Has more than 1/3 of Congress ever opposed a war?
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Basically all the bills to start a war had 90-99% congressional support from what I've seen on Wikipedia. I just wonder if there was any war that 30% or more of Congress opposed starting. I am only asking about the start of the war not its continuation. Wars always have overwhelming support but then wind down. Also exclude cases like Vietnam where there was no congress at all.
united-states
edited 3 hours ago
Steve Bird
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up vote
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Basically all the bills to start a war had 90-99% congressional support from what I've seen on Wikipedia. I just wonder if there was any war that 30% or more of Congress opposed starting. I am only asking about the start of the war not its continuation. Wars always have overwhelming support but then wind down. Also exclude cases like Vietnam where there was no congress at all.
united-states
edited 3 hours ago
Steve Bird
12.5k35365
asked 4 hours ago
user34693
161
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user34693 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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1
In what sense was there "no Congress at all" during the Vietnam War?
– Aaron Brick
4 hours ago
5
@AaronBrick I think they mean that there was no formal declaration of war. But there was a congressional vote authorizing military action, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution 88-2 / 416-0.
– Schwern
3 hours ago
7
Define war. Officially we have only ever been in a handful of wars. 5? the last one being WWII.
– sofa general
3 hours ago
add a comment |
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up vote
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down vote
favorite
Basically all the bills to start a war had 90-99% congressional support from what I've seen on Wikipedia. I just wonder if there was any war that 30% or more of Congress opposed starting. I am only asking about the start of the war not its continuation. Wars always have overwhelming support but then wind down. Also exclude cases like Vietnam where there was no congress at all.
united-states
edited 3 hours ago
Steve Bird
12.5k35365
asked 4 hours ago
user34693
161
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user34693 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Basically all the bills to start a war had 90-99% congressional support from what I've seen on Wikipedia. I just wonder if there was any war that 30% or more of Congress opposed starting. I am only asking about the start of the war not its continuation. Wars always have overwhelming support but then wind down. Also exclude cases like Vietnam where there was no congress at all.
united-states
united-states
edited 3 hours ago
Steve Bird
12.5k35365
asked 4 hours ago
user34693
161
New contributor
user34693 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 3 hours ago
Steve Bird
12.5k35365
asked 4 hours ago
user34693
161
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user34693 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 3 hours ago
Steve Bird
12.5k35365
edited 3 hours ago
Steve Bird
12.5k35365
edited 3 hours ago
Steve Bird
12.5k35365
12.5k35365
asked 4 hours ago
user34693
161
New contributor
user34693 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 4 hours ago
user34693
161
asked 4 hours ago
user34693
161
161
New contributor
user34693 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
user34693 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
user34693 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
In what sense was there "no Congress at all" during the Vietnam War?
– Aaron Brick
4 hours ago
5
@AaronBrick I think they mean that there was no formal declaration of war. But there was a congressional vote authorizing military action, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution 88-2 / 416-0.
– Schwern
3 hours ago
7
Define war. Officially we have only ever been in a handful of wars. 5? the last one being WWII.
– sofa general
3 hours ago
add a comment |
1
In what sense was there "no Congress at all" during the Vietnam War?
– Aaron Brick
4 hours ago
5
@AaronBrick I think they mean that there was no formal declaration of war. But there was a congressional vote authorizing military action, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution 88-2 / 416-0.
– Schwern
3 hours ago
7
Define war. Officially we have only ever been in a handful of wars. 5? the last one being WWII.
– sofa general
3 hours ago
1
1
In what sense was there "no Congress at all" during the Vietnam War?
– Aaron Brick
4 hours ago
In what sense was there "no Congress at all" during the Vietnam War?
– Aaron Brick
4 hours ago
5
5
@AaronBrick I think they mean that there was no formal declaration of war. But there was a congressional vote authorizing military action, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution 88-2 / 416-0.
– Schwern
3 hours ago
@AaronBrick I think they mean that there was no formal declaration of war. But there was a congressional vote authorizing military action, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution 88-2 / 416-0.
– Schwern
3 hours ago
7
7
Define war. Officially we have only ever been in a handful of wars. 5? the last one being WWII.
– sofa general
3 hours ago
Define war. Officially we have only ever been in a handful of wars. 5? the last one being WWII.
– sofa general
3 hours ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
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oldest
votes
up vote
9
down vote
It depends on how you define "war".
Formal Declarations of War
This is easy enough to verify by looking at the votes for formal declaration of war by the US Congress.
War of 1812: Senate 19-13, House 79-49. 38.75% opposed
Spanish-American War: Senate 42-35, House 310-6. 45.5% of the Senate opposed, worth noting.
Post-WWI you get near-unanimous votes for war.
Undeclared Wars Which Required a Congressional Vote
The US has lots of these and it's unfair in the modern era to exclude them. Formal declarations of war by the US ended after WWII. Instead of a declaration of war they require an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) from Congress to fund and prolong the president's initial military decision. It's a war. We can look at those votes.
