Colin Powell: 'Birther Nonsense' Is 'Killing The Base' Of The GOP

[Redfairen]

Source: Huffington Post

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell continued to offer harsh but constructive criticism to his own party on Monday, advising Republicans to loudly reject "birther nonsense" and develop new policies to improve their outreach to the nation's shifting demographics.

“Republicans have to stop buying into things that demonize the president," Powell said during an appearance on ABC News. "I mean, why aren’t Republican leaders shouting out about all this birther nonsense and all these other things? They should speak out. This is the kind of intolerance that I’ve been talking about where these idiot presentations continue to be made and you don’t see the senior leadership of the party say, ‘No, that’s wrong.’ In fact, sometimes by not speaking out, they’re encouraging it. And the base keeps buying the stuff."

Powell, who endorsed Obama in 2008 and again in 2012, said that the GOP's relative silence on such fringe issues came at a detriment to its popularity.

“And it’s killing the base of the party," he said. "I mean, 26 percent favorability rating for the party right now. It ought to be telling them something. So, instead of attacking me or whoever speaks like I do, look in the mirror and realize, ‘How are we going to win the next election?'"

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/21/colin-powell-birther_n_2520578.html

[samsingh]

1. kick

[Flashmann]

5. Colin Powell: 'Birther Nonsense' Is 'Killing The Base' Of The GOP

Cue the pitchfork and torch bearing villagers......

[olegramps]

31. Personally I welcome the demise of the anti-working class party. Couldn't happen fast enough.

They have opposed ever measure that would assist working class citizens in favor of their wealthy plutocrat enablers. I see nothing in their party but hatred, racism and determination to enslave the working class in poverty. The only hope for the nation is their absolute defeat in 2014. We must crush this insidious beast. The only thing that I hope to see drown in a bathtub is Norquist's war on the working class.

[Left Coast2020]

35. No No! Don't stop saying Birther!!!

Continue making as ass out of your selves.

[TwilightGardener]

2. I think he's bewildered at how absolutely NUTZ they've become in just four years.

The Junior/Crashcart era was genteel compared to the tone today.

[bemildred]

9. Junior & Crashcart created this mess:

The aide said that guys like me were ''in what we call the reality-based community,'' which he defined as people who ''believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.'' I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. ''That's not the way the world really works anymore,'' he continued. ''We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.''

[TwilightGardener]

11. That was the big neocon creed, if I recall correctly.

[bemildred]

14. Yep. Much easier to start than to shut down, it seems. nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. Powell seems to disagree with almost everything the GOP is right now.

So why the hell does he still align himself with them? They won't change on account of anything he or any of the other so-called "moderates" say. Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas.

[RobertEarl]

4. Haha, Colin. Who knew you were so dumb?

Colin asks: "‘How are we going to win the next election?'""

There is your problem, right there.

Democrats ask: What is best for the country.

You pubcants ask: ‘How are we going to win the next election?'"

And some people wonder if they'd steal elections............

[Bucky]

8. Instead of asking "how can Republicans win" try asking "How can America win?"

I suggest electing more Democrats.

[cbrer]

23. Word. nt

[Iggo]

6. Please proceed, Base Of The GOP.

[Bucky]

7. Boo-fucking-hoo, General. You laid down with the dogs. Enjoy the fleas.

[Jefferson23]

10. I imagine his next statements will involve him switching parties..sooner than later. n/t

[kestrel91316]

12. Wonderful news. They should keep it up for 4 more.

[msongs]

13. his lies killed tens of thousands of Iraqis, he has no place to talk about killing anything nt

[marble falls]

16. Guese who Capt Medina and Lt Calley's commander was in Viet Nam?

[Le Taz Hot]

37. Really?

I had no idea. This puts a WHOLE different perspective on General Powell, now, doesn't it?

[marble falls]

40. I read about this when W put him in his cabinet, surprised me then and has colored my attitude about

him since.

[peace frog]

15. Mainstream GOPers like Powell were convinced they could control

the teabaggers while reaping the benefits of their high media profile. EPIC FAIL.

[DallasNE]

17. Colin Powell's Thinking Is Shallow

It is not the Donald Trump's of the GOP where the problems lie. Nobody pays any attention to him. Powell should check what the leadership such as Romney co-chair John Sununu is saying and what Rick Santorum is saying and why 71% of Hispanic's voted for Obama. They are playing back the message the base wants to hear. The "base" is driving the Republican, not the leadership. Just ask Bob Bennett and Richard Lugar -- leaders that were tossed overboard by the base in the primary process. The problem with the modern GOP is not the leadership, lacking though it is, but the base that will not be led by the designated leaders but flock to the likes of Grover Norquist, Wayne LaPierre, Frank Luntz, the Koch brothers and Joe Ricketts. They are the movers and shakers of the modern GOP. If Powell thinks it is Donald Trump it just demonstrates how shallow Colin Powell's thoughts are and why the GOP is in such trouble.

