# Colin Powell Endorses Obama for re-election **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 25, 2012, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832 "2012-10-25T15:29:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/1 "2012-10-25T15:29:23Z")
> **[Colin Powell Makes Presidential Endorsement](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/colin-powell-endorses-obama_n_2011162?ref=election-2012-blog&icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D225237)** > > Colin Powell Makes Presidential Endorsement I think an endorsement of Romney would have been damaging to Obama. > [@](#): > > Powell praised the president’s handling of the economy and ending of the Iraq War. > > “I think we ought to keep on the track we are on,” he said. > > Powell said he had the “utmost respect” for Mitt Romney but criticized his tax plan. > > He said Romney’s foreign policy was a “moving target.” “One day he has a certain strong view about staying in Afghanistan, but then on Monday night he agrees with the withdrawal. Same thing in Iraq. On every issue that was discussed on Monday night, Gov. Romney agreed with the president with some nuances. But this is quite a different set of foreign policy views than he had earlier in the campaign.” ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/2 "2012-10-25T15:32:04Z")
Even money odds that Rush Limbaugh comes out and says it’s because Powell is black. One in two chance that Sarah Palin denounces Powell’s endorsement as a “shuck and jive”. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/3 "2012-10-25T15:40:09Z")
Yeah, that’s just because he’s black. ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/4 "2012-10-25T15:40:47Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Even money odds that Rush Limbaugh comes out and says it’s because Powell is black. One in two chance that Sarah Palin denounces Powell’s endorsement as a “shuck and jive”. Don’t bet on it. Neither Limbaugh nor Palin are Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/5 "2012-10-25T15:44:03Z")
Do you guys deny that Black public figures are under pressure to support Obama (see e.g. Stacey Dash), or do you just have some intuition that this does not impact Colin Powell? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/6 "2012-10-25T15:46:07Z")
“OMG! A Black Conservative endorses Obama” would have been the _perfect_ title for this thread. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/7 "2012-10-25T15:47:05Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Do you guys deny that Black public figures are under pressure to support Obama (see e.g. Stacey Dash), or do you just have some intuition that this does not impact Colin Powell? The latter. I agree with the OP - this won’t have a huge beneficial effect for Obama but will negate a potential negative one (Powell jumping ship would be a signal to moderates that it is “OK” to do so). On preview: yeah, **Czarcasm** , that’s a missed opportunity right there. Maybe we can get a mod to change it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/8 "2012-10-25T15:51:34Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Do you guys deny that Black public figures are under pressure to support Obama (see e.g. Stacey Dash), or do you just have some intuition that this does not impact Colin Powell? You should read what I was responding to. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/9 "2012-10-25T15:52:07Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Don’t bet on it. Neither Limbaugh nor Palin are Democrats. Did you perhaps miss the part where Palin used exactly that phrase (“shuck and jive”) to describe the Obama administration’s response to the attack in Benghazi? ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/10 "2012-10-25T15:54:30Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > The latter. Based on what? > [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > You should read what I was responding to. The post was not directed to you. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/11 "2012-10-25T16:03:48Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Based on what? The fact that he worked for multiple Republican administrations and strongly considered running for president as a Republican. Random celebrity feels pressure in Hollywood to support a black candidate? Plausible. Former General, National Security Adviser, Charmain of the JCOS, and Secretary of State under a GOP president feels pressure to support a black candidate? Unlikely, IMO. Furthermore, the (likely unintended) consequence of your claim is that no black person can be legitimately supporting Obama - they are all responding to social pressure. That is an untenable position. Some black voters? Probably. But if any black voters could be considered “strong willed” enough to be immune to such pressure, Colin Powell would have to be near the top of that list. