When one mentions the name Colin Powell, almost immediately we revert back to that moment when he presented a fradulent case for war with Iraq to the United Nations. Obviously that particular moment brings up such strong feelings amongst the members of this community. And to be honest I don't blame you at all. In fact, I'm still puzzled why such an honorable and individual who had more integrity than all of George W. Bush's entire cabinet could go up there and deliver such outlandish lies that eventually led to the deaths of over 4,000 American soldiers in Iraq.
However, even though what he did that day is unforgivable, I still maintain my right to view General Powell as one of the few Republicans to not conduct himself in a manner befitting of a complete imbecile. In plain English, Colin Powell doesn't subject himself to the teachings of radical right wingers like Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and the unbelivably out of touch former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee.
His refusal to adhere to the radical right-wing philosophy was made evident during an appearance on CNN when General Powell made an eye-opening statement concerning the future of his party:
"Can we continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh?" Powell asked. "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?"
The Republican playbook over the last 40 years has been to reach out to the worst that America has to offer. From Nixon's "Silent Majority" to Reagan's announcement in Philadelphia, Mississippi, about States Rights. To Lee Atwater proclaiming that he would make Willie Horton Michael Dukakis' running mate to George W. Bush and the so-called "values voters" of 2004. Republicans have won by appealing to the dark side of the American conscience and no person is a better spokesperson for that than Right-Wing talk show host Rush Limbaugh.
Yet there hasn't been a prominent Republican denouncing the radical teachings coming from the Conservative wing of the party.
Why?
Obviously the success has been huge for the GOP.
The party has dominated this last cycle from 1968 to 2004. Winning 7 of 10 Presidential elections, including the landslide victories of 72, 80, and 84.
When the formula has worked for so long, why complain?
But someone with a brain had to know that method wasn't going to work, especially during an election season that featured candidates vying for a job currently held by one of the worst Presidents ever. And to top it all off, the economy falling apart and continuing to get dire by the day.
I've held this notion that if the GOP wanted to make itself more inclusive, more feasible to the American public, they would have to completely distance themselves from their two key constituents: The Right-Wing talk show audience and the Social Conservatives. Now obviously that will mean pissing off a huge chunk of their audience, but hell you got start from the bottom.
Not only did General Powell tell Rush Limbaugh to go scratch he also made it be known that Governor Sarah Palin's America isn't the America that he knows and loves:
"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."
With their losses in 2006 and 2008 it would be wise for the GOP to move towards the middle instead of going further to the Right, yet according to a recent poll, 20 percent of Republicans identify themselves as Moderates. 4 percent identify themselves as Liberals and a whopping 68 percent identify themselves as Conservatives.
73 percent of Republicans have a favorable view of Governor Sarah Palin. Which means that the Republican party hasn't learned their lesson. In order to succeed they feel the desire to go further Right. However, that's why they lost the last two elections because they went so Right that the country was unrecognizable. Sarah Palin or Mike Huckabee or even Bobby Jindal would be a disaster for the GOP because it would mean they're continuing to recycle old, Reaganesque ideas that have proven to be a detriment to the health of the country. Ronald Reagan believed that Government was the problem and not the solution an idea cheered by many Conservatives. But what the election of 2008 proved is that people want Government to do something. To listen. Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush didn't listen because they were beholden to the upper class of America while the Middle and Lower classes of this country were left with whatever remaining scraps left on the table.
Colin Powell is the first member of the GOP that I can remember to thoughtfully analyze his party and say, if we are to move forward, we most move beyond the politics of division and embrace the fact that we're all Americans.
It's just too bad that no one is listening accept us.