[Scuba]

18. Sorry, Colin, birthers are the Republican base.

[SoapBox]

19. duh...

no shit, Sherlock.

And as others have said, the Birthers ARE the base. Period.

[Jamaal510]

20. Doesn't he get it? Birthers ARE the GOP's base.

I guess he's not aware of the poll that came out that showed 64% of Republicans believing Obama is a foreigner.

Powell is incorrect here; Birtherism is killing the GOP's chances of staying competitive, not their base. The base can't get enough of these types of slanderous attacks. But it has been a sure-fire way to turn off moderate voters and minorities.

[struggle4progress]

21. Gee, Mr Powell! How could that have happened? It's a complete mystery!

Let's review the last 45 years or so

Nixon was a crooked lying paranoiac, who ran the first modern campaign based on pure Madison Avenue techniques and who offered racists a home in the Republican Party, when they fled from the Democratic Party after major progress at the national level by civil rights activists. Nixon surrounded himself with authoritarian ideologues like Haldeman and Erlichman, who maintained ties to wackos like Liddy. His VP Agnew was a nasty wedge-driver and a crook himself. The administration was a pioneer in the abuse of federal agencies for illicit political gains, such as the use of the IRS to harass Nixon's opponents. Another innovation, later copied by the Reagan White House, was the waging of illegal wars

Reagan was an affable ideologue who had a further advantage, from the PoV of Republican inner circles: he was senile and therefore easily manipulated. The Reagan campaigns continued to reach out to Southern racists but added rightwing fundamentalists to the mix. Reagan had no administrative real ability, so his administration was controlled by his appointees; the result was the most corrupt administration in history. Reagan had absolutely no policy ideas, other than that government was evil: his appointee to the Federal Reserve, Greenspan, an Ayn Rand devotee, survived in that post twenty years, drawing a handsome salary -- while actually doing nothing at all, as Greenspan later admitted. Reagan's United States won approval from rightwing wackos by murdering poor powerless peasants throughout Central America, eventually directly from the White House basement, and when this was discovered the country promptly wondered whether Reagan had known anything about it

The one-term President Bush I is remembered primarily for "achievements" such as dismantling airline safety regulations and for a number of disasters, such as the Savings and Loan crisis from which at least one of his sons profited splendidly. But Bush I also helped engineer the coup that placed his son Bush II in the Oval Office.

In the Clinton era, Gingrich pioneered a permanent strategy of constant negative attacks and obstructionism as the road to future Republican electoral successes

Bush II was a favorite of Republican inner circles because he was incredibly stupid and therefore easily manipulated. Bush II continued to reach out to racists and to rightwing fundamentalists, but with the aid of Rove he also reached out to other crazies in a fine-grained manner and used fear of terrorism to dismantle democratic safeguards and undermine democratic institutions and understandings. That was the most frightening Presidency I can remember

The Gingrich strategy of constant negative attacks and obstructionism has been a staple of Republican Party behavior for almost two decades now, and as the party's approval has continued to fall the GOP has become even more dedicated to Nixonian abuses of institutions and cultivating ties with fringe groups in order to maintain power

It is increasingly difficult to imagine effective conversations with Republicans

[Cha]

22. Oily's taking down the

gop!

[tanyev]

25. Please proceed, Ms. Taitz.

[flying-skeleton]

24. What Base? You mean the 1% (aka Job Creators) should pay NO taxes .. base ??

[Walk away]

26. I think that's the 46% too stupid to vote in their own best interest base. nt

[rsmith6621]

27. Let Them Keep Talking About It.........

..... I'm not going to shut them up, I am going to encourage them to keep talking about it... I know where POTUS was born.

[SomeGuyInEagan]

28. Yawn. Fucking war criminal.

Who gives two shits what he has to say.

[Socal31]

29. False. That nonsense is only making them ill.

What is killing them is the War on Women. Legitimate rape? Holy hell.

[DCBob]

30. Yeah, any reasonable person should be embarassed to be associated with a party..

that uses non-sense like this to help them win an election.

[BigDemVoter]

32. Well, HE'S part of their base. I bet $$ he'll never change parties.

Swine.

[Doc_Technical]

33. Bravo Foxtrot Delta

There is nothing this "person" could say that would be
of any interest to me.

[MrSlayer]

34. No, the birther idiots ARE the base.

They're killing the moderates off.

[Matariki]

36. Oh no, please do go on....

[truthisfreedom]

38. I can't figure out if he's trying to destroy or repair his party.

This particular approach will only make the infighting more severe.

[Ash_F]

39. It's your party Colin.

Powell, King...Christie.

Anyone else notice a lot of buyer's remorse these days?