2008.10.19
Colin Powell
Please share your thoughts on his endorsement of Barack Obama on this morning's "Meet the Press."
About this blog
In her signature plainspoken style, Michigan native Shanna Flowers peels away the layers and gets to the heart of the issues. No pretense. Just straightforward perspective. Shanna writes about local people whose circumstances reflect decisions made as near as City Hall or as far away as the halls of Congress. Other times, she weighs in on a topic because it is incredibly ridiculous. Or heartening. Or fascinating. Read Shanna's column three days a week, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, at roanoke.com
I respect Colin Powell choice for President, yet the constant threats of violence toward me as African American by other African Americans for my choice for choosing McCain, and the lack of ability of those to make an informed opinion other than race alone. His words fell on deaf ears today.
My thoughts is if Black America don't get a Black President will this country burn over the flame of ignorance and bigotry, maybe... Could this be his reasoning for his choice again maybe...
What would you do if you were in his position not to see a nation in flames like the Watts Riot or LA Riots.
As a child the day Martin Luther King Jr. was murder "White Memphis Policemen" kick our door open and held a gun to my grandmothers head ,my grandfather was beaten and handcuffed. Another officer shooting at my uncle as he ran from the house.
I have the freedom of choice not through intimidation by any race of being if this was Colin Powell reasoning then this country leadership is in worst shape than.......
I ever could imagine.
Comment by Backlash — October 19, 2008 @ 12:59 pm
While I don't share his opinion as to the best choice for president, Mr. Powell has, like Mr. McCain, fought for his country and for the freedom we enjoy to choose whomever we want as our leaders. He has earned the right to support the candidate he believes is best for the nation and I'm glad he is exercising that right.
Comment by Mike — October 19, 2008 @ 6:50 pm
I respect Secretary Powell's very important service to our country. However, his endorsement of Senator Obama will not influence my vote at all. After considering the character, qualifications and positions on important issues of each Presidential candidate, I have decided to vote for Senator McCain.
Powell's endorsement of Senator Obama raises this question: Can anyone name any white liberal candidate for any public office endorsed by Powell?
You didn't watch Powell's endorsement. He addressed the "race" question."--s
Comment by LRS — October 19, 2008 @ 7:26 pm
It's a " black thing " We whites wouldn't understand .
Comment by Robert — October 19, 2008 @ 8:28 pm
LRS: This is the first Presidential election since Powell has left public office (starting in 1987, if the Wikipedia article is accurate). I'm not sure if he's endorsed any candidate prior to this. Gut feeling would say maybe not since he was in a public position (National Security Advisor, CJCS, Sec'y of State).
As for his endorsement, he is just another voter to me. His name is not "Ed S.", so he's likely not voting on the same reasons I am. He may be able to provide specific reasoning in his endorsement that would give me another pro- or con- reason to vote for Obama, but an endorsement does not sway me one way or the other.
I won't be voting for Obama, regardless of what endorsements he may receive, unless he changes some of his policies.
Comment by Ed S. — October 19, 2008 @ 9:13 pm
I know Secretary Powell said he was not influenced by race. He would need to say that. It would be much easier for me to believe him if someone can answer my question: Can anyone name ANY white liberal candidate for ANY public office endorsed by Powell?
So you want me to believe YOU when YOU say race has nothing to do with your opposition to Obama, but you can't accept the same admission from Powell, who supports him?---s
Comment by LRS — October 19, 2008 @ 10:40 pm
Shanna
So what? I can't comment on this one?
Comment by Dona Wheeler/Roanoke — October 19, 2008 @ 11:47 pm
LRS Powell had stated in the past that he had no intentions of running for public office due to the scrutiny of private life.
His wife had a medical condition that required her hospitalization over ten years ago, and a family member was committed to a mental hospital during the same period.
He chose a time of his own choosing he has that right. I question his timing and possible reasoning.
Comment by Backlash — October 20, 2008 @ 1:23 am
Mr. Powell sits in a now "between a rock and a hard space " By that I mean, he states that he is under no influence , yet he sold the american people a "bill of goods" while advocating for G.W. for the U.S. to enter Iraq. I can't help but wonder, if George Soros and the far Left is not behind his current decision to back Obama.
Comment by jnsmith — October 20, 2008 @ 6:14 am
Shanna, I think Colin Powell gave a consise, to the point endorsement of Barack Obama. He showed that he had a true struggle with his choice and that in the end it came down to key issues that he felt were important to the American people at large. I would have expected nothing less from him. He is a respected figure in the US today and I would have continued to respect him even if he had said McCain......and I'm a Democrat! LOL
Comment by reed — October 20, 2008 @ 7:59 am
I have supported black candidates for public office. In fact, I was the campaign manager for a black candidate for political office. I repeat my question, which no one has answered: Can anyone name ANY white liberal candidate for ANY public office endorsed by Powell?
