# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/101 "2012-10-26T19:48:42Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > I am not concerned with whether you call my speculation racist or not. Knock yourself out. All right, then sure: your willingness to speculate on race’s influence only when it involves black people, while ignoring race’s influence when it involves white people, is reprehensible and racist. Your contributions to this thread are tainted by this racism, and your future posts on race should be viewed with suspicion until you’re able to see why this sort of race-based behavior of yours is indefensible and wrong. The same reasoning applies to anyone else who thinks that race is the appropriate lens through which to view endorsements, but only when the endorsement involves black people. That’s a racist double-standard that has no place in a reasoned discussion. ---
**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 26, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/102 "2012-10-26T19:52:29Z")
Nice job. Have a great weekend. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/103 "2012-10-26T19:58:17Z")
Well they just can’t, because they just see “US” and “them” Throw a little dog whistle Segregation in there and you’ve got a racial stew. To see a former Secretary of State abandon the rules of loyalty to the team that brung him in favor of a “boy” just buries them to the quick. How dare Powell disrespect his Republican base? Trouble is, it’s not the Republican base he knows. The good news for Obama is Powell may actually bring over the moderates out there who didn’t like the Republican nominees in 2008, and may feel it’s not time to throw in the towel on the Dems yet. Even though they may be fiscally frustrated, they’re socially liberal enough to be repulsed by the people Romney surrounds himself with . The Obama Republicans. Maybe Powell inspires a few ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/104 "2012-10-26T20:32:50Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > I think the Pubs should make Sununu, Meat Loaf and Chris Christie the spokespeople for their healthy eating campaign, explaining why Michelle Obama is so wrong on portion control–this makes as much sense as the other crap they’ve been spouting. > > Also, get Limbaugh on board with this–his voice needs to be heard here too. Getting all those folks “on board” would just be asking for a disaster… ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/105 "2012-10-27T00:59:49Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > I think some people are missing the point. You see, Sununu actually “applauds” Powell for making the endorsement. :rolleyes: I’m sure he’d go even further and wish that more white people would follow Powell’s lead in sticking up for the candidate from the same race as them. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/106 "2012-10-27T04:15:00Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Nice job. > > Have a great weekend. > > 🙂 Before you go away let me ask you a question. Why is it that if a black person gives a political endorsement to a black politician it is because they are the same race but if a white person does the same thing (endorsing a white person) the question never even gets asked? Thanks in advance for your answer. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/107 "2012-10-27T04:32:16Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > Before you go away let me ask you a question. Why is it that if a black person gives a political endorsement to a black politician it is because they are the same race but if a white person does the same thing (endorsing a white person) the question never even gets asked? Thanks in advance for your answer. I don’t like the reasoning, but there is an intrinsic asymmetry in majority/minority populations. Minority populations suffer from an expectation of solidarity, which a majority population does not. “Whites” can be broken down into groups, some of which are minorities. If a particularly famous Mormon endorsed Romney, some would say “He only did it because he’s a Mormon.” ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/108 "2012-10-27T13:20:32Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I don’t like the reasoning, but there is an intrinsic asymmetry in majority/minority populations. Minority populations suffer from an expectation of solidarity, which a majority population does not. It is precisely that asymmetric expectation that is the problem. When you treat a group differently based on nothing but their race, we’ve got a word for it. Anyway, in reality, of course there are plenty of white people who cast their votes for other white people based on race. ---
**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 27, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/109 "2012-10-27T19:21:45Z")
Lawrence Wilkerson, Former Colin Powell Aide, Blasts Sununu, GOP, As ‘Full Of Racists’ > **[Colin Powell's Former Chief Of Staff: 'My Party Is Full Of Racists'](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lawrence-wilkerson-colin-powell-sununu_n_2027721?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D226553)** > > Colin Powell's Former Chief Of Staff: 'My Party Is Full Of Racists' > [@](#): > > Colin Powell’s former chief of staff condemned the Republican Party on Friday night, telling MSNBC’s Ed Schultz, “My party is full of racists.” > > Retired Army Col. Lawrence Wilkerson made the comment in response to Mitt Romney campaign surrogate John Sununu’s suggestion on Thursday that Powell’s endorsement of President Barack Obama’s re-election was motivated by race. Denying that a good portion of the GOP is made up of white racists runs in the face of strong evidence to the contrary. Instead of denying, I think GOP leaders would be better off in the long term by better educating their base and stifling overt racist spokespeople. In mitigation I am willing to concede the racist portion is probably less than the majority of the party, but it’s certainly more than a few old white men in the south. ---