MNF Lebanon: Senate 54-46, House 253-156. 39.7% opposed
Gulf War, 1991: Senate 52-47, House 250-183. 43.2% opposed
Iraq War, 2003: Senate 77-23, House 296-132. 29.4% opposed.
Congress voted on the Vietnam War with the near-unanimous Gulf of Tonkin Resolution giving the president authority
to take all necessary steps, including the use of armed force, to assist any member or protocol state of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty requesting assistance in defense of its freedom
edited 2 hours ago
Kerry L
3,43511247
answered 3 hours ago
Schwern
35.4k993136
Great research. I had no idea that Lebanon and first Gulf War had so much opposition. The Iraqi War had (unfortunately) far_less_ opposition than I had thought
– javadba
1 hour ago
2
About that large vote against the Gulf War: After it went rather well, a lot of politicians who voted against it had a really hard time. That's a large part of the reason why the vote against the second "Iraq War" was so much lower. Of course a lot of politicians who voted for that one had a hard time. Lesson hopefully being that perhaps its better to just vote your conscience on life-and-death matters.
– T.E.D.♦
1 hour ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
9
down vote
It depends on how you define "war".
Formal Declarations of War
This is easy enough to verify by looking at the votes for formal declaration of war by the US Congress.
War of 1812: Senate 19-13, House 79-49. 38.75% opposed
Spanish-American War: Senate 42-35, House 310-6. 45.5% of the Senate opposed, worth noting.
Post-WWI you get near-unanimous votes for war.
Undeclared Wars Which Required a Congressional Vote
The US has lots of these and it's unfair in the modern era to exclude them. Formal declarations of war by the US ended after WWII. Instead of a declaration of war they require an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) from Congress to fund and prolong the president's initial military decision. It's a war. We can look at those votes.
MNF Lebanon: Senate 54-46, House 253-156. 39.7% opposed
Gulf War, 1991: Senate 52-47, House 250-183. 43.2% opposed
Iraq War, 2003: Senate 77-23, House 296-132. 29.4% opposed.
Congress voted on the Vietnam War with the near-unanimous Gulf of Tonkin Resolution giving the president authority
to take all necessary steps, including the use of armed force, to assist any member or protocol state of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty requesting assistance in defense of its freedom
edited 2 hours ago
Kerry L
3,43511247
answered 3 hours ago
Schwern
35.4k993136
Great research. I had no idea that Lebanon and first Gulf War had so much opposition. The Iraqi War had (unfortunately) far_less_ opposition than I had thought
– javadba
1 hour ago
2
About that large vote against the Gulf War: After it went rather well, a lot of politicians who voted against it had a really hard time. That's a large part of the reason why the vote against the second "Iraq War" was so much lower. Of course a lot of politicians who voted for that one had a hard time. Lesson hopefully being that perhaps its better to just vote your conscience on life-and-death matters.
– T.E.D.♦
1 hour ago
add a comment |
up vote
9
down vote
It depends on how you define "war".
Formal Declarations of War
This is easy enough to verify by looking at the votes for formal declaration of war by the US Congress.
War of 1812: Senate 19-13, House 79-49. 38.75% opposed
Spanish-American War: Senate 42-35, House 310-6. 45.5% of the Senate opposed, worth noting.
Post-WWI you get near-unanimous votes for war.
Undeclared Wars Which Required a Congressional Vote
The US has lots of these and it's unfair in the modern era to exclude them. Formal declarations of war by the US ended after WWII. Instead of a declaration of war they require an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) from Congress to fund and prolong the president's initial military decision. It's a war. We can look at those votes.
MNF Lebanon: Senate 54-46, House 253-156. 39.7% opposed
Gulf War, 1991: Senate 52-47, House 250-183. 43.2% opposed
Iraq War, 2003: Senate 77-23, House 296-132. 29.4% opposed.
Congress voted on the Vietnam War with the near-unanimous Gulf of Tonkin Resolution giving the president authority
to take all necessary steps, including the use of armed force, to assist any member or protocol state of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty requesting assistance in defense of its freedom
edited 2 hours ago
Kerry L
3,43511247
answered 3 hours ago
Schwern
35.4k993136
Great research. I had no idea that Lebanon and first Gulf War had so much opposition. The Iraqi War had (unfortunately) far_less_ opposition than I had thought
– javadba
1 hour ago
2
About that large vote against the Gulf War: After it went rather well, a lot of politicians who voted against it had a really hard time. That's a large part of the reason why the vote against the second "Iraq War" was so much lower. Of course a lot of politicians who voted for that one had a hard time. Lesson hopefully being that perhaps its better to just vote your conscience on life-and-death matters.
– T.E.D.♦
1 hour ago
add a comment |
up vote
9
down vote
up vote
9
down vote
It depends on how you define "war".
Formal Declarations of War
This is easy enough to verify by looking at the votes for formal declaration of war by the US Congress.
War of 1812: Senate 19-13, House 79-49. 38.75% opposed
Spanish-American War: Senate 42-35, House 310-6. 45.5% of the Senate opposed, worth noting.
Post-WWI you get near-unanimous votes for war.
