One of the headline news this morning was Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama. In endorsing Obama, Colin Powell gave his reasoning for his dislike for McCain. In a New York Times article Powell is quoted to recognize McCain as "a different kind of republican." Powell describes the Republican party between "the so-called pragmatists, a number of whom have come to view the Iraq war or its execution as a mistake, and a competing camp, the neoconservatives, whose thinking dominated President Bush's first term and played a pivotal role in building the case for war." Colin Powell's endorsement is a perfect fit with our discussions in class between the distinction between pragmatic and ideological thinking in government. It would be "ideal" for a high-profile republican candidate like Colin Powell to endorse a fellow same party candidate but maybe the ideal bonds within political parties are transforming? Maybe the commradory within politics no longer roots from party distinctions but ideas and the pragmatic foundation that each candidate represents. Some people speculate Powell endorsed Obama with a "black to black" or "disgruntled member of bush campaign seeking revenge" motive but Powell is part of the group of "pragmatists" on the opposite end of the republican spectrum. Powell also pragmatically waited till after the presidential debates and conventions to make his decision which shows his pragmatic decision making based off the bare messages of both campaigns and the changes they represent. Swaying from ideal action within his party Powell is setting the road for change in the interactions between America's two major political groups. In a video clip Colin Powell speaks on the topic of the changing ideas of the Republican Party and warrants his claim of endorsing Obama with a multitude of practical pragmatic reasons.
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