**Author:** ![Kyomara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8edcca/32.png) [@Kyomara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyomara)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/110 "2012-10-27T20:12:01Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Republicans are under pressure to show that they’re not racists without repudiating their principles. Though I’m sure it was unintentional, this would seem to be a tacit agreement that staying true to Republican principles somehow precludes not being racist. ---
**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 27, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/111 "2012-10-27T20:13:16Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Certainly if a lifelong Democrat endorsed Romney I would be open to speculation as to his or her motives. No you wouldn’t. [After a lifetime of voting for and supporting Democrats … Lee Iacocca Thursday endorsed Republican Mitt Romney for president](http://www.humanevents.com/2012/10/19/lee-iacocca-endorses-romney-for-president/). Go on, give it a shot, I dare ya. > [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > But here’s the question for you and others in this thread. Did you just take all these people (& others in that situation) at their word and accept that because they _said_ they were changing for such-and-such reason that one could not consider alternative motivations? Yes. Unless it was really freaking obvious, like for instance Arlen Specter suddenly becoming a Democrat because he realized he had no chance in hell of winning his district as a Republican anymore. > [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > It’s true that Powell is a moderate Republican, and to the left of many in the Republican party. But that never stopped him until it was about Obama, and he apparently had no problem serving under GWB and making the case for the Iraq war. I would think Powell is closer to Romney’s views than he is to GWB and the rest of that administration. _What_ Romney views? Powell clearly stated that he has _no idea_ what those views even are because he has changed them so many times, and always and only when it’s politically expedient to do so. _No one_ could possibly know what Romney’s views are on anything, with the exception of a small part of his tax policy, which is to pad his billionaire buddies’ pockets even fuller at the expense of the rest of the country — every other bit of it is vague or entirely unstated. > [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Plus, as noted above, he actually supported McCain in 2008. Until he went up against Obama. Or gee, perhaps it was until McCain was craven and irresponsible enough to put that dimwitted twit Sarah Palin a heartbeat away from the presidency. The timeline is what gives it away if you were paying attention instead of jerking your knee with allegations of racial preference. Barack Obama was the presumed winner of the Democratic nomination on June 4, 2008, and officially became the nominee at the end of August. During those 3 full months, not a word from Colin Powell in support of Obama. The day after the Democratic convention, on August 29th, in a calculated effort to avert any convention “bounce” for Obama, McCain pulled Palin out of obscurity and into our national nightmare. It was not until nearly 2 months later that Powell, after clearly giving each candidate and their running mates an opportunity to be heard on their positions, came out in support of Barack Obama and against the outrageous tactics of Sarah Palin telling crowds that Obama was “palling around with terrorists,” among several other stated reasons. So your accusation that he supported McCain “until” he went up against Obama is 5 months factually wrong. > [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > I’m sure the fact that Powell is a more moderate Republican is a part of the equation. You won’t find Thomas Sowell endorsing Obama. But ISTM that the sum of CP’s political positioning ends up as “supports Republicans who are not running against Obama”. It only seems that way to you because that’s the only way you’re willing to look at it. See above. > [@Zakalwe](#): > > Makes me wonder just how deep in GWB’s administration the stupid actually went. I mean, this woman was our SecState. Deeply, deeply stupid. Watch [this interview between Lawrence O’Donnell and Rice](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCVl8HUEtjM) and you’ll understand just how deep the stupid went (and continues to go). [Here’s Maddow & O’Donnell incredulous](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd1FXX01cWw) over her pugnaciousness and utter unwillingness to acknowledge a single mistake was made in the lead-up to the Iraq debacle. > [@Marley23](#): > > That’d be the same guy who said a few weeks ago that Obama is lazy and not that bright. If I were running Romney’s campaign I might pay him to stay off TV. Don’t be silly; Romney _loves_ having this guy out there stoking the racists so he doesn’t have to do it so overtly himself. The closest he came was his endorsement of the anti-welfare ad wherein a cast of white characters warned against the black president’s policy of allowing “those lazy people” to take checks for not working — you know, his fellow lazy blacks. > [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > Before you go away let me ask you a question. Why is it that if a black person gives a political endorsement to a black politician it is because they are the same race but if a white person does the same thing (endorsing a white person) the question never even gets asked? Thanks in advance for your answer. You forgot how whites who support the black candidate get accused of having “white guilt.” It’s always about race with these folks when a black candidate is involved. Always. