Here’s a video of the post-endorsement chat with the press, with commentary:
I was not surprised by Powell’s endorsement, but I was surprised that he did not give McCain credit for supporting the surge, did not take into account that Obama was wrong on the surge, did not think Obama associating with a known terrorist was a big deal, tried to blame McCain for negative statements about Muslim’s that McCain has gone out of his way to refute, did not address Obama’s negative campaigning or his lack of addressing negative comments from his supporters, including those showing up to his rallies wearing t’shirts with that disgusting “C” slogan about Palin, did not understand the difference between taxes being used for roads and infrastructure and taxes being used as a backdoor welfare program, did not seem to grasp that Obama is claiming to be cutting taxes for 95% of the people since Powell talks about the need to address the deficit through taxes…
In short… I was surprised that Powell is either clueless, which I doubt, or is willing to play the political game much more than folks realize.
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I am very disapponted. Ideally I wanted Powell or rice to be our first black president instead of Obama. Now they are showing themselves as racist. I will not ever vote for a racist no matter what the color of their skin. I am tired of racism being ok if it is comitted by minorities. It is not acceptable ever.
Welcome Craig, but I don’t think Powell is being racist. Is he likely proud that an African-American has a great shot to be the next president, I’m sure he is. But that doesn’t make him a racist. Not sure why you are referring to Rice though, unless I missed something.
Frankly, I’m not sure I would vote for Powell for president either. His party affiliation is Republican, but he is certainly not a conservative. On the other hand, I am essentially a conservative, but my party affiliation has never been Republican. I don’t vote party lines.
I really don’t care what gender, race, or party a candidate belongs to, I vote for who I believe will best serve this great country of ours.
I saw something asking if Rice would be next, that might be why it was brought up. I am glad Powell went for Obama. If he would have went for McCain the MSM would have reported on how he lied about the war. McCain didn’t need that.
Welcome 30yrdemsick of Obama – long name
Hadn’t heard about Rice, but I would doubt she would compromise her conservative principles… hope not.
Good point about Powell. On the other hand, if he wasn’t for Obama he probably would just have not endorsed anyone. No requirement that he publicly endorse anyone.
That a former general could say Obama is fit to be Commander in Chief particularly after his weak response to the Georgia crisis is unbelievable.
Obama’s campaign has been equally negative and much less truthful than McCain’s.
Trillions of unfunded programs are not the way to lead us out of the financial meltdown.
None of his justifications make any sense…Colin Powell could have kept my respect for him had he just said he believed it was time for a black President.
Welcome Drew. I still respect him for his service to our country. Politically, I lost respect for him years ago.
Colin’s endorsement is a slap in the face to the troops who risk their lives every day. May God have mercy on Colin and Obama’s souls.
Welcome Anee. Not sure I’d take it that far, but it certainly is not a logical decision from a man who served his country, at least in my opinion. On the other hand, from what we have been able to glimpse of Powell’s politics, he does seem to lean left even though he calls himself a Republican. Of course, I called myself a Democrat for many years
go figure.
I am glad to see someone say that Powell’s endorsement of Obama was conflicting … I thought it was just me. My preference too would have been Powell or Condi Rice. I did wonder who Condi will be voting for. Seems that Powell is not as conservative as we thought but I agree that the Republican party is in shambles and needs some serious revamping to be what it once was. It used to be a great party until the Democrats started coming over in the 60s and 70s. Obama is very liberal, the most liberal will-probably-be-President we’ve ever had. I don’t agree with quite a few of his views but if he’s elected, I’ll support him to the best of my ability and in accordance with my personal convictions.
“That a former general could say Obama is fit to be Commander in Chief particularly after his weak response to the Georgia crisis is unbelievable.”
This is why this endorsement is so important for Obama. Who has more credibility regarding being fit to be commander in chief, someone who is a General in the Army, the National Security Advisor to Ronald Reagan and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for George H. W. Bush, or YOU? (This ignores being Secretary of State for another president, but that is a diplomatic position). What is really unbelievable is that somehow you think your opinion somehow might acutally compare to his. LOL.
“Obama’s campaign has been equally negative and much less truthful than McCain’s.”
Well, I don’t know how you measure “equally negative” although I have heard some really stupid things over the last few days. However, the McCain campaign as been clearly less truthful. This has lead REPUTABLE sources, including conservative commentators, to actually use the L word which is extremely rare in presidential elections. This is also easy to verify by going to nonpartisan factcheck sites. While McCain, at least at some point, was an honorable man, his campaign has been increasingly willing to put forth outright (and known) lies.
It is shameful that a former General could endorse someone like Obama. Does he not realize that he is endorsing the same candidate as Castro?
