Although it wasn't unexpected, former Republican Secretary of State Colin Powell's public endorsement of Obama will undoubtedly hurt McCain's chances in the election coming up in just a few weeks.
Powell said that he noticed uncertainty in the way that McCain claimed he would deal with the economic crisis, as he would change his plan constantly. Powell also expressed his concern on McCain's choice for Vice President, Sarah Palin, saying "I don't believe she's ready to be the President of the United States." Furthermore, he believes that the scope of the Republican party has been getting "narrower and narrower" and further to the right, and Powell also expressed his dissatisfaction with the way that McCain attacked Obama for being a terrorist. In response to accusations of Obama being Muslim, Powell further hurts the McCain campaign with his argument that first of all, Obama has always been a Christian, and also, there isn't anything wrong with being Muslim in the first place.
In contrast, he noticed a "steadiness" and "depth of knowledge" in Obama, and believed that his pick for Vice President was indeed ready to be President. He also believed Obama had a very broad reach, "He's crossing lines." He is the "new generation."
McCain had better be worried that other Republicans are feeling this way too.
And no, Colin Powell is not voting for Obama because they are both black. You wish.
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3 comments:
I think Obama pretty much has this in the bag, and the endorsement only adds to his lead.
Right now he is only 16 electoral votes short, and McCain is well over 100 away from victory. We talked a little in class about the republicans ditching McCain and salvaging the congressional elections, and I think that might be a good idea. McCain needs a lot of help to pull this one off, and if his numbers aren't looking up by the end of the week I think the republicans should abandon ship. No election could be turned around so drastically in one week.
I'm intrigued by the religion factor in this election and what it says about our nation. I found that 14% of the electorate considers themselves religious liberals and that 15% of the electorate considers themselves of the religious conservatives (in the 2004 presidential election). Assuming this amount considers the candidate's religion in voting, I wonder how their vote will benefit either candidate. Rumors about Obama's religion have been floating around for some time now—such accusations that he's muslim, as Kevin mentioned, and the issues with his preacher, it would be interesting to know how these factors weigh in with the religious electorate. I'm curious about how America views these issues—if they make him less creditable in the eyes of those who find religion a factor in the candidate they choose. Or if it could have a reverse affect—that the issues surrounding Obama's religion show people his involvement with it and how it is relevant in his life, whereas we hear nothing about McCain's religious preferences to the point that he seems disconnected from religion. So then, is it possible that all this noise about Obama's religion could sway a religious, undecided voter simply because Obama's religion has been mentioned so much and nothing's been said about McCain's?
Secondly, I find that Powell has a very strong point in countering McCain's accusations about being a Muslim. Like he says, there absolutely isn't anything wrong with being a Muslim and I think the fact that McCain is attempting to take this angle shows a lot about our nation in current times. We've become so off focused and distracted by “the war on terror” that we've come to stereotype all people from certain areas of the world. Its gotten to the point where influential people have attempted to capitalize on these negative stereotypes for their own benefit or to make themselves seem alert and relevant to the nation's current conditions. I also think the fact that McCain chooses this angle shows a lot about him and it certainly reinforces his similarity to the current president.
I am so excited to see Colin Powell endorse Obama. He is one of the few Republicans I have a great deal of respect for and think he adds enormous credibility to the Obama cause.
The Republicans are downplaying his endorsement for obvious reasons, but the truth is that Powell is a moderate who couldn't stand Bush's lies (and his discrediting his reputation when Powell tried to stop the Iraq War but had to defend it) nor the religious right on the ticket (Mrs. Palin). His endorsement was simply a logical choice that should be made by most Americans.
Adding to what Angela said, I was also very glad to see him say that :
"The correct answer is that Obama's Christian. The right answer is why does it matter?" It's about time.
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