Colin Powell...is it possible to be more out of touch?

[4EvrLearning]

If this was posted already, I apologize for the duplication. I just heard about it today.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124173905445498599.html

Colin Powell's Bad Advice
May 8, 2009

In good times or bad, there's always someone willing to tell the Republican Party that the road to success is to embrace the liberal agenda. In a speech in Washington Monday, former Secretary of State Colin Powell joined the chorus. We hope for the sake of the country that his party doesn't listen.

Mr. Powell insisted that he doesn't want the Republicans to turn into Democrats or clones of the Democrats. But it's hard to see what other space he hopes the GOP will carve out for itself given his analysis. According to press accounts, Mr. Powell argued that America has changed, and "Americans do want to pay taxes for services" and "Americans are looking for more government in their life, not less."

If the American people want to pay more taxes, nobody seems to have told the Obama Administration. There's a reason that the President ran as a tax cutter and repeats at every opportunity that he's already, in his words, cut taxes for "95% of working families." The appetite for Walter Mondale-style honesty about the consequences of huge spending increases remains low, to judge by the Administration's own rhetoric.

But even if Mr. Powell is right, this supposed newfound appetite for bigger government isn't likely to last. Uncle Sam is like that overbearing relative that you only miss when he's gone. The appeal fades quickly after he's installed himself in your living room and starts pushing you around. If the Obama Administration manages to implement its agenda and grow federal spending to 30% of GDP or more -- taking over the health-care system, the mortgage industry, major banks and the auto industry along the way -- it won't be long before Americans lose their appetite for big government, assuming they ever found it.

At that point, a GOP that had embraced Mr. Powell's advice would find itself with even less credibility than it currently has on restoring government to a manageable size. Mr. Powell says it's bad for the country to have a shrinking GOP, and he's right. But even worse would be an opposition party in name only.

[artabr]

Great column, Gen. Powell needs to pull his head out and put down the kool aid.



Art

[bcj1755]

I just lost some respect for Powell

[Trouble 45-70]

Colen Powels policies are what caused the Republican voters to start dumping RINOS in the last 2 elections. When the choice was a conservative Dem. the Dem. won. GOP had better start finding some conservative Legislators, Governors and Businessmen to run for Congress or the GOP will cease to exist. May I sugest that they start looking for car dealers who lost their franchises, bond holders who have had the govt. steal their contractual holdings and GIVE it to the Unions which were a major cause of the current mess in Detroit. How about small businessmen who have been and will be Royaly scr**** by Emperor Obama. I don't think Sen. Mitch McConell (R) can stomach supporting conservatives.

[RunningOnMT]

Colin Powell came to the attention of most of us during the gulf war with his impressive daily briefings to the public. Now i don't know how much of the success of the conflict we can attribute to Powells leadership and I certainly don't want to rob him of due credit, but it seems to me that the real "hero" of that conflict was Gen Norman Schwarzkopf.

Despite that fact Powell became almost a legend. His popularity prompted many republicans to embrace him as a possible presidential candidate without even knowing his politics.

Well, after this last election there should be no question about what his political bent is. Powell clearly is not a conservative nor has he ever been.

BTW, does anyone know what Stormin Norman is up to these days?

[Marlin]

In my considered opinion, Powell is an idiot no better than any other RINO !!!!!!!!

[FJF0311]

Can someone give me an example of Colin Powell actually doing something that would qualify as a Republican?



anything.




Just one!

[RunningOnMT]

Originally Posted by FJF0311

Can someone give me an example of Colin Powell actually doing something that would qualify as a Republican?



anything.




Just one!

Not I.

[Pistolenschutze]

Originally Posted by Marlin

In my considered opinion, Powell is an idiot no better than any other RINO !!!!!!!!

Sadly, I don't believe he was ever anything else, Marlin.

[Angryisme]

none a ya's knew he voted for your current prez?
he did!

[ponycar17]

Powell is absolutely wrong! He's a successful man with a deep guilt problem, intent on turning the Republican party to the left. He never was a Republican. I believe his intent was to act as such and then attempt to sway the party to his actual line of thought.

[kerk]

That's OK. Powell's a republican............I'm a conservative..........two different parties.

If it walks like a duck..............

Arnie calls himself a republican also................how's that working out?

[kerk]

Originally Posted by Angryisme

none a ya's knew he voted for your current prez?
he did!

He said in an interview before the election, that he was supporting Obama.

[glocknut]

Originally Posted by Marlin

In my considered opinion, Powell is an idiot no better than any other RINO !!!!!!!!