Apparently Gen. Powell does’t care much about ideology, whether a candidate is a socialist, a communist, or a democratic capitalist, or maybe a fascist or a bomb throwing anarchist. Nor whether he changes his stated position whichever way the wind blows (a Weatherman.) Or whether he loves or even respects the country he wants to lead. No, all he seems to be interested in is his temperament. Well, I thought better of him until today. He may be a good soldier but he’d best stay out of governance and politics. Sir, I once respected you.
I’m sorry, after Obama’s comments about “spreading the wealth around,” any person who supports this guy cannot call themselves a conservative or a Republican. I understand that Powell even defended those viewpoints of Obama’s?
Liberals think we all have a right to happiness and laziness, and that the government is the arbiter and distributor of that right. I thought the Reagan revolution put an end to this idea that the government can distribute our rights and our happiness. No matter how happy the government can make us, we are not free as long as the government controls us in such a way.
As Jefferson put it, the “pursuit of happiness” is an inalienable liberty. Suddenly we’ve started believing that we no longer have to persue happiness through private enterprise and self-determination, but that the government can provide it to us through welfare and handouts. What’s happened to our country? I’m a 19 year old university student, and I see what is happening, through indoctrination of students to actually believe far left ideology. University and public education now teaches children that we are entitled to things, that we deserve things we haven’t worked for, and haven’t earned. I really fear that our country is slipping away to socialism.
Welcome new folks…
Becky, there is wisdom in your words. Whoever is elected president, we need to support him. Unlike the loons who have attacked GWB for 4 years and who would insist he lied if he said the sky was blue, we need to be adults and help move our country forward. That’s not to say we should fall in line an compromise our values, but we need to dissent in a way that does not add to the poisonous atmosphere the left has created. Interesting that Powell did not at least acknowledge the negativity of the left.
David… 19 and you already understand what is happening better than many of the folks I debate.
From my experience with college students, the left is very vocal and the more conservative students I have met try to stay low key to keep the peace with their friends. It’s a shame that the debate in this country has become so ascerbic that many folks on campus with conservative views feel that their voices have been silenced out of fear of retribution, either from “friends” or professors. Are your experiences similar?
Keep the faith… politics in the US tends to be somewhat cyclical. 4 years of one-party government (if that is the result of this election) will likely create a backlash that will shift the country back to the right again…
PhDEcon…
What a surprise, condescension from a PhD
So, what makes one person’s opinion better than another person’s opinion. afterall, they are both merely opinions? Who’s to say that Drew’s opinion is any less valid that Powell’s? Isn’t that what is great about this country, that opinions in a political arena have validity because we value all input into the political discourse in our society… unless of course we disagree with the shout-em-down loons…
As far as lies go (I’m assuming that’s th “L” word you were referring to, as opposed to the liberal L word), the first I recall in this campaign was Obama’s assertion that McCain wanted to keep us in a war in Iraq for 100 years. Obama has also lied about his own record and background repeatedly throughtout this campaign, but those lies are dismissed as those among us who are too dumb to understand just not fully comprehending what he was trying to tell us.
Folks have a right to vote for whomever they choose for whatever reason they choose, but I believe Powell, in his endorsement, confused John McCain and his campaign with wingnuts who have no association to the campaign. If McCain is to be saddled with the views of folks on the extreme right, then it is only fair that Obama should have to answer for those on the extreme left. Powell, sadly, is now more of a politician than a statesman. If he had endorsed McCain, that would have been nice, but it would not change my opinion of him since that opinion was not formed this week… of course, that’s just my opinion
I think my main point is that I disagree on the distinction between an endorsement by a person particularly knowledgeable on a subject and an opinion.
As you correctly stated, as well as others, Powell was never much of a conservative, this didn’t just change this weekend. However, he is an expert on defense issues, thus his opinion should hold weight more than many other peoples on THIS issue.
If I have a lump in my neck and my doctor tells me that it is a malignant tumor and my neighbor’s wife tells me she thinks it is just a swollen gland from eating too many strawberries, these are not two equally credible “opinions”.
If my neighbor, or one of the hundreds of idiots on the radio and TV, tells me how we got into this financial crises and what we should/shouldn’t do to get out of it, I will consider this right along with Brittany Spear’s opinions. If Ben Bernanke, Hank Paulson, Larry Summers, or Warren Buffet tell me their opinions I will have to think pretty hard about what they have to say. I still may end up disagreeing, but I promise that Ben Bernanke knows more about the economy than anybody that most of us know.
Colin Powell knows more about national defense than 99.5% of the population and his opinion is therefore more relevant. After careful thought though, you can still disagree with him, as the .5% of experts who know a lot still disagree with each other.
PhDEcon .. LOL.. I like your analogy. Thanks.
Point taken.