# Colin Powell on VP choice and will his Endorsement go ultimately to Obama? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 5, 2008, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-on-vp-choice-and-will-his-endorsement-go-ultimately-to-obama/462169 "2008-09-05T12:51:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-on-vp-choice-and-will-his-endorsement-go-ultimately-to-obama/462169/41 "2008-09-06T07:31:09Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > I don’t know what I would have to apologize for… Well, just for starters, "I’m not surprised that you don’t understand " pretty much tells \*\*Shayna \*\*that, based on your posts, you think she’s pretty dense. So while blathering your opinions (of someone else’s private beliefs) you’re going out of your way to say that someone who doesn’t agree with your opinions is a mental defective. But you don’t think you have anything to apologize for, and I’m cool with that. Should have listed that as an option, really. “I have nothing to apologize for” should always be an option. My bad. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-on-vp-choice-and-will-his-endorsement-go-ultimately-to-obama/462169/42 "2008-09-06T23:14:33Z")
Who \*really \*thinks Powell still has a general reputation for integrity? He threw that away at the UN. Knowing that, he has pretty much stayed out of the public eye since, his reputation gone and his celebrity value with it. His endorsement would be toxic. ---
**Author:** ![vison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47774/32.png) [@vison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vison)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-on-vp-choice-and-will-his-endorsement-go-ultimately-to-obama/462169/43 "2008-09-06T23:22:50Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > Wow. I’m really curious why it would be low class to publicly stand up and declare your party’s opponent to be the better choice to run the nation, after you were used as a pawn by them to create the biggest disaster this nation has faced in the last 50 years. Exactly my thoughts. I have a great deal of sympathy for Colin Powell, who was hung out to dry in the most callous and coldhearthed fashion I’ve ever seen. I think many people have the same sympathy for him - a man who, out of loyalty to his president and his nation, did his duty while likely believing it was wrong. It is the worst thing I can think of to say about him. Certainly Mr. McCain has no qualms about now repudiating his past actions - and he has much more to answer for than does Gen. Powell. Gen. Powell seems to be a man of principle, however. It will be interesting to see what his principles now lead him to do. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-on-vp-choice-and-will-his-endorsement-go-ultimately-to-obama/462169/44 "2008-09-06T23:26:05Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Well there may be a whole bunch of moderate Republicans who have been on the fence who may finally swing because of the Palin selection. Currently, that particular set of moderate Republicans may be small. 85% of Republicans view Palin favorably. Almost 90% of all Republicans approve of her selection as McCain’s running mate. 74% of all Republicans believe that Palin is sufficiently prepared for the Presidency. Doing a little math, it seems that about 15% of self-identified Republicans believe that Palin is not sufficiently prepared for the Presidency, but they nonetheless approve of her selection as McCain’s running mate. Overall, 42% of Americans believe that Palin is sufficiently prepared. No word on the share of Straight Dope Board members. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/05/AR2008090503932.html?hpid=topnews](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/05/AR2008090503932.html?hpid=topnews) ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-on-vp-choice-and-will-his-endorsement-go-ultimately-to-obama/462169/45 "2008-09-06T23:35:07Z")
> [@Avumede](#): > > Powell has much to lose, and as far as I can tell, nothing to gain by mentioning how he will vote. Logically, there’s no reason to do it. Yeah. I thought this was an odd OP. Powell has nowhere near the level of public support that he did a decade ago, he’s tied to the Bush-Cheney Iraq WMD clusterfuck, and he’s probably much more interested in his nonprofit, America’s Promise, getting attention than him. For these reasons, I suspect he’ll be mum during this cycle. And if he does endorse either candidate, I expect the effect will be… nothing at all. ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-on-vp-choice-and-will-his-endorsement-go-ultimately-to-obama/462169/46 "2008-09-06T23:53:09Z")
> [@C3](#): > > Powell has never shown any interest in pursuing a political position. What makes you think that would be a factor for him? Agreed. Wasn’t it about ten or so years ago when people thought he might be the first black presidential candidate that really had a shot? Not that ot matters now…I actaully shook hands with Powell way back in the 90’s. I wasn’t impressed. ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-on-vp-choice-and-will-his-endorsement-go-ultimately-to-obama/462169/47 "2008-09-06T23:58:09Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Powell might vote for Obama, but he’ll never go public with it. He’s really loyal, and too classy. I may not understand what you meant, but if I did, its loyal to the GOP but not classy, its slimy. Since Powell should have his loyalty to the US thats how he should vote. If he does it because of party loyalty I’m even less impressed with him than I previously was. …and the reason I say I was unimpressed with him was because of the way I saw him act and treat servicemen in the Pentagon when he was visiting. I won’t go into detail, but it did change my opinion of him on the spot. ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-on-vp-choice-and-will-his-endorsement-go-ultimately-to-obama/462169/48 "2008-09-07T00:03:00Z")
> [@Avumede](#): > > Powell has much to lose, and as far as I can tell, nothing to gain by mentioning how he will vote. Logically, there’s no reason to do it. What does he have to lose? ---
