Endorsements: Do they matter?

Endorsements are made all the same supporting political candidates, especially during the presidential race. Actors, politicians, newspapers, activists, etc. all state publicly who they intend to vote for for president. Most of these endorsements don't really have an affect on have the general public will vote, but sometimes an endorsement comes along that has a powerful pull in influencing public opinion.


Today, Colin Powell, former secretary of state under President Bush and long-time Republican, officially endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President on the MSNBC show Meet the Press. This is said to be a major boost to the Obama campaign and a major blow to the McCain campaign. Powell has knows McCain for two decades and Obama for only two years, but verbalized that he believed that Obama would be best to lead the country in this economic crisis and represent the "new generation".

Powell said, "I strongly believe that at this point in America's history we need a president that will not just continue … the policies that we have been following in recent years. We need a transformational figure." Powell continued saying that McCain, "was a little unsure as to how to deal with the economic problems we've been having. … That concerned me."

Other reasons Powell endorsed Obama:
- His steadiness, and intellectual curiosity
- His readiness to be president on Day One

Powell expressed concern about McCain's VP pick saying," I don't think she's ready to be president of the United States. ... That raised some questions as to the judgement that Senator McCain made." Also, Powell mentioned Palin's personal attacks on Obama as "troubling" appeals to the far right.

Is this endorsement a "nail in the coffin", as Democrats are stating, or is this endorsement really no big deal? I think the fact that Colin Powell is such a respected, qualified, and experienced man in Washington makes him extremely influential when it comes to swaying the audience. I think that the timing of this announcement is also important, especially since there are less than 3 weeks left in the campaign. This is NOT the type of news that McCain needed now since he is down in the polls and needed some sort of push during these last days of a very long campaign season. I think it is also noteworthy because of the fact that Powell worked in the Bush Administration (2001-2005) and has close ties with the Republican party. This endorsement shows that Powell, who is well respected in the world of politics, is endorsing Obama not because of his partisan politics but for rational reasons and unbiased reasons.

While the McCain campaign continues to advertise Joe the Plumber's endorsement, I think that I personally respect what Colin Powell has to say. Sorry Joe...


Colin Powell endorses Obama on Meet The Press (10/19) :




Here is the Washington Post's endorsement. I included it cause I think it is a good read!