BlogHer - Colin Powell endorses Barack Obama for president on Meet the Press - Comments

And Obama, too

Laracolvin — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:17:17 -0500

This is also the statement that Obama should have made the first time being Muslim became a smear in this election. Instead, he kept insisting over and over he is a Christian. His silence only perpetuated the smear, and I remain pretty disappointed about the way his campaign has responded. I still hope he wins, of course, but really - Obama and McCain both needed to say what Powell said a long time ago.

Notions of Identity

Powell's quote on the

kperfetto — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:49:04 -0500

Powell's quote on the Arab/Muslim rumors, from HuffPo

Powell also spoke passionately against the insinuations by some Republicans that Obama is a Muslim."Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian," he said. "But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, 'He's a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists.' This is not the way we should be doing it in America."

I posted this on Erin's site the already, but this is what McCain needed to say to his supporters.

Available Light & Five Dollar Radio

well, Kim

Mata H — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:57:13 -0500

If we were to follow the McCain campaign logic we would have to assume that because Bush spent time with African drummers, that he is now an African American. (see comments all over about Obama being a terrorist because he spoke to Ayers, or Palin being a foreign policy expert because she lives next to Russia and Canada.)

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs right along at Time's Fool

Uber Conservative Hawk Adelman to Support Obama...

KeegsMom — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:53:38 -0500

and one reason he gives is Palin, saying McCain's choice showed poor judgement.

From the New Yorker:

Ken Adelman is a lifelong conservative Republican. Campaigned for Goldwater, was hired by Rumsfeld at the Office of Economic Opportunity under Nixon, was assistant to Defense Secretary Rumsfeld under Ford, served as Reagan’s director of arms control, and joined the Defense Policy Board for Rumsfeld’s second go-round at the Pentagon, in 2001. Adelman’s friendship with Rumsfeld, Cheney, and their wives goes back to the sixties, and he introduced Cheney to Paul Wolfowitz at a Washington brunch the day Reagan was sworn in.

In recent years, Adelman and his friends Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Wolfowitz fell out over his criticisms of the botching of the Iraq War. Still, he remains a bona-fide hawk (“not really a neo-con but a con-con”) who has never supported a Democrat for President in his life. Two weeks from now that’s going to change: Ken Adelman intends to vote for Barack Obama. He can hardly believe it himself.

See the article at the New Yorker for more:
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/georgepacker/2008/10/not-quite-col...

Intellectual Curiousity

Lisse — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:55:40 -0500

"I've especially watched over the past six or seven weeks as both [candidates] have really taken a final exam with respect to this economic crisis we're in..." [Sen. Barack Obama] "displayed a steadiness, an intellectual curiousity a depth of knowledge and an approach to looking at problems like this -- picking a vice president that I think is ready to be president on day one. And not just jumping in and changing every day but showing intellectual vigor. I think that he has a definitive way of doing business that would serve us well...Mr. Obama has given us a more conclusive broader reach into the aspirations and needs of our people. He's thinking all villages have values...not just small towns have values..."

And after 8 years of George Bush, this statement, particularly the phrases I've bolded, say a lot.

-Lisse

@ Home in the World

In defense to Dana most

lilmommythatcould — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:50:10 -0500

In defense to Dana most Republicans feel that it is the job of the Federal Govt. to uphold defense and the states job to maintain roads, schools etc. It is not so much about compassion but one what responsibility the federal gov't holds v. state gov't.

That being said I am excited for this endorsement, a small boost for Obama I hope:).

~Susan

http://lilmomthatcould.com/

Or not to approach it at all

Lisse — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:32:54 -0500

"it just means that I personally feel that there are better ways to approach this problem"

But if, as you say, the government should be in the defense business only, that means not approaching it at all - the "fewer programs, more prisons" way of dealing with the poor.

Russia, China, France - well I would be interested in how you are defining failure here. Russia and China in particular now have a mix of socialism and capitalism. The middle class in both countries is growing. The American middle class is shrinking; we have more rich and more poor than we did two decades ago, and it is the health of the middle class which determines the health of an economy.

Much has been made of "Joe the Plumber" and his tax vs. expansion problem, but among the small business people I've spoken to, the single biggest roadblock to hiring good people and expanding business is not taxes, but the expense of offering medical benefits. If they can't offer benefits, they lose their best employees to companies that can. And in a world where health care is only for those who can afford it, we are crushing the entreprenuerial spirit of many who are tied to their jobs because health insurance is unaffordable for them otherwise.

We're in the financial mess that we're in because of the war games and money games of a lot of rich men. This is hardly the time for a "let them eat cake" attitude toward those who are most affected.

-Lisse

@ Home in the World

I completely Agree

Giyen — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:21:11 -0500

I watched Meet the Press and I saw a patriotic American making a decision that he thought was the best decision for the country, not the best decision for his own ideology. He was not polarizing in the least and was really thoughtful in his words.

Giyen

www.baconismyenemy.com

I expect nothing less

Suzanne Reisman — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:19:18 -0500

from a network that found it appropriate to run a story referring to Michelle Obama as "Obama's baby mama." Every time I think about that, my blood pressure explodes.

