Posted on 05/05/2009 7:23:15 PM PDT by St. Louis Conservative
The Republican Party is in big trouble and needs to find a way to move back to the middle of the country, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday.
Powell said the GOP is "getting smaller and smaller" and "that's not good for the nation." He also said he hopes that emerging GOP leaders, such as House Minority Whip Cantor, will not keep repeating mantras of the far right.
"The Republican Party is in deep trouble," Powell told corporate security executives at a conference in Washington sponsored by Fortify Software Inc. The party must realize that the country has changed, he said. "Americans do want to pay taxes for services," he said. "Americans are looking for more government in their life, not less."
Powell, secretary of State during the first term of former President George W. Bush, made waves last year when he came out for the Democratic presidential candidate, then-Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois. Powell described the 2008 GOP candidate, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, as "a beloved friend" but said he told him last summer that the party had developed a reputation for being mean-spirited and driven more by social conservatism than the economic problems that Americans faced.
Powell also criticized other GOP leaders, for bowing too much to the right.
He blasted radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, saying he does not believe that Limbaugh or conservative icon Ann Coulter serve the party well. He said the party lacks a "positive" spokesperson. "I think what Rush does as an entertainer diminishes the party and intrudes or inserts into our public life a kind of nastiness that we would be better to do without," Powell said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationaljournal.com ...
Didn’t Powell support Obama???
You mean, return to the center from the left where they currently reside?
Yeah, I guess Bloods is thicker than water
The GOP is already left of center, so I agree with Powell, the GOP does need to move to the center, which means to the right.
I’m writing a column about strategic planning and one of the keys to establish early on is a set of guiding principles. Everything you plan to do needs to be grounded in principles or you are building a house on shifting sand.
NO....skin color.....we all have the “same blood.”
Interesting. And just WHY isn't that good for the nation?
How much more to the center can we get, after nominating McCain?
So, how have the Democrats moved to the center, or is it fine that they keep nominating extremists, and sometimes win with them?
Powell, you worry about your party, we’ll take care of ours.
Hey General!
Was that the strategy the lib’s employed after losing in 2000 and 2004?
Or did they select the Senator with the most liberal voting record?
It’s walking in the middle of the road that got us killed in the first place!
Powell should realize being a weasel is not for everyone.
And what office was Powell elected to?
Anyone who says Americans want to pay more taxes is a buffoon. Don’t you think if they REALLY wanted to pay more tax, they would have just sent it in to the IRS?
This guy is such a rump swab!
I said “Bloods”
Plural
With a Capital B
Have lost all respect for this one time champion!
Democrats (and sneaky lying posers like Colon) know exactly what conservatives need to do... become Liberals.
Bingo! I am going to steal this tomorrow if I can get on Rush's show.
I may or may not give you credit for coming up with this little gem.
Just kidding. If I get through, I'll give you full credit.
Shortly after he retired from the Army, when he was on a speaking tour and, supposedly, not running for office, I was given tickets to hear Powell speak. I was not very popular for a couple of days because two things struck me about his speech. First, he had a nasty habit of coming down squarely on both sides of most issues. Second, despite all the love he was getting from Republicans at the time, the man was clearly not a conservative.
Obviously I underestimated just how far to the left the man really was.
Powell’s endorsement of Obama gives him zero credibility when lecturing the GOP.
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