At 02:15 PM 11/14/2002 +1000, you wrote:
Deborah Harrell wrote:That would indicate I had entirely the wrong idea... Anytime someone NOT running for office is raised, their profile has reached a critical mass. I saw talk of Schwarzkopf not running, but not Powell. That's what you get from relying on Letterman and Leno for your US perceptions... :-)his not running for the presidency was a topic of conversation at the office - but I don't have any numbers to back that up! :)
Cheers
Russell C.
(PS We get CNN as well, but Leno and Letterman are more entertaining)
Unless it was a one time question and he quickly said no, I don't recall any news of Schwarzkopf running for anything. The problem with Powell, such as it is, was that he flirted with running for a long time, never saying yes or no.
To combine two posts into one (aren't we supposed to do that?) I don't think Powell running would have brought out the black vote or forced blacks who normally vote Dem to switch parties. BUT I do think he would have won easily in a general election.* Not saying this in a bad way but I cannot image too many 'knocks' against his background or record. He has zero experience in civil politics, but being a general is 99.9% the same thing. Being black he would have an advantage in a bad way. It's sort of like a male boxing or wrestling a female. If the guy wins, he 'only' beat a female, if he loses it's worse. I think people wouldn't take political shots against Powell in the same vein. He could be debating some subject that has no bearing on race, like steel subsidies, but people arguing against Powell could be slightly painted as being a racist just because they disagree with him. (I know what I mean, just not communicating properly. Like a certain list member who critiques Israel and is painted as an anti-semite. That's what I'm comparing this to.) And this may make people feel guilty for not voting for him, they'll vote for his so they don't feel bad.
Since Powell isn't a polarizing person, like Ferracon (nation of Islam leader), J. Jackson, Sharpton, or even Supreme Court Justice Thomas, it's tougher to have strong feelings for or against him.
Kevin T.
*Would he win the state races, the primaries? I don't think even at state levels there would be too much obvious racism. Unfortunately race is an issue in the backs of people's minds. A small percentage of the populous, and even less of eligible voters but still there. But I think specifically for Powell this wouldn't matter as much.
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