election

Here, Shapiro can see no plausible reason why Powell would back Obama other than the color of their skin. But of course Powell has been telegraphing his worries about Mitt Romney’s campaign for months, even as he held back on endorsing either candidate. Powell famously battled with neoconservative foreign-policy voices in the Bush Administration, including John Bolton, Donald Rumsfeld, and Dick Cheney. In May, he went on Morning Joe to express his deep concerns about the number of neocons in Romney’s circle, noting in particular the Republican nominee’s claim that Russia was America’s greatest geopolitical foe.
“Come on, Mitt, think. That isn’t the case,” Powell said then. ”I don’t know who all of his advisers are, but I’ve seen some of the names and some of them are quite far to the right. And sometimes they might be in a position to make judgments or recommendations to the candidate that should get a second thought.”

The Atlantic’s David Graham blasts back at anyone ignorant and misguided enough to suggest that the only reason Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama is racial solidarity—in this case it’s Andrew Breitbart acolyte Ben Shapiro.
Racists love to say that the only reason black people vote for Obama is because he’s black. But then you tell them that people like General Powell actually have serious concerns about Romney’s advisers, or ask them why blacks didn’t come out en masse for Herman Cain in the GOP primaries, and they don’t really have a response for you then. That’s usually when they bring out the insults, as Shapiro does here when he says that Powell’s generalship isn’t deserved, but due mostly to affirmative action.
Some Republicans say that they have a hard time understanding why blacks are always so wary of their party. I don’t think it’s very hard to understand.
—Cord Jefferson

Here, Shapiro can see no plausible reason why Powell would back Obama other than the color of their skin. But of course Powell has been telegraphing his worries about Mitt Romney’s campaign for months, even as he held back on endorsing either candidate. Powell famously battled with neoconservative foreign-policy voices in the Bush Administration, including John Bolton, Donald Rumsfeld, and Dick Cheney. In May, he went on Morning Joe to express his deep concerns about the number of neocons in Romney’s circle, noting in particular the Republican nominee’s claim that Russia was America’s greatest geopolitical foe.

“Come on, Mitt, think. That isn’t the case,” Powell said then. ”I don’t know who all of his advisers are, but I’ve seen some of the names and some of them are quite far to the right. And sometimes they might be in a position to make judgments or recommendations to the candidate that should get a second thought.”

The Atlantic’s David Graham blasts back at anyone ignorant and misguided enough to suggest that the only reason Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama is racial solidarity—in this case it’s Andrew Breitbart acolyte Ben Shapiro.

Racists love to say that the only reason black people vote for Obama is because he’s black. But then you tell them that people like General Powell actually have serious concerns about Romney’s advisers, or ask them why blacks didn’t come out en masse for Herman Cain in the GOP primaries, and they don’t really have a response for you then. That’s usually when they bring out the insults, as Shapiro does here when he says that Powell’s generalship isn’t deserved, but due mostly to affirmative action.

Some Republicans say that they have a hard time understanding why blacks are always so wary of their party. I don’t think it’s very hard to understand.

—Cord Jefferson