Colin Powell and Rush Limbaugh are in a Food Fight right now over the future of the Republican Party! I am on Colin Powell´s side. (surprise!)A few days ago, Powell said, "Can we continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh? Is this really the kind of party that we want to be when these kinds of spokespersons seem to appeal to our lesser instincts rather than our better instincts?" What Powell was saying is, in order for the Republican party to be successful going forward, they need to stop pandering to extremists and exclusionists and become more inclusive and start being the party that supports Moderation, Integrity, Experience, Reason and Acceptance of our growingly diverse America!
Limbaugh did not respond to Powell´s comments lightly. In fact, he took offense. He responded by saying, "I think Powell's premise -- and I understand what's going on -- I think Powell's premise is all wrong. The Republican Party needs to stop listening to me. Basically, what that means is the Republican Party's gotta throw you overboard; the Republican Party can't win as long as it is defined by people like you and me, those of you in this audience. The simple fact of the matter is, folks, what makes this funny to me is that the Republican Party's not listened to me in the last two years. And you might even say in matters of policy and so forth, the Republican Party hasn't been listening to me for the last six years. And you might even say that the Republican Party is in the situation it's in precisely because of the people like Colin Powell and John McCain and others who have devised this new definition and identity of the party which is responsible for electing Democrats all over this country."
It is clear the Republican Party is at a crossroads and needs to make a very strong decision about how they will proceed going forward. The question is, will they follow Limbaugh? Or will they follow Powell? Or, will they follow a new Road, perhaps, as my favorite poet suggests, the Road Less Traveled?
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21 comments:
The only thing that killed the Republican party this election was the failure of the Bush Administration, nothing else.
Since when hasn't the Republican party not been accepting of any ethnic group? Please provide examples. They don't pander to extremists or exclusionists (whatever that means) either. They have always been the party of conservatism rather than liberalism and many Americans are still conversatives. That isn't a negative thing.
It really bothers me when lies like the above are spread. There is no basis whatsover for making those statements.
Typo - conservatives.
Anon,
Check the reference articles. Its all there!
What do you think Powell means when he says "Can we continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh? Is this really the kind of party that we want to be when these kinds of spokespersons seem to appeal to our LESSER INSTINCTS rather than our better instincts?"
What do you think Limbaugh talk about, particularly when it comes to Immigration and Latinos and Miami...etc?!?
Or this comment from Powell, "Gov. Palin, to some extent, pushed the party more to the right, and I think she had something of a polarizing effect when she talked about how small town values are good. Well, most of us don't live in small towns. And I was raised in the South Bronx, and there's nothing wrong with my value system from the South Bronx.
And when they came to Virginia and said the southern part of Virginia is good and the northern part of Virginia is bad. The only problem with that is there are more votes in the northern part of Virginia than there are in the southern part of Virginia, so that doesn't work."
What do YOU think he meant of WHO resideds in Northern Virginia??? And in larger cities???
Come on. You know what he is saying!
"They misunderstand the whole point of this program and what we do here. The Democrats and the liberals always have, and I guess McCain and Colin Powell are showing their true colors. Here is Colin Powell telling the Republican Party what to do after he voted for Obama! I know what really has Colin Powell upset, it's because I said his endorsement of Obama was about race, and I'm not supposed to say those things."
Powell admitted to voting for Obama because of race, so where is it then that Limbaugh has been wrong??
"There's something interesting -- and Snerdley picked up on this -- he said that Powell in the CNN interview is talking to Republican leaders about tossing me out, when I'm not in. (laughing) This remains to me to be the funny thing here. It would be one thing if Republicans were listening to me and going down in flames, but they're not, and they haven't for the longest time. So Powell is talking to Republican leaders about tossing me out of the party, and people should stop listening to me and helping Democrats with any legislation that might be aimed at taming talk radio."
Answers your question.
The UAW Anchor Baby
You assume a lot and so does Powell to claim that most Republicans listen to or adhere to what Limbaugh says. I checked your references as you suggested. You interpreted what you wanted to believe what Powell said rather than what he actually said. The words "extremists and exclusionists" were not use by Powell. Powell never mentioned immigration, Latinos nor Miami. You can't just arbitrarly assume that he was refering to those things in his remarks about the Republicans because he mentioned Limgaugh.
I agree with him that Palin was a poor choice as VP but not because of her small town values. That part is a positive not a negative.
Again you put your own spin on and assume what Powell meant (if he did mention Virginia) without Powell having stated the things you are assuming.