Ditto!

mike
gn

[Teejay9]

I don't think that politics is his strong suit. He should stick to fighting wars. I think he's still miffed about going to UN about WMDs. Well, so am I, but still didn't, and don't, endorse Bammy. TJ

[kerk]

He's just another liberal, in republican clothing, trying to coerce the party. The pubs already allowed themselves to be seduced by the 'buy your votes' strategy of the libs, and it has 'cost' them big time.

I think the so called 'republican party' is done for a long time. When the only one who has any balls is an ex-vice president, your pretty much done.

But I do think a new 'conservative' party has a lot of people just waiting for it to form. Trouble is, I can't think of an effective speaking, 'real' conservative. I like Romney, but he stumbles too much..............and then he went on a 'listening tour' with Jeb Bush. Pulleeeeeeeeeese.

Gingrich/Palin?????

[walien]

I'm not sure how out of touch he is. The status quo seems to have led to Democratic control of everything.

[4EvrLearning]

To say that "Americans do want to pay taxes for services" and "Americans are looking for more government in their life, not less," is, I think, an ill-stated generalization.

I think it's more accurate to say, "There is a sizable portion of the American population that has gotten used to tax-supported services and entitlements, and they like having the government take care of them, while giving little or no thought to the fact that the government doesn't 'produce' money; it gets it from its tax-paying citizens."

Far too many have been given far too much for far too long, and as I've said before, the childish/childlike spoiled entitlement mentality that has grown in the last 20 years, is insidious, and will account in large part for our economic undoing. There's enough blame to go around, but the end result will be the same.

[UncleFudd]

O'Powell would not know a good, conservative Republican if one jumped up and bit him in the arse.
This guy is as close to being a Republican as Teddy Kennedy is to being sober and he is doing a lot of damage with his current rhetoric. Although he helps smoke out the true Rhinos and we can recognize them as soon as they agree with his thoughts and opinions.
I cannot believe anyone in the party gives him the time of day instead of calling a spade and kicking his butt out the door. He is not our friend and I for one would like to call his bluff and tell him exactly what I think.
He may have done good things in his service days but they are over and frankly I think he was a "token" and was promoted by the whole Bush clan for reasons known only to them.
If you look at his record there were never any outstanding war or battlefield assignments such as Norman had in his career. O'Powell was a staff puke all of his days so he could not begin to carry water for Norman on his best days.
Now and because he "calls" himself a republican and spouts this crap about me wanting more taxes and more govt in my life, I want to ring his neck.
He does not speak for me or my family or for anyone that I know for that matter.
I am a small business man and have built my business from the ground up with no help from a sole on this earth and I sure as hell do not need someone like him speaking for me as he has no idea what it takes to run a successful business or he would not be talking the way he is about taxes and govt intervention.
If you want to know what it looks like to be on the dole or for the govt to be your savior and the entity who "takes care of you and your families". Take a very good, long look at the American Indian as that is the very best example of the absolute failure of our illustrious and well meaning government doing what it does best, failing. They have destroyed a once proud and tough people as a race capable of caring for themselves and prospering. They get only what the government tells them they can have this month and no more and if they forget to send their allotments, OH WELL, tough titty says the kitty.
Thank you very much mr. O'Powell, I will take care of myself and my loved ones and in the process I will do all that I can to help my friends and I will strike mine enemies from my presence. I have no time for them and need not seek their advice or help and that my friends goes for my current government regardless of what party name they are using today.
It is so unfortunate that we have no sign of real leadership in either party right now and as a result as pointed out here in this thread, we will continue to fall apart for the foreseeable future thus granting the liberals even more power to destroy this country and everything we have ever held dear to our lives and families. They will now, successfully install "nationalized" medicine which will be the final nail in the financial ruin of this nation and by the first of the year we will be in a full blown depression.
There is no way for the economy to continue on its current trend and ever hope to revive. Along with that is a very simple but tremendously frightening dilemma, and that is, even if the economy could "recover" where are the jobs? What jobs do the unemployed go back too? The horrible facts are that there are no jobs to return too now or in the foreseeable future as we no longer produce a thing in this once proud and industrious nation.
WE have allowed the greens and the eco whackos and others to destroy our industrialized nation and we now have a president who has in spite of the warnings of learned professionals to the contrary, there is no such thing as global warming and that the entire thing is a hoax. He will not allow new refineries and oil is creeping back up nearly every day and he will not allow us to do any oil and gas drilling etc and we have sent all of our businesses over seas, so we have no jobs for now or in the future.
So please tell mr powell that he does NOT speak for me and he can stuff his government and his taxes.

Kenny
www.caswells.com

[walien]

O'Powell would not know a good, conservative Republican if one jumped up and bit him in the arse.

I think several did and that's why he left politics.