Thread: Colin Powell slams Donald Trump's immigration plan

https://www.yahoo.com/politics/colin...163454530.html

Colin Powell slams Donald Trump's immigration plan
Dylan Stableford
October 1, 2015

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell says the Republican Party has shifted much further right than the rest of the country — and GOP leaders must get its fringe members in line.

During an appearance at the Washington Ideas Forum on Wednesday, Powell said it “should be obvious to party leaders that they cannot keep saying and doing the things that they were doing and hope to be successful in national-level election in the future, not just in 2016.”

Powell said Republican frontrunner Donald Trump’s controversial plan to deport millions of undocumented immigrants is not reflective of the rest of the party’s position.

“I don’t agree that it’s the Republican position on immigration,” Powell said. “I think most Republicans understand that we need immigration, we are an immigrant nation [and that] it is in our best interest to do it. But … there are pockets of intolerance within the Republican Party, [and] the Republican Party had better figure out how to defeat that.”

The 78-year-old former secretary of state, whose parents emigrated to the United States from Jamaica, said immigration is part of this country’s DNA.

“I think the American people have to understand that we are an immigrant nation,” Powell said. “It is our history. It is our tradition. If you look at what immigrants have done in this country — we have been built on the backs on immigrants.”

Powell, who said he tries to stay out of politics, nonetheless offered the real estate mogul some advice: “If I was around Mr. Trump — Donald, who I know rather well — I would say, ‘You know, Don, let’s see what happens. Let’s tell all the immigrants working in Trump hotels to stay home tomorrow.’”

“Are you kidding me?” he continued. “These are first-generation American immigrants who will raise children who will go up to higher things. They’re not mopping floors and waiting tables so their children can do the same. It’s that immigrant tradition — get started and the next generation will be better, and the generation after that will be even better.”

Powell called for a “sensible immigration policy to bring these people out of the black.”

“Yes, I’m still a Republican,” Powell added. “I want to continue to be a Republican because it annoys them.”

Colin Powell speaks at the Washington Ideas Forum on Wednesday. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

You know I always liked Colin Powell, but then he lied at the UN about the aluminum rods claiming they were evidence of WMD in Iraq as a justification to go to War, and I've not cared much for his opinion on anything since.

And then of course there's this:

“Are you kidding me?” he continued. “These are first-generation American immigrants who will raise children who will go up to higher things. They’re not mopping floors and waiting tables so their children can do the same. It’s that immigrant tradition — get started and the next generation will be better, and the generation after that will be even better.”

This so disturbs me. What about the 4th and 5th generation Americans who are still mopping the floors and waiting the tables or can't find any work at all because illegal aliens stole even that job from them, Colin? What about them? Why would you take such a ludicrous position?

Well, a little research tells why.

Powell was born on April 5, 1937,[7] in Harlem, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, to Jamaican immigrant parents Maud Arial (née McKoy) and Luther Theophilus Powell.

He's talking about himself, he's defending himself.

Well, Colin, if you want to hang your hat and policies on your immigrant parents, if you want to sell out Americans struggling to survive to illegal aliens bankrupting our nation simply because you're the son of immigrants, then that pretty much explains the selfish ambition that allowed you to lie to the United Nations, to lie to the American People, and through that lie mislead Americans to believe Iraq had WMD's when they didn't, rallying false support for an invasion of Iraq that has cost millions of people their lives, homes, stability and peace in the world.

Selfish Ambition. That is Colin Powell. That is Marco Rubio. That is Carly Fiorina. That is Jeb Bush. That is Hillary Clinton. That is everyone except Donald Trump. Donald Trump won't sell us out for a job, a better job, a nicer house, money, donors, or even votes.

He won't. Frankly, I've never understood why Colin Powell and GW Bush weren't sent to jail for lying about WMD's in Iraq. They manufactured that whole story. I mean my family, we're pretty smart about some things like tubes and rods, and we're all looking at each other during that speech Colin gave at the UN telling each other those are extrusion roods used in thousands of applications, so how is that evidence of WMD's in Irasq??!!

Clearly, it wasn't evidence of WMD's in Iraq. It was evidence of an intentional fraud to convince Americans to go to War.

Colin Powell: I will 'continue to be a Republican because it annoys them'

By Deena Zaru, CNN
Updated 3:04 PM ET, Wed September 30, 2015

Story highlights

• Colin Powell endorsed President Barack Obama twice and came out in favor of the Iran nuclear deal
• But, he says, "I'm having difficulty with the party now"

Washington (CNN)Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who endorsed President Barack Obama twice and came out in favor of the Iran nuclear deal days before the Congressional vote, says that he is still a Republican.