Powell’s criticism of the two moderate-conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices and evident approval of radical-liberal justices Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg and Breyer is very interesting. These justices are so radical they protect partial-birth abortion and permit states and cities to take private homes and give that property to real estate developers or retail chains such as Walmart.
Comment by LRS — October 20, 2008 @ 8:17 am
I believe Collin Powell has put tremendous thought into this endorsement and he has given us much to think about as well And I believe he wanted to endorse McCain, and would have if McCain had not been so reckless in choosing Gov. Palin as his VP. Palin. Though she is a good person,she is not someone that we want to negotiate with Wall Street or Russia. She has not thought about these issues and is surrounded by old Bush appointees who are telling her what to say and think. And McCain has shown a lack of understanding of the economy and the fact that he thought the economy is fundamentally sound ,when we all knew we were suffering, puts doubts in my mind too. I voted for Mc Cain in 2000 primaries, but I can't support him this time. If Collin Powell says that Obama is ready to be president, I figure he knows a lot more than most of us do and it gives me a great deal more confidence in Obama and I am ready to vote for him.
Comment by jf — October 21, 2008 @ 4:19 am
I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Powell. He has honorably served in active duty for many years, and he has done the best he can given the circumstances under the Bush administration. I felt that his endorsement of Obama was interesting, and maybe I'm overthinking this, but I thought that given his knowledge and experience with military and security issues, that he felt that Obama would be the better choice for addressing and dealing with them. If it were not for Powell's depth of experience in those matters, I wouldn't take too much stock in the endorsement since it's just an endorsement most times, but I think this one has a lot more weight behind it. At least until he made the announcement, he had been well respected by both sides, so I think it does mean a lot and gives some additional credibility to the Obama campaign. I don't think this is a simple "black thing" like so many other folks have said, which to me really demonstrates the narrowness of their thinking. Yes, they share a similar background in terms of race, but to dismiss the endorsement for that reason shows a great deal of disrespect for someone who has spent their life serving the country and who likely knows quite a bit more about the way the world works than we could, or would ever want, to know.
Comment by Other John — October 21, 2008 @ 8:15 am
I feel Mr. Powell's endorssement of Mr. Obama is a slap in the face of both Bush and Cheney for seting him up to be the fool at the United Nations.
Comment by RAH — October 21, 2008 @ 5:27 pm
I'm terrified and shocked that so many people are of the opinion that this is a racially motivated decision on the part of Mr. Powell. I never saw him as a particularly "pro-black" kind of man. Why, all of a sudden, do people think that this Republican, who was once a golden child of the Republican Party, is now just one house Negro helping another house negro get to the top??? There are plenty of other WHITE Republicans who think far more of Obama's policies and skills than McCain's. Many WHITE Republicans have spoken against McCain's campaign tactics, his constant bringing up Ayers, his choice of Palin, and his connection to Bush but none of those people are being slaughtered and accused of being a racist! I guess it's OK for WHITE people to believe in Obama but if a black person believes it him it's simply because he's black!!! The man couldn't have given a better and more specific explanation for his choice and anyone who really paid attention to what he said could not seriously think these were the words of a someone ignorant enough to choose a man based on his skin color.
I’m of the opinion that once he started bashing McCain, Palin and Republicans all over the world most of the ignorant closet racists decided to close their ears to facts that support Powell’s position and decided that they should have never let that N-word get as much power as they GAVE him.
Let this be a word to the wise: when one of the most decorated and respected African American Republicans in history can become just another black boy with no morals, self-respect or mind of his own, we are all reminded that this country has not come as far as we have fooled ourselves into thinking. There will always be some idiot who believes in nothing more than our inferiority. God bless you Colin, Obama and any other black man who dares to be great, because even after you achieve your goals, they will not hesitate to tear you down the first chance they get!
Comment by Lo — October 21, 2008 @ 5:58 pm
Colin Powell son is campaigning for McCain,
so much for unity within the home.
Comment by Terry B — October 21, 2008 @ 6:00 pm
Whatever his motives, race or no race, he has the right to select whomever he wants for whatever reasons he desires. Isn't that what democracy is all about?
If the majority of Americans favor socialism, the rest of us can either put up with it or leave.
Comment by Mike — October 22, 2008 @ 10:10 am
Terry, wasn't Ron Reagan fairly liberal? Heck, there was attempted public humiliation against another high-profile Republican for their daughter being lesbian. Everyone is an individual.
