Don't underestimate the impact of Colin Powell's endorsement

on military voters.

And Powell's endorsement will also carry substantial weight among the older voters that Obama's campaign is still working to attract, especially in swing states like Ohio and Florida.

For the people who are bent on attacking him now -- we can't undo the past, we can only move forward. Would you have preferred him to have endorsed McCain?

the bigger the spread between Obama and McStupid, the better. Obama needs a mandate.

Colin Powell= not good
Endorsement does not = Colin Powell good.
Clear enough?

But to reiterate, we should all be happy that this endorsement occurred. It could be the final percentage or two in our favor in a swing state or two.

Wow are you caught up on the Powell = bad, evil, monster, killer, troll, shitstain, fuckface, ass hole, scumbag, cocksucker, motherfucker, filth, garbage, war criminal argument!

and still think Colin Powell deserves no respect for sailing with the politcal winds then I guess so.

pals around with terrorists.... pshaw!!

i get the sense that a lot of younger folks who only know powell from 2003 onwards... just dont fully appreciate this.

in the older Hillary Clinton crowd.

I get the sense that a lot of younger folks don't remember My Lai, The UN speech, the lies, the silence when it mattered, and only see his new found sense of patriotism now that the waters are safe enough for him to swim in.

if you want to keep hating, repeating "my lai" and all that... feel free.

but last time i checked... he was the one undermining the neocons, criticizing torture, saying to close gitmo, and calling for a criminal investigation into the White House lies about WMDs.

Frankly... i can name quite a few DEMOCRATS in congress with worse records since 2002.

some of us see how powell was manipulated in 2003. others want to assume he's guilty of lying.

if he was lying in your mind, i guess you have to say the same thign about EVERY DEMOCRAT WHO APPROVED THE IRAQ RESO

If you want to ignore his past and keep loving him, forgetting My Lai and it's victims, the Iraq war and it's victims, and all that....feel free. One can't assess someone without factoring in ALL the available info from his career, not just the good stuff that he decided to do when he saw how much of a clusterfuck he helped to usher in. Why is it that people only see the light when they've backed themselves in a corner of darkness?

I can name some Dems who suck, too. Big deal. That doesn't make Powell and more palatable. You can suck up to him if you want, but this is hardly an example of bravery. Jumping on the Obama bandwagon with just two weeks left, when it's clear to all but the Bush hardcore that Obama will win, is just another example of his doing what's safe while making himself look like a good guy for doing it.

Both are huge military states.

They don't affect me one way or the other. What I do have a major problem with is being told that he's really just a swell guy who was misled, that his entire career isn't the cowardly clusterfuck it's been, and that because he endorses a Democrat all is right in the world again.

I can recognize the value of this endorsement among certain people, but I won't be joining in on the celebration of an endorsement from the likes of Powell. He is not a good guy, and the willingness to look the other way and ignore his past just because he sides with us is disturbing, though my experience with fellow Democrats has shown me that we're just as willing as the Right to look the other way when it helps us.

And they're the voters we still need right now.

I don't feel like starting a whole thread for this, but I'm wondering what proof we have that he is so popular among Independents. All I have is anecdotal evidence, and that's that almost all of my friends are Indies and not one of them can stand Powell. I hate polls, but if one exists I'll accept it.

Like I've said elsewhere, I understand why this may help us, but I don't get the ones acting like Powell is so cool for doing this, nor do I get those upset at the people who don't like him at all, regardless of this endorsement.

a personal anecdote. I told one of my relatives today -- who is a strong Obama supporter but is an independent -- that Powell endorsed someone this morning. He asked which candidate, and when I told him, he said: "that's great, because independents love Powell. This will really help."

I have also heard in the MSM that Powell has a lot of support among older people in general, and this is a group where Obama's support is lower than he'd like. I'm hoping that Powell can help HRC make inroads for Obama into this group. One pundit said that this endorsement will overcome the "experience" argument -- Powell saying Obama's ready will count for a lot.

And there's another group of people that appreciate Powell's words today. (Actually, not just them -- the link below refers to my favorite part of Powell's speech.)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7523670

:pals:

for all the reasons you point out, as well as for the fact that it'll pretty much dominate the news cycle over the next couple of days....which doesn't help McLame when the days are dwindling and they so eagerly want to change the subject.

I am NOT on board with bashing Powell and think he did the right thing with this endorsement. :thumbsup:

That theory has never let me down before.

People thrill to overreact to something every day instead of sitting back and allowing the big picture situational factors to dictate. This is merely what's on the plate today, for comical overstatement.