NEWS USS Gabby Gifford

[Pags]

"Fish don't vote."

As a historical note, ship naming has ALWAYS been political. States and cities used to get ships named in their honor because their citizens raised the funds via war bonds, etc to get the ship built.

 

[jmcquate]

Interestingly, of the Presidents who have carriers bearing their names, Republicans outnumber Democrats 6 to 2 (only counting JFK once).

Dems have 3. FDR, JFK and Truman. As for Lincoln, even being the first Republican President, both parties now sorta see him as their own.

 

[Brett327]

I was only counting ships currently in service, but either way, it's still an interesting (though unsurprising) statistic.

 

[Renegade One]

Dems have 3. FDR, JFK and Truman. As for Lincoln, even being the first Republican President, both parties now sorta see him as their own.

Don't forget our one "Independent"…GW.

 

[hscs]

Why does this matter?

 

[Brett327]

It doesn't - just an interesting factoid.

 

[Flash]

Symbolism is very important in the military, why the hell do you think we have wings and take such pride in them among countless other things? This sort of thing doesn't hold the same meaning or the symbolism that another name might hold like Yorktown, Bataan or Bulkeley. It may be a small thing but it is still important to many, including me, and it adds up.

 

[Brett327]

http://www.duffelblog.com/2015/06/uss-gabrielle-giffords-christened-gun-free/

 

[Minnesota Tomcat]

Maybe that named her that because she doesn't have any guns?

 

[nittany03]

Maybe that named her that because she doesn't have any guns?

 

[Uncle Fester]

Like him or not, he is the President and served two terms. It will happen.

I don't know. Still waiting on the USS Nixon, and USS Wilson. And they were both two-term, wartime presidents.

 

[Hopeful Hoya]

I don't know. Still waiting on the USS Nixon, and USS Wilson. And they were both two-term, wartime presidents.

One who resigned in disgrace after committing a crime and another who almost single-handedly began American isolationism and put the world on the path to WW2. As much as people hate President Obama I don't think you can really compare him to either.

 

[jmcquate]

who almost single-handedly began American isolationism and put the world on the path to WW2.

I'll give you Nixon, but Wilson , for all of his faults (horrible racist jackass), the Germans and the Japanese put the world on the path to WWII. Naming ships for our Navy is political. Whether after States, Cities, or for a President (or John Stennis), its political. I wish we were more like the RN in ship naming......HMS Battleaxe is bad ass.

 

[Uncle Fester]

I'll give you Nixon, but Wilson , for all of his faults (horrible racist jackass), the Germans and the Japanese put the world on the path to WWII. Naming ships for our Navy is political. Whether after States, Cities, or for a President (or John Stennis), its political. I wish we were more like the RN in ship naming......HMS Battleaxe is bad ass.

Well, we've got an LBJ under construction, and as wartime presidents go, he was more controversial than Wilson. And if you want embarrassingly racist attitudes in a politician, don't look to closely at Stennis' record on segregation.

The counter-argument about Her Majesty's Navy and its badass ship names is that maybe if they were more politically savvy in naming their ships, they'd have more ships to name.

 

[nittany03]

The counter-argument about Her Majesty's Navy and its badass ship names is that maybe if they were more politically savvy in naming their ships, they'd have more ships to name.

I think their problem goes well beyond the naming of ships.