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/12 "2012-10-25T16:06:52Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Even money odds that Rush Limbaugh comes out and says it’s because Powell is black. > [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Don’t bet on it. If so, Rush will be late to the party. The umbrage by conservatives on Twitter is as swift and predictable as it is disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/13 "2012-10-25T16:17:48Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > The fact that he worked for multiple Republican administrations and strongly considered running for president as a Republican. What bearing does that have? That just means that he would ordinarily be inclined to support a Republican. In this case (as in 2008, IIRC) he did not. Question is why. One theory is that Obama is so much a better candidate than Romney. The alternative is that he feels pressure to not break ranks with the Black community. > [@](#): > > Random celebrity feels pressure in Hollywood to support a black candidate? Plausible. > > Former General, National Security Adviser, Charmain of the JCOS, and Secretary of State under a GOP president feels pressure to support a black candidate? Unlikely, IMO. Do he and his family live in or feel a part of the Black community? There is a lot of feeling about this, and I don’t think he gets a free pass. (There was actually some blowback in 2008 for Black politicians who supported Hillary. I don’t think this impacts Powell, because his political career has been as a Republican, but I note this as a demonstration of the fact that there is a racial solidarity angle at play here.) > [@](#): > > Furthermore, the (likely unintended) consequence of your claim is that no black person can be legitimately supporting Obama - they are all responding to social pressure. That is an untenable position. Some black voters? Probably. But if any black voters could be considered “strong willed” enough to be immune to such pressure, Colin Powell would have to be near the top of that list. 90% of Blacks support Democrats in any event. But if you see a Black person who is ostensibly likely to support a Republican supporting Obama instead, then it’s more likely it’s a racial issue. Can’t be sure, of course. There are any number of people who are not lockstep ideologically, and who vary their votes by election. But ISTM that this is a more likely explanation. Certainly it’s hard to be certain that this is not the case. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/14 "2012-10-25T16:20:26Z")
[John McCain isn’t happy about this.](http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/john-mccain-lashes-out-at-colin-powell-after-obama-endorsement.php?ref=fpb) I think he’s still pissed about 2008. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/15 "2012-10-25T16:22:45Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Can’t be sure, of course. This is one way of saying “There is no evidence for a theory that’s being offered just to denigrate Powell,” which of course is what’s being done. [Powell is more than capable of explaining his endorsement.](http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/25/14694430-obama-powell-endorses-obama-again?lite) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/16 "2012-10-25T16:23:15Z")
I was thinking that I’d also like to hear Colin Powell disavow the lies he told at the UN in 2003, but a quick web search informed me that [he already did](http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/09/politics/09powell.html?_r=0). ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/17 "2012-10-25T16:24:16Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > [John McCain isn’t happy about this.](http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/john-mccain-lashes-out-at-colin-powell-after-obama-endorsement.php?ref=fpb) I think he’s still pissed about 2008. John McCain seems to be perpetually pissed about everything these days. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/18 "2012-10-25T16:27:27Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > John McCain seems to be perpetually pissed about everything these days. Right? Not to mention that as the guy who picked Sarah Palin to potentially be one heartbeat away from the presidency, his opinion has zero credibility. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/19 "2012-10-25T16:28:16Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > [John McCain isn’t happy about this.](http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/john-mccain-lashes-out-at-colin-powell-after-obama-endorsement.php?ref=fpb) I think he’s still pissed about 2008. Screw McCain. What a sore loser. He still can’t accept that the country didn’t want him for president. Boo fucking hoo. For an old fart, he’s got a lot of growing up to do. ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/20 "2012-10-25T16:29:30Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > [John McCain isn’t happy about this.](http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/john-mccain-lashes-out-at-colin-powell-after-obama-endorsement.php?ref=fpb) I think he’s still pissed about 2008. Quote from that not in my original post: > [@](#): > > “I’m not quite sure which Gov. Romney we would be getting with respect to foreign policy,” Powell said, citing his shifting positions on Afghanistan, Iraq, and other key policy debates. He added that “my concern … is that sometimes I don’t sense that he has thought through these issues as thoroughly as he should have.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832.md?page=2)