Alaska Politics Blog : Powell on Palin: 'I just don't think she contributed to the ticket at this time'

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Erika Bolstad

Erika Bolstad covers Alaska issues, including the congressional delegation, from Washington, D.C., for McClatchy Newspapers. Before joining the bureau in 2007, she spent seven years as a reporter at the Miami Herald, where she covered politics, government and the state legislature. E-mail Erika at ebolstad@adn.com.

Sean Cockerham

Sean Cockerham writes about Alaska state politics. He's worked for the ADN in Anchorage and Juneau, covered the legislature for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, and covered Washington state politics for the Tacoma News Tribune. E-mail Sean at scockerham@adn.com

Kyle Hopkins

Kyle Hopkins covers rural affairs, general assignments and politics for the ADN. He covered the 2006 campaign for governor, has blogged extensively about Alaska politics, covered Anchorage city government and was a reporter based in the Mat-Su. He grew up in Southeast Alaska and previously wrote for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Press. E-mail Kyle at khopkins@adn.com and also find him on our rural Alaska blog, The Village.

David Hulen

David Hulen, the ADN's state and local news editor, is responsible for political coverage. He has been an editor and reporter at the ADN for more than 20 years. E-mail David at dhulen@adn.com

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Powell on Palin: 'I just don't think she contributed to the ticket at this time'

Posted by Alaska_Politics

Posted: December 12, 2008 - 8:03 am

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From David Hulen in Anchorage --

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell was on CNN yesterday, talking about Palin and the future of the Republican Party. The full interview airs Sunday. Here's a clip:

I think she had something of a polarizing effect when she talked about small town values are good. Well, most of us don't live in small towns. I was raised in the South Bronx and there's nothing wrong with my value system from the South Bronx. And when they came to Virginia and said, you know, the southern part of Virginia is good but the northern part of Virginia is bad. The only problem with that is there are more votes in the northern part of Virginia than there are in the southern part of Virginia so that doesn't work. But it was that attempt on the part of the party to use polarization for political advantage that I think backfired. And I think the party has to take a hard look at itself. There's nothing wrong with being conservative, there's nothing wrong with having socially conservative views, I don't object to that. But if that party wants to have a future in this country, it has to face some realities. In another 20 years, the majority in this country will be the minority...

Later:

I think she came out on the national stage a little too soon. But she's a smart woman and a very distinguished woman -- I just don't think she contributed to the ticket at this time. We're going to have to rely not just on slogans, you know, Joe the Plumber and 'they're socialists,' that kind of labeling that shifted almost every day, was not an effective response to what Sen. Obama was doing in showing a consistent set of views...