When asked at the Washington Ideas Forum Wednesday if he still considers himself a Republican, Powell said, "Yes, I'm still a Republican," and highlighted his votes for "five presidents in a row who were Republican," as well as his work for President Ronald Reagan and former Sen. Howard Baker.

Colin Powell Fast Facts

"I want to continue to be a Republican because it annoys them," Powell said, prompting laughter from the audience.

"In Virginia, you don't have to declare a party ... but I'm still a Republican because I believe in a strong defense, because I believe in the entrepreneurial spirit that is so typical of the Republican Party in the past. But I'm having difficulty with the party now," he said.

Powell also criticized anti-immigrant rhetoric, calling himself "a child of immigrant parents" and America "an immigrant nation."

"We have been built on the backs of immigrants and we've always had difficulty with immigration policy throughout our history" Powell said, calling out Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump by name.

"If I were around Mr. Trump -- Donald -- who I know very well, I would say, 'You know, Donald, let's see what happens. Let's tell all the immigrants working at Trump Hotel to stay home tomorrow.' See what happens. Are you kidding me? ... Look who's serving you.

Guess who's cooking in the back," Powell said. "Next time you walk through Dulles or Reagan, look who's manning the counter. Look who's cleaning things up. These are first generation American immigrants, who will raise children, who will grow up to higher things."

Powell said the Republican Party has "shifted much further right than the country is," and said that party leaders "cannot keep saying the things that they are saying ... and hope to be successful at national level elections int he future."

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/30/politi...-donald-trump/

Hope this is it, Jan. 2017:

On the issue of immigration Powell has always been very liberal. I never did care much for him or his politics, especially his immigration views. He says he's a Republican, but I've never really considered him as one.

Really, no one who supports Immigration, Free Trade, Income Tax or War on Drugs follows the original principles of the Republican Party. All of those were initiatives of the Democratic Party.

I appreciate your likes.

But----somehow ALIPAC strategy is perplexing. Three or four years ago the website got 'upgraded' and a bunch of commenters disappeared. What happend to them? A lot of them no longer comment. Then....omne or two replies to a topic---is there actually a pulse at ALIPAC? Then I'm not stupid, and I keep proposing new, effectve strategies. i.e different from having to bombard 100's of Congressmen with hundreds of calls. Not saying that is so wrong, it's needed when votes come up. But what about going higher up in the food chain? That's why I have been emailing Committee Chairs---but there should be at least a few dozen people doing this. What happened to all of the ALIPAC members????

Originally Posted by Judy

Really, no one who supports Immigration, Free Trade, Income Tax or War on Drugs follows the original principles of the Republican Party. All of those were initiatives of the Democratic Party.

I don't know what the "original principles of the Republican Party" are, but I do know the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement, our nation's first free trade agreement, was signed into law by Republican President Ronald Reagan. Our largest FTA, NAFTA, was initiated by the senior President Bush and was signed into law by Clinton with a majority of Republican support in the U.S. Congress. Basically it was Bush's baby.

Republican President Richard Nixon was the first U.S. President to publicly declare a war on drugs, when in 1971, he declared drug abuse as public enemy #1.

Colin Powell... another Bush man crying about Donald Trump as his main candidate... the one most likely to appoint Colin Powell to some cushy ambassadorship... Jeb Bush is on the ropes because of the Donald! And Colin Powell knows it was the immigration issue that wrecked his Bush buddy.

W

Originally Posted by MW

I don't know what the "original principles of the Republican Party" are, but I do know the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement, our nation's first free trade agreement, was signed into law by Republican President Ronald Reagan. Our largest FTA, NAFTA, was initiated by the senior President Bush and was signed into law by Clinton with a majority of Republican support in the U.S. Congress. Basically it was Bush's baby.

Republican President Richard Nixon was the first U.S. President to publicly declare a war on drugs, when in 1971, he declared drug abuse as public enemy #1.

Yes, those are all in direct contradiction to the principles of the Republican Party. But the War on Drugs actually started with an act passed by Democrats in 1913, the same year they passed the income tax to offset the tariff revenue loss when they lowered tariffs which started the whole free trade phenomena. Republicans worked for years to keep it, when our country was strong and smart, but then Reagan and the Bushes brought it back and went hog wild.

Republicans were for protected trade, not free trade, and personal liberty. But we're going to fix it. We can't let our party run wild like this destroying our country doing the complete opposite of what our party stands for and what good and right for our people.

WE NEED US SOME TRUMP!!