Posted on 08/22/2013 10:36:35 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
UPDATED: Moments after Gov. Pat McCrory left the stage, former Secretary of State Colin Powell took aim at North Carolina's new voting law Thursday, saying it hurts the Republican Party, punishes minority voters and makes it more difficult for everyone to vote.
"I want to see policies that encourage every American to vote, not make it more difficult to vote," said Powell, a Republican, at the CEO Forum in Raleigh.
"It immediately turns off a voting block the Republican Party needs," Powell continued. "These kinds of actions do not build on the base. It just turns people away."
The retired general served as the keynote speaker at the event and made his remarks moments after McCrory finished his remarks. His comments represent the most high-profile criticism of the Republican-crafted law that requires voters to show photo identification at the polls, cuts early voting days and makes it harder for students to vote.
In one comment, he seemed to rebuke McCrory for suggesting that voter fraud likely exists but is hard to detect. The governor had compared it to insider trading.
"You can say what you like, but there is no voter fraud," Powell said. "How can it be widespread and undetected?"
Powell, who served under President George W. Bush, also said the new sends the wrong message to minority voters. "What it really says to the minority voters is ... 'We really are sort-of punishing you,'" he said.
McCrory delivered the event's opening remarks and preceded Powell, but didn't address the election law directly. McCrory stayed for part of Powell's speech but not long enough to hear the voter ID remarks, a governor's office spokeswoman said.
Instead, he focused on the role of community colleges in education and job training. "Education is our greatest challenge. There's a disconnect between what we're teaching and what employers need. What I'm trying to do is bring commerce and education together."
Powell also blamed the political impasse in Washington on the Internet, cable TV and extremist advocacy groups. And he defended the liberal arts as a discipline that gives people as sense of their place in the world -- another line that hits at McCrory.
Does this person still call himself a Republican? If so the Party should grow a pair(fat chance) and tell him to take a hike, because every time he speaks he speaks as a demoncrat.
Powell is one of the huge disappointments in my life.
The others are relatives.
No, he believes they are inferior and incapable of obtaining a photo ID.
Why is this man still a registered Republican.
He has always been a hack, and now he proves it once again.
Sadly, Powell is the Republican Party. The party of Reagan is dead.
Amen to that... :-(
What a joke that guy is. General or not.
“You can say what you like, but there is no voter fraud,” Powell said. “How can it be widespread and undetected?”
Oh My God Colon Powell is really &*%*&! Stupid isn’t he, hasn’t he ever heard of Project Veritas or vote busing or anything like that....
How would he feel if someone nullified his vote by voting multiple times against his vote?????
There have been MULTIPLE news stories over the years about people voting at multiple voting polling locations one the same day, sometimes even voting TWICE at the same place.....
What the hell is Colon Blow even doing besides NOT watching the damn news every damn day...
Many years ago George Putnam famously said “I didn’t leave the Democrat party, the Democrat part left me”, maybe not an exact quote but very close. I have felt the same way about the Republican party for years.
I was going to make a comment about him still claiming to be a republican, but realized...he is more representative of today's republican party than most of you republicans would care to believe or admit.
Still, the absolute only reason to oppose voter ID laws is to enable voter fraud. Anyone with an I.Q. over 75, and yes, this includes Powell knows that to be true, and he only spouts the "encourage every American to vote" line because he knows it will hoodwink those with I.Q.s below 75....who the democrats absolutely count on for their votes.
Powell is dishonest and is a willing socialist enabler.
Why can’t traitors like this fool be kicked out of the Party? ....A la excommunication in the Catholic church.
you know he voted fot obama right?
By George, I think these liberals are starting to stumble into the truth here!
Not dead. Just in need of another Reagan.
When Carter beat Ford, defeatists were saying the same thing.
“You can say what you like, but there is no voter fraud,” Powell said.
This is a leftwing talking point. You show leftists evidence of vote fraud and they repeat that talking point as if you never cited the evidence.
If photo i.d. is racism then all govt agencies need to stop requiring it businesses also.
He’s a traitor, a racist, a sexist, and a damnable liar.
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