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/112 "2012-10-27T20:18:16Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > It is precisely that asymmetric expectation that is the problem. When you treat a group differently based on nothing but their race, we’ve got a word for it. > > Anyway, in reality, of course there are plenty of white people who cast their votes for other white people based on race. When you treat a group of people differently based on nothing but their relative size with respect to the whole of society, what is the word for that? How do you prove it is because of, say, skin-color, and not simply because they are fewer in number. I agree that racism is heavily involved, because of real evidence such as the signs at Tea Party rallies, or blatantly racist web sites, etc. There is no doubt that racism is hugely involved. But if there were two groups of people, one small and one large (blue dots, yellow stars, left-handed, whatever) is it inescapable that differences in preferences between the groups is based on the physical difference? Would there be no chance at all that the differences are actually independent? I think Colin Powell’s endorsement is significant because of his previous association with an extremely conservative administration; I take it as a rejection of extremist conservatism. To me, the idea that it’s just a skin-color thing is absurd – and the Condoleezza Rice endorsement of Romney is good evidence that such endorsements can be independent of skin color. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/113 "2012-10-27T21:22:56Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > When you treat a group of people differently based on nothing but their relative size with respect to the whole of society, what is the word for that? How do you prove it is because of, say, skin-color, and not simply because they are fewer in number. The idea that the smaller group acts according to a tribal identity of sorts, but the larger group doesn’t, is unrealistic as far as I can tell. When folks talk about “privilege,” one aspect of that privilege is the privilege to have your own tribal identity unquestioned. As jsgoddess suggested, the “default” is being white, and so if you’re white, it’s assumed that you have no racial ties that bias your vote. [This is patently untrue](http://news.yahoo.com/ap-poll-majority-harbor-prejudice-against-blacks-073551680--election.html), of course. So again, it’s not the idea that black people consider race in their vote that’s racist. It’s the suspicion of race-based voting applied only to black people, not to white people, that’s racist. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/114 "2012-10-29T04:50:43Z")
Colin Powell is not even running for office anymore. There’s no reason for him to pander to African Americans by choosing to vote for one. Sure, if he makes a public announcement about supporting Romney, that might cause problems. But he has no reason that he has to tell anyone who he’s voting for. The fact that he did is evidence that he actually supports the guy. Seriously, what do you suppose would happen to Powell if he didn’t say he supported Obama? How the heck is the black community supposed to pressure him if they don’t know who he voted for? I see no evidence that racism is at play at all in Powell’s decision. It’s “realism” in the same way that racists use the term to say that whites are superior. You know, it’s “real” because it’s unpopular and not politically correct. Not because there’s any actual evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/115 "2012-10-29T06:47:19Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Seriously, what do you suppose would happen to Powell if he didn’t say he supported Obama? The [Black Crusaders](http://30rock.wikia.com/wiki/Black_Crusaders) would come for him. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/116 "2012-10-29T14:24:43Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Seriously, what do you suppose would happen to Powell if he didn’t say he supported Obama? How the heck is the black community supposed to pressure him if they don’t know who he voted for? Besides which Powell is a lifelong Republican. The black community is already pissed at him. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/117 "2012-10-29T14:40:53Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > 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. That’s funny, to me. I think it was the only \*\*good \*\*thing he’s done since…what, the 1990s? AT any rate, hasn’t Powell been pretty much opposed to what the Republicans do since he gave up his job (SecState? JCS? I can’t remember what it was). Maybe not opposed, but, in just about every instance that he was consulted, he sort of ‘questioned the wisdom of’ or something like that? I think he’s the same thing that Ah-nuld was referred to as being: A Democrat in Republican clothing. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/118 "2012-10-29T14:45:27Z")
Wait, what? You thought the Palin nomination was a _good_ thing? ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/119 "2012-10-29T14:47:56Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > I think GOP leaders would be better off in the long term by better educating their base and stifling overt racist spokespeople. I think that all spokespeople should be stifled. That is how better education is achieved. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832/120 "2012-10-29T14:54:42Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Besides which Powell is a lifelong Republican. The black community is already pissed at him. [GOP Blacks: Some Face Backlash, Others a Pass](http://www.theroot.com/views/gop-blacks-some-face-backlash-others-pass) Colin Powell is one who gets a pass. Even before his Obama endorsements. And I don’t recall a lot of vitriol directed at Condi Rice for just being a Republican. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-endorses-obama-for-re-election/638832.md?page=7)