**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:** [September 7, 2008, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-on-vp-choice-and-will-his-endorsement-go-ultimately-to-obama/462169/49 "2008-09-07T00:20:14Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Currently, that particular set of moderate Republicans may be small. > > 85% of Republicans view Palin favorably. > > Almost 90% of all Republicans approve of her selection as McCain’s running mate. > > 74% of all Republicans believe that Palin is sufficiently prepared for the Presidency. > Doing a little math, it seems that about 15% of self-identified Republicans believe that Palin is not sufficiently prepared for the Presidency, but they nonetheless approve of her selection as McCain’s running mate. > > Overall, 42% of Americans believe that Palin is sufficiently prepared. No word on the share of Straight Dope Board members. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/05/AR2008090503932.html?hpid=topnews](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/05/AR2008090503932.html?hpid=topnews) They can think whatever they want. It won’t matter if there are insufficient numbers of them to cast enough votes for her to win. > [@](#): > > [**Democrats post big gains in voter registration**](http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iyCjg56QEYy3r8Gz2X09TnpaWOMwD9317JU00) > > **11 hours ago** > > . . . > > The epic nomination battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton helped put **millions more Democrats on the voter rolls while Republican registration declined**. Now Graham, 45, has taken three months of unpaid leave from her job at Pittsburgh’s Central Blood Bank in the hope of adding to those gains before the presidential vote. > > . . . > > Since the last federal election in 2006, volunteers like Graham combined with the enthusiasm generated by the Obama-Clinton struggle to add **more than 2 million Democrats to voter rolls** in the 28 states that register voters according to party affiliation. **The Republicans have lost nearly 344,000 thousand voters in the same states.** > > . . . > > Both Obama and his Republican rival, John McCain, are fighting for independent swing voters, and many of the new Democrats had been unaffiliated voters. > > The number of unaffiliated voters dropped by nearly 900,000 since 2006. Many joined the Democratic Party to take part in the primaries and caucuses, and now they will now be targeted by an aggressive get-out-the-vote campaign. > > . . . > > Nationwide, there are about 42 million registered Democrats and about 31 million Republicans, according to statistics compiled by The Associated Press. > > **The Democrats have posted big gains in many competitive states, including Nevada, New Hampshire, Iowa, Colorado and Florida**. They have also been targeting historically Republican southern states. > > Since 2006, the Democrats have added 167,000 voters in North Carolina, while the Republicans have added 36,000. The Democrats’ biggest voter registration goal is in Georgia, where the Obama campaign hopes to register 500,000 voters before the election, said Dean, who has spent the past month traveling the country on a voter registration bus tour. > > “The Obama folks are serious about Georgia,” Dean said. Georgia has added 337,000 voters since 2006, but the state does not identify them by party affiliation. > **In Pennsylvania, the Democrats have added 375,000 voters since 2006 while the Republicans have lost 117,000**. > > . . . If you think all these new voters have registered only to sit on their hands on election day, think again. They’re organized, they’re mobilized and they’re motivated. I called it very early on in the primary race, that the sheer volume of donors to Obama’s campaign would translate into actual votes, and voters motivated to convince their family and friends to vote. He came back from a more than 20 point deficit to beat the “incumbent front-runner” by organizing and mobilizing in the states and counties that would pay off in the only total that mattered at the end of the day; delegates. The popular vote may have been relatively close, given that several states don’t count popular vote totals in their caucus figures, and two states had disqualified primaries, but Obama knew he didn’t have to win the popular vote by a landslide in order to win more delegates. He’s a brilliant tactician, and in a “winner take all” contest, even a close popular vote can mean a blowout in electoral votes. And when you’re registering more voters than your opponent, while they are _losing_ voters on their rolls, the odds of beating him improve dramatically. 85% of Republicans may be happy with Palin as the VP pick, but only enough of them cared enough to donate a mere $1,000,000 to the McCain campaign after her historic convention speech. During the same period, Democrats donated $10,000,000 to Barack Obama. [Cite](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/04/obama-raises-8-million-af_n_124023.html). If the same level of enthusiasm is followed to the polls, it’s not even going to be a contest. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-on-vp-choice-and-will-his-endorsement-go-ultimately-to-obama/462169/50 "2008-09-07T01:09:33Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > How many ex-military know McCain and dislike him? He doesn’t seem to have ever been a particularly likeable fellow and it’s my impression he was worse back when he was on active duty. > **[McCain's Secret, Questionable Record](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mccains-secret-questionab_b_107409)** > > All of the evidence indicates that the New York Times published a flattering lie about McCain's Naval career on its front page. This article echoes that idea. ---
**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:** [September 7, 2008, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-on-vp-choice-and-will-his-endorsement-go-ultimately-to-obama/462169/51 "2008-09-07T01:22:35Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > [McCain's Secret, Questionable Record | HuffPost Latest News](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-klein/mccains-secret-questionab_b_107409.html) > This article echoes that idea. As does [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KjsEs46C70), made by a fellow P.O.W. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-on-vp-choice-and-will-his-endorsement-go-ultimately-to-obama/462169.md?page=2)