Undeclared Wars Which Required a Congressional Vote
The US has lots of these and it's unfair in the modern era to exclude them. Formal declarations of war by the US ended after WWII. Instead of a declaration of war they require an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) from Congress to fund and prolong the president's initial military decision. It's a war. We can look at those votes.
MNF Lebanon: Senate 54-46, House 253-156. 39.7% opposed
Gulf War, 1991: Senate 52-47, House 250-183. 43.2% opposed
Iraq War, 2003: Senate 77-23, House 296-132. 29.4% opposed.
Congress voted on the Vietnam War with the near-unanimous Gulf of Tonkin Resolution giving the president authority
to take all necessary steps, including the use of armed force, to assist any member or protocol state of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty requesting assistance in defense of its freedom
edited 2 hours ago
Kerry L
3,43511247
answered 3 hours ago
Schwern
35.4k993136
It depends on how you define "war".
Formal Declarations of War
This is easy enough to verify by looking at the votes for formal declaration of war by the US Congress.
War of 1812: Senate 19-13, House 79-49. 38.75% opposed
Spanish-American War: Senate 42-35, House 310-6. 45.5% of the Senate opposed, worth noting.
Post-WWI you get near-unanimous votes for war.
Undeclared Wars Which Required a Congressional Vote
The US has lots of these and it's unfair in the modern era to exclude them. Formal declarations of war by the US ended after WWII. Instead of a declaration of war they require an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) from Congress to fund and prolong the president's initial military decision. It's a war. We can look at those votes.
MNF Lebanon: Senate 54-46, House 253-156. 39.7% opposed
Gulf War, 1991: Senate 52-47, House 250-183. 43.2% opposed
Iraq War, 2003: Senate 77-23, House 296-132. 29.4% opposed.
Congress voted on the Vietnam War with the near-unanimous Gulf of Tonkin Resolution giving the president authority
to take all necessary steps, including the use of armed force, to assist any member or protocol state of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty requesting assistance in defense of its freedom
edited 2 hours ago
Kerry L
3,43511247
answered 3 hours ago
Schwern
35.4k993136
edited 2 hours ago
Kerry L
3,43511247
edited 2 hours ago
Kerry L
3,43511247
edited 2 hours ago
Kerry L
3,43511247
3,43511247
answered 3 hours ago
Schwern
35.4k993136
answered 3 hours ago
Schwern
35.4k993136
answered 3 hours ago
Schwern
35.4k993136
35.4k993136
Great research. I had no idea that Lebanon and first Gulf War had so much opposition. The Iraqi War had (unfortunately) far_less_ opposition than I had thought
– javadba
1 hour ago
2
About that large vote against the Gulf War: After it went rather well, a lot of politicians who voted against it had a really hard time. That's a large part of the reason why the vote against the second "Iraq War" was so much lower. Of course a lot of politicians who voted for that one had a hard time. Lesson hopefully being that perhaps its better to just vote your conscience on life-and-death matters.
– T.E.D.♦
1 hour ago
add a comment |
Great research. I had no idea that Lebanon and first Gulf War had so much opposition. The Iraqi War had (unfortunately) far_less_ opposition than I had thought
– javadba
1 hour ago
2
About that large vote against the Gulf War: After it went rather well, a lot of politicians who voted against it had a really hard time. That's a large part of the reason why the vote against the second "Iraq War" was so much lower. Of course a lot of politicians who voted for that one had a hard time. Lesson hopefully being that perhaps its better to just vote your conscience on life-and-death matters.
– T.E.D.♦
1 hour ago
Great research. I had no idea that Lebanon and first Gulf War had so much opposition. The Iraqi War had (unfortunately) far_less_ opposition than I had thought
– javadba
1 hour ago
Great research. I had no idea that Lebanon and first Gulf War had so much opposition. The Iraqi War had (unfortunately) far_less_ opposition than I had thought
– javadba
1 hour ago
2
2
About that large vote against the Gulf War: After it went rather well, a lot of politicians who voted against it had a really hard time. That's a large part of the reason why the vote against the second "Iraq War" was so much lower. Of course a lot of politicians who voted for that one had a hard time. Lesson hopefully being that perhaps its better to just vote your conscience on life-and-death matters.
– T.E.D.♦
1 hour ago
About that large vote against the Gulf War: After it went rather well, a lot of politicians who voted against it had a really hard time. That's a large part of the reason why the vote against the second "Iraq War" was so much lower. Of course a lot of politicians who voted for that one had a hard time. Lesson hopefully being that perhaps its better to just vote your conscience on life-and-death matters.
– T.E.D.♦
1 hour ago
add a comment |
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user34693 is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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user34693 is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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1
In what sense was there "no Congress at all" during the Vietnam War?
– Aaron Brick
4 hours ago
5
@AaronBrick I think they mean that there was no formal declaration of war. But there was a congressional vote authorizing military action, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution 88-2 / 416-0.
– Schwern
3 hours ago
7
Define war. Officially we have only ever been in a handful of wars. 5? the last one being WWII.
– sofa general
3 hours ago