Comment by Ed S. — October 22, 2008 @ 10:19 am
Socialism where??? Bush buying US banks??? yup that is socialism.
Bet you didn't feel like a socialist when you cashed your tax refund under Pres. Bush!
It is a sad day when so many reject Sen. Obama's plan to take us back to tax levels from the Reagan era! The GOP is shooting themselves in the foot.
Comment by specialneedsmom — October 23, 2008 @ 7:49 am
Ed S. Touche Mon Ami!!
Specialneedsmom how about this Obama wants to raise taxes by 4% current tax rate is 39.1%.
The Bush tax cut 11% of 2001 expires in the year 2010, which will raise our tax rate to a whopping.....
54.1% Obama don't have to raise taxes they will go up by default.
We need a Flat rate of Tax our income tax system is outdated eradicating it is real change.
Comment by Terry B — October 23, 2008 @ 1:31 pm
Powell said he is nendorsing Obama because of the negative tone of McCain's campaign, his choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a running mate, and their decision to focus in the closing weeks of the contest on Obama's ties to radical terrorist William Ayers,saying "it goes too far." These are extremely weak excuses for Powell's support of Obama.
Obama is running more negative ads than McCain. Obama's supporters are making Palin the object of extraordinarily vicious attacks, some of which are so bad they could not be included in a respectable publication. The negative tone from the Obama side is far greater than the negative tone from McCain's.
The president is the nation's chief executive. Obama and Biden have no executive experience. Palin has very successful executive experience in local and state government. Palin has not been wrong on important foreign policy issues as have Obama and Biden. In the debate between Palin and Biden, he stated many falsehoods. She did not.
William Ayers is an unrepentent terrorist who is still promoting anti-American Marxism. Obama and Ayers were allies for years. Ayers served both as Obama's boss and fellow board member on several foundations. Ayers recruited many of his friends to help Obama -- friends who are still associated with Obama. How much does Obama agree with Ayers' radical Marxist ideology? Why are the pro-Obama media refusing to examine Obama's relationship with Ayers, while they examine the cost of Palin's clothes?
Powell's weak excuses raise legitimate questions about the real reason he is endorsing Obama.
Comment by LRS — October 23, 2008 @ 9:37 pm
LRS posted "...Can anyone name ANY white liberal candidate for ANY public office endorsed by Powell?..."
Can you give us one reason we SHOULD know that information?
When did it become required to advertise who one voted for past or present? Was he basing his life-long votes for Caucasian Republicans on "race" or did he make his choices based on personal gain as most Americans vote?
LR's "liberal" - an example of GW/ROVE propaganda semantics:'
to LR and their ilk, "liberal"new definition is anyone who doesn't agree with mass murder and sociopathic policies that negate the definition of "UNITED" states while negating all that democracy was.
Also....has our population forgotten their democracy was/is embedded with the right of a "secret ballot" as well as the reason voting booths have drawn curtain to provide that "secret ballot" secrecy?
The 8+ years of Bush and his election era rhetoric against a two-party system (if you vote for a Dem you're godless need Commie nee terrorist nee traitor -- to a two party democracy some claim they're spreading "over there"?)
As a result of this mass hypnotic goose stepping mantra we are left with GW/GOP political discrimination policies costing us millions of dollars in investigations and trials...in an already clogged DOJ overwhelmed with home grown financial terrorists allowed to run amok...BECAUSE a person's party affiliations (and their right to vote in a two-party system)were being used against them and/or as illegal "tests of loyalty".
Just because some illegal act is repeated over and over again and it's perpetrators refuse subpoenas we'd all be in jail for refusing . . . demanding "party loyalty" does not make it LEGAL and it especially does not make it Constitutional.
Comment by Augie — October 24, 2008 @ 1:31 pm
The very simple reasons that Powell seems to have never previously endorsed a candidate that some would label as a "white liberal" are:
1. He has been a career military man in a professional culture where public endorsements of any kind were not normative.
2. He has been a Republican, and has supported the candidates of that party, who at the national level, have been and continue to be white conservatives (Alan Keys' quixotic appearances never had enough serious support to negate this fact).
I have my own equally emphatic questions for you:
We hear so much dark implication from the non-mainstream media about what a shadowy terrorist's pal Mr. Obama is, why are prominent Reagan era defense officials like Senator Webb and Secretary Powell willing to support him? Could it be that they have a more accurate view of him than the image invented (for profit) by non-mainstream media?
More fundamentally, to LRS specificaly I ask, in the very same vein as your question, can you name ONE nationally prominent black female Republican politician? If not, intellectual curiousity might require an examination of the GOP's lack of inclusiveness; but then intellect is not a trait that we've seen celebrated by the party of George W. Bush, John McCain, and Sarah Palin, unless we're unaware of ample evidence presented in the non-mainstream media that Bush, McCain and Palin were always high achieving students whose outstanding intellects have shaped a suitably cerebral approach to examining issues.
