iraq and Afghanistan — would be part of their path to victory: They’re a high turn-out demographic and concentrated in battleground states, with nearly 1 million each in North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia, and 1.6 million in Florida.

But recent polls make clear that the president’s campaign is losing the battle. Even as Obama leads in Colorado, Florida, Ohio and Virginia, Mitt Romney is up by double digits among veterans in those states. Nationwide, he’s got a commanding 20-percentage-point lead over Obama and has even overtaken the president with younger veterans.

“It’s no contest,” said Maurice Tamman, a Reuters data news editor who has polled on veterans and the presidential campaign.

Obama’s campaign has been trying to improve on a historical Democratic disadvantage on national security and among veterans by touting the killing of Osama bin Laden, ending Iraq combat operations and winding down the war in Afghanistan. They’ve also been talking up the administration’s attention to veterans’ benefits and efforts spearheaded by first lady Michelle Obama, hoping to appeal not just to the troops but to the spouses and other military family members who have coped with long separations and multiple deployments.

Read the whole thing for links to recent polling information on veterans in the four key states of Florida, Ohio, Virginia, and Colorado.

Considering we’re less than two months away (gasp!) from Election Day, I don’t think that gives our Celebrity President in Chief time enough to make any significant dent in Romney’s advantage with this key voting bloc. It sounds to me like veterans young and old have had enough of this President trying to take personal credit for the Navy SEALs operation that took out OBL, as well as his attempts at buying the votes of veterans who are returning home from war zones – not to mention are disgusted by the rumored attempts at disenfranchising the military vote in states like Ohio.

Stay tuned…