Endorsement: Colin Powell
What does it mean for the Presidential race to have Colin Powell endorse Barak Obama? I think many of us expected this endorsement but now that it is official, but having him come out so strongly is very important. The Right will attempt to disregard this but there are a lot of independents and center-right people who respect Powell and it will have some pull.
"I come to the conclusion that because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities -- and you have to take that into account -- as well as his substance -- he has both style and substance," Powell said. "He has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president."
I like this statement. It shows that Powell has been paying attention to the race and has come to his decision based on the evidence. I believe most people who support Obama feel the same way about Obama. John McCain is an angry man and feels that he deserves the Presidency. This is probably the same attitude that bedeviled Hillary Clinton. It seems incomprehensible to them that this young man could come out of left field and win.
We will see in the upcoming days what this will mean.
9:59 AM I think we can expect the usual partisan divide over this: Democrats will celebrate it and see it as another sign that the Republican Party is continuing to implode, while Republicans will minimize it.
It does sound like Powell is putting form over function to a degree, something that concerns me. Although, to his point, Obama's rhetorical ability and strength of appealing to people can make for effective governing. It would have been interesting to see Obama as someone in an executive position, like state Governor instead of being in the Senate.
As usual, reality can be found somewhere in the middle. Like you, I will wait and see how the country reacts.
11:11 AM I had a feeling, even before I got here, this was what the post was going to be. Hopefully this won't make me out to be to partisan, but I'll cut and paste from me:
The thing about General Powell is that he became a Republican hero under Bush Sr for his involvement in Desert Storm. But I've always suspected he was more of a centrist person, and therefore likely to sway with the political winds.
This is the problem the GOP created when they picked a candidate that really appealed to no one.
As for the judgment of The Marxist (Obama) in foreign policy, I surspect he will do some fast learning and pick some good people to handle the minutia. Otherwise, he'll go the way of Carter fast. I hope the latter is not the case, because the cost could be a city.
6:03 PM Colin Powell set the record straight today. America needs to move in another direction, a new direction and Obama is the man to lead us in that direction.
The Republican party will make excuses as to why Powell endorsed Obama but they can't explain and don't care to explain why other Republicans and Independents have as well.
9:35 PM I can answer why some Republicans are jumping ship to endorse The Marxist. They weren't conservatives in the first place. And McCain has a way of angering everybody in the party, first for going left over his 20 years, then, when he finally sucks out a nomination, he goes to the right because he never had the base sewn up.
BTW, the new direction we need is not the Direction The Marxist (or McCain to a lesser extent) wants to take us. But that's a whole other post or ten.
6:58 AM Patrick,
Your post explains why the GOP is going down. You guys make no room for any alternative thoughts in your party and it is to the point where Rush and Hannity set the tone and the ideology. Colin Powell is a Republican. If you guys stick to this hard right mentality, I think you are going to find yourself out of power for a very long time.
Obama is center-left Democrat. Dennis Kucinich is a far-left Democrat. You guys will have to learn not to eat your own if you want to get the next generation on board because race and claims of socialism really doesn't move people.
10:54 AM The conservatives in the GOP have been increasingly out of power for years now.
If the GOP were a hard right party anymore, I'd agree with you. However, they're increasingly becoming the Democrat party with the words "free market" thrown in. Whether it be the Dastardly Bastardly Bailout bill, or even the suggestion that we have another "stimulus" vote-buying welfare check, there's no distinction. The Democrats don't have a problem figuring out what they want. Ask Joe Lieberman, who lost his primary, ran against them as an independent, won, and is now supporting McCain.
The problem with the GOP is that they've forgotten why they win elections. It's not moving to the center, but explaining why everyone should move to the right.
As for the Marxist being center/left, is voting record is to the left of Ohio's fruit loop, Kucinich.
Let me be clear: I'm not condemning Powell for his choice. However, he has been part of what could be called the McCain (left) wing of the party, and now he's gone left of that. But it's people like him and McCain that brought me to sever my ties with the GOP.
11:45 AM Patrick M: But I've always suspected he was more of a centrist person, and therefore likely to sway with the political winds.
Roderick: LOL.
Could that be because Powell was booed at the 1992 convention when he confirmed that he was pro-choice and pro-affirmative action during his speech?
I bet Powell had to have bodyguards to escort him out of the building amongst the Patrick Buchanan supporters.
Patrick M.: The conservatives in the GOP have been increasingly out of power for years now.
If the GOP were a hard right party anymore, I'd agree with you. However, they're increasingly becoming the Democrat party with the words "free market" thrown in.
Or maybe the Republicans have been blowing smoke up America's collective asses for the past forty years and showed who they truely were during Bush's reign-the party of borrow and spend.
And if it took the bailout to realized that you had been bamboozled you obviously missed the Republican's failure to privative Social Security or reform the tax code or even propose a Constitutional Amendment banning abortion.
Face it--you Republican voters have been all day suckers for the past forty years and counting.
12:48 PM tsk tsk tsk, patrick... The Conservative Revolution started in the mid 90's and it took them less than two decades to destroy this country. The Republican Congress never pushed back against Bush and Bush let the Congress run wild. Anytime someone disagreed with Bush we were called traitors. Now you guys don't claim the Party.
And the sad thing is, you guys are fighting to get McCain in office to continue the same mess.
Fact is, Republicans can run dirty elections but they can't govern because very few of them are pragmatic.
2:43 PM Roderick: I'm glad I no longer count myself a Republican voter. But I couldn't have been a sucker for 40 years because I'm not that old.
Colin Powell has always been pretty clear in his politics. That's why there's little shock or disappointment in what he's done.
As for the GOP, how many times do I have to explain why I walked? Obviously more. Here's that post where I gave the GOP the GFY. Read it and you may learn the difference between the GOP and a conservative.
James: The revolution faltered after only a few years, and died with the Bush administration, as the congress decided to get all spend happy and Bush forgot what a veto was. The insanity of the bailout was the final nail in the coffin of conservatism in the GOP.
But when the choices are as bad as they are, it's really a lesser of two evils.
4:40 PM Patrick,
I no long do the lesser of two evils. That is how we got into this crap in the first place. I didn't like McCain to begin with and he has shown that he is undeserving of any consideration by me.
9:19 PM Must be nice to have a candidate. McCain was all that was left after I eliminated every other. And if you notice, I rip on him regularly.
12:40 PM James the seeds of the conservative movement were planted in 1964 when Goldwater was defeated and the Civil Rights Bill was signed.
12:50 PM Rod,
I think conservatives and liberals would be a lot more successful if they didn't overreach when given the opportunity to lead. If Obama wins, he would be wise to make sure that most of his policies have input from Republicans although he will have to bypass them at times. But just because a Republican believes doesn't make it a bad idea. I'm looking forward to having a pragmatic President and hopefully he'll push back on Congress to make sure we are moving in the right direction.
3:06 PM I'm looking forward to having a pragmatic President...
Same here. More of a Clinton (minus the sex stuff) than a Carter, if we want a comparison.
I also hope he figures to how to veto.