I asked for proof that the Republicans in general don't accept diversity and you never gave it. Nor will you be able to because its not true. The Republicans are mostly made up of the white majority and you can't stand that so you make up things to demonize them.
Obama won, get over it!
Powell NEVER said this!!
Liquid, you are Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!!
Liquid said...
Powell ADMITTED to voting for Obama because of race, so where is it then that Limbaugh has been wrong??
Anon,
READ and TRY to Understand what Powell was saying.
No one can push his Meaning into Your Head IF you will not listen!!
The intent was obvious!! Both regarding Virginia AND Diversity.
Go back and READ the Virginia comments and try to let them soak!!
Powell said:
"And when they came to Virginia and said the southern part of Virginia is good and the northern part of Virginia is bad. The only problem with that is there are more votes in the northern part of Virginia than there are in the southern part of Virginia, so that doesn't work."
BTW: Please, anon, name yourself so I can differentiate YOU from the other anons!!
Again, you are interpreting the remarks about Virginia to your own liking. Still waiting for proof that the Republicans don't like diversity or are extremists beyond adhering to our laws or are exclusionists in any way.
Anon,
If you cannot interpret his meaning, no one can make you listen.
Limbaugh said that the Republicans haven't listened to him in years. Here is also what he said. Who can disgree with this?
"General Powell says we need to reach out to Hispanic, blacks, and Asians. Well, how do we do that? What kind of message does he suggest? I never hear the "how" to do it. I just hear we need to do it. And in my mind, we already have the blueprint for how to do it. We have done it successfully. We abandoned the blueprint. It's called individual freedom, liberty, and not seeing them as Hispanics and not seeing them as Asians and not seeing them as blacks or minorities, but rather seeing them as Americans, human beings."
As much as I hate to agree with that blowhard Limbaugh, he's right. Powell has lost all standing in the GOP; his is a politics of surrender and capitulation. One would not have expected this from a soldier but then race may have gotten in the way of good sense.
Anon,
You keep believing what you want to believe. Republicans keep following Limbaugh´s and your suggestions. As long as you continue to be Tancredo-like restrictionists, continue saying "Miami is a 3rd world country" continue using exclusionary words like "Anchor Baby and Mexifornia", continue in Palin-like fashion and say rural white southern Virginia is the "real America" and exclude northern multi ethnic north Virginia is not, I say just keep it up. You will never, ever elect a Republican President again. Go ahead. Keep it up! Follow Limbaugh´s lead!
Since when do all Republicans make those remarks or adhere to the same philosophy? Since when is enforcing our immigration laws being restrictionist? The term anchor baby is referring to a segment of our CITIZEN society, so how is it being exclusionist?
Limbaugh himself said that Republicans haven't listened to him in 6 years but you know better?
You keep demonizing a whole political party as though every member of that party thinks alike. That simply isn't true.
Anon,
You are missing it.
It is the Republicans themselves that say they need to change.
They lost the election and lost the majority of the minority vote.
Powell and many others are saying if they dont change, they will not win another election.
Google it yourself. Many leading Republicans are saying so.
I agree with them!
Missing it, missing it. You sound like a broken record. Try some new phrases will you?
The Republicans lost the election simply because of the Bush Administation that put this country in the economical mess we are in today and due to the Iraq war, nothing else.
Minorities mostly vote Democrat anyway so you made a moot point on that one.
Anon,
McCain was not Bush. The Republican party selected him as their candidate. He selected Palin as his VP. They suffered one of the largest losses in history.
Most say this is due to the Republican party being "out of touch with the electorate."
Go google "why republicans lost the election" and see how many Republicans themselves are saying this!
You are right McCain isn't Bush but that is how the public perceived him. They kept saying "more of the same". He went along with a lot of the Bush policies and therefore he was seen as another Bush. Picking Palin as his running mate was another mistake.
You also know that McCain was soft on illegal immigration by promising amnesty for illegal aliens, so that couldn't have cost him the Latino vote. Latinos and other minorities usually vote Democrat anyway. The fact that Obama was Black (a minority) was another factor that swayed minorities (including Latinos) to vote for him.
As I said, the mismanagement of the Bush Administraton is what killed the Republican party's chance of winning this election, not because they are opposed to diversity. How soon we forget that Condoliza Rice, Colin Powell, Alberto Gonzales were part of the Bush Administration. That pretty much blows your theory that the Republicans oppose diversity, doesn't it?
Did you bother to google "why republicans lost the election"?
Most Republicans disagree with you and say the loss was due to the Republican party being "out of touch with the electorate."
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