Suzanne Reisman, Contributing Editor - Feminism & Gender
Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS) & Other Rants

ROFL

Denise — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:01:33 -0500

Awesome. Thanks for the laugh - I need it right about now. :-)

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings

Here's the Drupal

Laura Scott — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:58:35 -0500

Here's the Drupal module:

http://drupal.org/project/no_socialism_filter

/jk ;)

It probably has something to

Leplusjeune — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:48:17 -0500

It probably has something to do with Marx's original theory that socialism is only the transition period between capitalism and communism...that this 'in-between' period is only a phase and has to happen over time.

LePlusJeune - proud Independent

www.remodelle.net

As for the bailout, I've

Leplusjeune — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:32:51 -0500

As for the bailout, I've actually never written one way or the other about the bailout - ever. I'm in Ohio - we crashed years ago and no one cared.

Same here in Pa. Ours started around 1980, I think.

LePlusJeune - proud Independent

www.remodelle.net

Thanks! Have a cuppa for

Leplusjeune — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:29:28 -0500

Thanks! Have a cuppa for me, too!

LePlusJeune - proud Independent

www.remodelle.net

For the record, Socialism

Leplusjeune — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:27:28 -0500

For the record, Socialism is an entire economic system planned in which the government owns all the means of production

That's not necessarily true about government ownership. Like anything else, there are various forms of Socialism and many hold the belief that the government should not own the means of production. Libertarian Socialists and Libertarian Marxists don't believe in any form of political hierarchy at all, and many believe government itself is part of the capitalistic system.

Anyway, it's not so cut and dried like you're making it sound.

LePlusJeune - proud Independent

www.remodelle.net

Colin Powell endorses Barack Obama for president on Meet the Press

Lisa Stone — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 10:08:20 -0500

"Either one of them would be a good president, but which of them is the president we need now?" asked former Secretary of State and retired Gen. Colin Powell on Meet the Press today. His answer: Barack Obama. Powell told Tom Brokaw:

"I've especially watched over the past six or seven weeks as both [candidates] have really taken a final exam with respect to this economic crisis we're in..." [Sen. Barack Obama] "displayed a steadiness, an intellectual curiousity a depth of knowledge and an approach to looking at problems like this -- picking a vice president that I think is ready to be president on day one. And not just jumping in and changing every day but showing intellectual vigor. I think that he has a definitive way of doing business that would serve us well...Mr. Obama has given us a more conclusive broader reach into the aspirations and needs of our people. He's thinking all villages have values...not just small towns have values..."

Here's the clip from Meet the Press so that you can watch the rest for yourself:

As you'll see, in his lengthy statement to Meet the Press Host Tom Brokaw, Powell also directly questions Sen. McCain's judgment, attributing his concerns to "daily" changes in McCain's approach to the economy, calling it "unsure" and indicative that, in his opinion, Sen. McCain didn't have a complete grasp of the economic problems. Powell added that while she is to "be admired," he thinks Gov. Palin is not ready to be president, which he describes as the job of the vice president. Powell also says that he is concerned about anti-Muslim statements made by Republican Party leadership, (specifically excluding John McCain from this criticism), what he describes as the increasing move to the right of the Republican Party and the effect that could have on Supreme Court appointments, among other issues.

On Whose Shoes Are These Anyway, Verite Parlant blogs, "I view Powell's endorsement as better late than never and hope it will wake up some people who've bought into the Obama is anti-American smears."

Over on Writes Like She Talks, Jill Zimon blogs, "No sharper mind. Someone I know says that he’ll be Obama’s Secretary of State. Attacks many myths and wrong-directedness of McCain campaign."

What is the power of Powell's endorsement on the outcome of Election 2008? Yglesias notes ambivalence on both the left and the right toward the former Secretary of State:

"Liberals generally find it hard to forgive Powell’s key role in selling the Iraq War to the public, and with some good reason. Still, he’s one of the most popular figures in public life and though he’s not well-liked by the hard-core rightwing either, he’s definitely identified as a Republican. His endorsement helps ratify the post-Palin trend toward McCain solidifying his base but losing his once-formidable support from moderates."

Powell's sought-after endorsement has been the subject of speculation for months. Earlier this week, Fox News published an article suggesting the retired general would endorse Obama because he danced at an 'Africa Rising' event in London England. The article, entitled Hip-Hop-Dancing Colin Powell Fuels Speculation He'll Endorse Obama Colin Powell showed off his hip-hop moves at an 'Africa Rising' celebration in London Tuesday, fueling speculation that the former secretary of state is about to endorse Barack Obama for president begins "Colin Powell has his dancing shoes on, fueling speculation that he's gearing up to do the Obama Two-Step..."

Blogger Megan Garber, writing for the Columbia Journalism Review's The Kicker was one of many to respond:

"Um, what? The fact that Powell is doing trying to do a hip-hop dance means he's endorsing the black guy? Seriously, Fox?

"Oh, but wait. The logic is more subtle than that. It's not so much the dancing that's fueling the Powell-endorsing-Obama speculation; it's the more general fact that the African-American icon supports African-American culture. Therefore--evidence!--he must be supporting the African-American candidate..."

What do you think? Are you influenced by Gen. Powell's endorsement? Do you think this endorsement will have any effect on the outcome of Election 2008?