By Lahle Wolfe

I applaud Colin Powell for stating his support for the candidate he believes is more qualified to serve this country. Is this because I support Obama? No. In fact, as time goes on my enthusiasm for Obama has waned considerably. But I can safely say this morning I am now among the “undecided.” And by that, I mean, who shall I vote against? In this election only one thing is clear, I am not voting for either candidate.

Instead, I applaud Colin Powell because this is America, a country that allows us to publicly state our opinions about our government without fear of being arrested and never being seen again. Unfortunately, this right does not mean our fellow citizens will not condemn and flog us for having different beliefs. And nowhere is this more commonplace than within the Republican Party.

Republicans are notorious for running aggressive campaigns, but I think the McCain/Palin ticket will go down as the ugliest to date; so ugly, it is now dividing its own party. Rather than pointing a finger at Powell for speaking his mind, why not point a few at those whose actions led him to make such a carefully thought-out decision?

Powell’s words were more than an “aye” for Obama. Listen again and you will hear he strongly emphasizes two reasons for his decision: 1) McCain running an ugly campaign that has revealed a line of destructive thinking which Powell felt he could not condone. 2) Sarah Palin.

Colin Powell’s endorsement had everything to do with disappointment in his own party’s behavior – disappointment so heavy on his heart that he felt the need to speak up. He was not stumping for Obama. His statement was a presented as a personal choice, a public declaration of why he was voting against a McCain/Palin ticket, not why others should do the same. It was a message, not a vote, and now Republicans are killing one of their own messengers.

The louder that McCain supporters scream at anyone who supports Obama as being “un-American,” accusing them of making their bed with a socialist terrorist, the more likely they are to lose this election. It is the presentation of a message that counts even more than the message itself. For a moment, forget McCain’s overall political message and focus on how it has been presented. Obama, though also known to lie, has done better in his presentation.

Vocal McCain extremists who scream out “traitor,” “treason,” and “kill him” and pass out anti-Muslim material at McCain rallies (including those seen in a video clip at a Woodbridge, VA rally – people who were welcomed at the rally until the press showed up) represent their party and their candidate, and have done so rather badly.

Voters were willing to put Bush into office twice. What’s for more years with another Bush-like thinker (I am referring more to Palin than I am to McCain)? Obama’s biggest edge has been given to him by McCain himself. McCain’s “us against them” approach has only shown his “us” to be a declining population of voters.

Hawaii, the only state in the U.S. to have state universal health care coverage for children, just pulled the plug after only seven months. It did not work (turns out people were willing to abuse the system). McCain should be pointing this out. He should be showing why he thinks Obama’s ideas will not work for this country, not engaging in character assassination, unequal treatment for certain groups of people, and restricted freedom of thought and the press.

Obama is winning because McCain played the “terrorist card” which has also lead to many viewing McCain as racist. Now, late in the game he has moved from trying to win votes to “crowd control” within his own campaign. He and Palin both stepped over acceptable lines (and in politics, those lines are already a mile wide).

McCain’s tactics are dividing the Republican Party and putting off more voters than any of Obama’s associations. And, as a result, as Susan correctly points out, Republicans could fall almost completely out of power, leading to a dangerous imbalance in our political system.

So here is my message, one that I think Collin Powell was trying to say in his own words: United we stand. Divided we fall.

Killing the messengers will not change the outcome of this election for Republicans, but listening might.

This week's previous posts (most recent first): Divided We Stand, Socialism Rules, The Politics of Destruction