WI: Colin Powell ran for President in 1996

I would have liked Powell on the ticket with Obama but there is no way Powell would ever have won the GOP nomination for President in 96 or any other year for his nomination would split the South and bring on a landslide win for Clinton or Gore.
 
I would have liked Powell on the ticket with Obama but there is no way Powell would ever have won the GOP nomination for President in 96 or any other year for his nomination would split the South and bring on a landslide win for Clinton or Gore.

Polling said otherwise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Powell#Potential_candidate

Powell eventually declared himself a Republican and began to campaign for Republican candidates in 1995.[citation needed] He was touted as a possible opponent of Bill Clinton in the 1996 U.S. Presidential Election, possibly capitalizing on a split conservative vote in Iowa[22] and even leading New Hampshire polls for the GOP nomination,[23] but Powell declined, citing a lack of passion for politics.[24] Powell defeated Clinton 50-38 in a hypothetical match-up proposed to voters in the exit polls conducted on Election Day.[25] Despite not standing in the race, Powell won the New Hampshire Vice-Presidential primary on write-in votes.[26]

One can reasonable assume that a primary battle could well have reduced some of margin, but a potential 12 point gap is nothing to be dismissed out of hand.


A Powell victory is extermely plausable AH.
 
Polling said otherwise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Powell#Potential_candidate



One can reasonable assume that a primary battle could well have reduced some of margin, but a potential 12 point gap is nothing to be dismissed out of hand.


A Powell victory is extermely plausable AH.

Winning a hypothetical exit poll matchup with Clinton after the GOP just lost the 1996 election and winning an actual election are different things but an election of a traditional Republican politician to the Presidency is not a bad thing.
 
Winning a hypothetical exit poll matchup with Clinton after the GOP just lost the 1996 election and winning an actual election are different things but an election of a traditional Republican politician to the Presidency is not a bad thing.

Well, that's obviously techinically true, and I mentioned that he might lose some of those points from a primary battle. On the other hand he might be immpressive and gain points.

And DOle was a weak canidate. Old, moderate. Hell, I volunteered on his campaign and was given a postion of minor authority. And I really got the feeling they were just going through the motions.

"not a bad thing"? Well, I certainly am intrigued by the possiblity of avoiding term two of Clinton. In that context I'm sure Powell would have been "good", ie not clinton.;)

Beyond that...:confused:

Just don't see him tackeling any of the big issues with energy or effect. HOuseing bubble? Social Security? Immigration?

9-11 might be butterflyed away. But the underlying rise is islamic extremism would still be going on.
 

Commissar

Banned
What; a massively indecisive President?

Its not like he ended the Korean War by threatening to go nuclear. Oh wait.

Its not like he built the National Highways so vital to our commerce and defense over huge objections. Oh wait.

Its not like he recognized that America was getting involved in places it shouldn't be in and worked to shrink the Army to purely a defensive one manning AAA and ABM Sites and built a massive nuclear stockpile and the means to deploy it. Oh wait.

Eisenhower was many things, indecisive he wasn't.
 
I think the diffiult thing about this is a lack of a base for Collin or true home region. Yeah he was born in New York, but being a Senator or Governor is still a much stronger platform to run on than a former Four Star General. I think due to his moderate stances on the issues, I think he could swing back the northeast in his favor and he probably holds the traditional GOP Midwestern states...but other than that I think it could be really up for grabs. Could Clinton carry the South with white voter support, or would enough Black crossover support for Powell offset the numbers? How do WCW voters vote in the Rust Belt, with neither candidate, specifically representing them?
 
I actually think Powell would be a one-term president. He is not a natural politician. Policy wise he may do a good job, but I see him essentially governing as a post-partisan technocrat. Or else being essentially "handled" by an aggressive VP or chief of staff - he's always been a good soldier, not a natural leader. The Democrats are of course not as good at smear tactics as the Republicans, but I see his administration as being a bit ham-handed in dealing with any kerfuffles which come up. If the Democrats find a reasonably charismatic candidate, I think he'd be well set up to lose, especially since many conservatives might just decide to sit out the election (or support a third party).
 
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