Christopher Buckley, who knew his father William F. Buckley better than any of us, agreed with his late father (the dean of modern conservative INTELLECTUALS) that Bush and McCain's Republican party should now be mentioned seperately from conservatism. Those regressives who haven't heard this may wish to consult instead Trent Lott, whose 21st century praise for a segregationist candidate revealed him to be highly representative of the sort of dead-enders that General Powell has thoughtfully rejected.
Comment by PJ — October 24, 2008 @ 1:33 pm
No one can name a white liberal that Powell has endorsed because there is none. He criticized Sarah Palin for lack of experience, but endorsed a totally unqualified candidate in Obama. How could he endorse someone who disagrees with him on most issues? Two reasons: Obama is black (that's the primary one). Also, he's bitter towards President Bush. Finally, 95% of blacks are voting for Obama. Whites are divided. Who here is basing their vote on race?
Comment by Randall — October 24, 2008 @ 1:35 pm
Randall
From most of the posted comments I've found nearly all that have posted comments have made an informed opinion on this political election.
If you want to know where a small minority group of African Americans stand on this issue.
I suggest calling this number between 5:30 pm and 6:45 pm voice your thoughts listen to the responses and give us an informed opinion afterwards
I have asked 5 people to do this and no one has the guts to accept the challenge do you.
WDIA via internet
THE FUN AFTERNOON SHOW
FEATURING "THE WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND LINE "
M-F 1-901-535-WDIA
Yet first tell me what kind of White person wears a shirt that says N-Bomb it's the White House??
What group of idiots in the name of neo-nazi's shouting racial slurs and threaten to kill black's in the name of a race war.
Regardless of Obama's Politics this is America people have the right to say what they want
But why must some continue to be a bigoted fools on both side of the coin.
Comment by Terry B — October 24, 2008 @ 4:45 pm
"But why must some continue to be a bigoted fools on both side of the coin."
Agreed.
And how do they get a soapbox instead of me?
Comment by Ed S. — October 25, 2008 @ 3:46 pm
Ed S.
When you are responsible no one will follow you into battle. Only when your actions are wreckless, half hearted and oblivious of others then...
And only then will you get a Soapbox.
Comment by Backlash — October 25, 2008 @ 5:50 pm
Some good NON-partisan food for thought by Terry and Ed expressed here.
Comment by Mike — October 26, 2008 @ 12:54 pm
I'm not sure what can of worms I will be opening up by asking this but I am curious about some of the examples of experience that make McCain such a perfect candidate for presidency. I have heard the comments about him being a war hero but does that mean all war heroes are qualified to run the country or does that mean all war heroes are more qualified to run the country that Obama? NO RAGE HERE! I'm just curious.
Comment by Lo — October 27, 2008 @ 9:49 am
I think that history would show that military leaders make average presidents. But, that aside, I believe that the views expressed by these two candidates should make the choice an easy one. When it comes to casting our votes, however, each of us has our own agenda. And that's just the way it is---the American way.
Comment by Mike — October 28, 2008 @ 2:16 am
Obama aunt from Kenya living illegally in US
WASHINGTON – Barack Obama's aunt, a Kenyan woman who has been quietly living in public housing in Boston, is in the United States illegally after an immigration judge rejected her request for asylum four years ago.
Zeituni Onyango (zay-TUHN on-YANG-oh), referred to as "Aunti Zeituni" in Obama's memoir, was instructed to leave the United States by a U.S. immigration judge who denied her asylum request, a person familiar with the matter told the AP late Friday. This person spoke on condition of anonymity because no one was authorized to discuss Onyango's case.
Onyango's refusal to leave the country would represent an administrative, noncriminal violation of immigration law.
The Obama campaign declined comment late Friday night.
How can you denie comment if for a relative is breaking the law.
If we broke the law would we be arrested, ticketed, or deported what makes this different from any other person.
This is not that big of deal, yet if he will over look this what else will he has or will over look in the future.
Comment by Backlash — November 1, 2008 @ 9:57 am
"Bet you didn't feel like a socialist when you cashed your tax refund under Pres. Bush!"
Specialneedsmom:
I am sorry to disappoint you, but I happen to be one of those so-called "high income" individuals (even by Bush's standards) and did not qualify for the tax rebate or many other of the "breaks" given to the "middle class". Funny thing though, I don't FEEL rich, and I drive an eleven year old pickup truck and a fifteen year old van.
Comment by Mike — November 4, 2008 @ 3:59 am