(BUT BUSINESS LEADERS UNDERSTAND POWER, POLITICS, THE POLLS, THE PEOPLE AND US POWERPLAY)
President Colin Powell or President Eisenhower II: The unknown truths about a personal and public loss of the most presidential personality or leadership material since Eisenhower. However entrepreneurs and business leaders tapped Powell leadership skills, as politics suffered.
By Professor Chris Imafidon – How the presidency was denied a man who was more than a soldier, or statesman – the most decorated and venerated war hero in recent American history. In fact, Powell was more competent than any commander-in-chief whose orders he obeyed, from President Kennedy, to Regan etc Charismatically, he was more presidential that any president he served.
According to New York Times’ op-ed and independent results, Colin Powell defeated Bill Clinton with wide margin of 50–38 in a match-up contest with real voters in the exit polls conducted on Election Day in 1996. So, if the Republicans had fielded Colin Powell instead of Bob Doe, against Bill Clinton, Americans would have voted Powell. In addition to published results, despite, Colin Powell was NOT an official contestant in the elections or political race, Powell WON the Republican New Hampshire Vice-Presidential primary on write-in votes. Then they said he will be a running mate to John McCain until Sarah Palin was picked in preference to Powell.
POWELL VS POWERPLAY
One of my children told me of her classmate who was cousin to General Colin Powell in the 1990s and on one occasion in London, a soldier pulled me up at the military service for Veterans and exclaimed citing a resemblance to Colin Powell. Really I asked? That was over twenty years ago. How I wished American pulled the real Colin Powell citing a resemblance to Eisenhower. In the 1990s, Republican Party gatekeepers and right-wing Washington elites forcibly elevated mediocrity over and above meritocracy to prevent Colin Powell from enjoying the well-deserved honour of a war hero and become PRESIDENT Colin Powell. Senior soldiers know that General Dwight D Eisenhower, one of their own won multiple presidential landslides because he led American military to war and won. They regarded General Colin Powell as Dwight D. Eisenhower the second (Eisenhower II), ready for coronation as President. They expected the same courtesy to be extended to General Colin Powell and believed that all have forgotten that this was a BLACK poor boy from Harlem, New York born of poor immigrant Jamaican parents with strong Christian values. Some powerful people always see colour and class before character, conduct or qualifications
Every senior military officer, black or white were disappointed by the raw and rough manipulation of crude politics and wondered why politicians, not the wider society was more racist that soldiers of the same generation. This evil manipulation made Powell, the President that America never had. However, US citizens wanted him as their president and even voted for him as President, without Powell being a candidate or contestant. As a consolation, most veteran Senators believed than he was the “John-the-Baptist” of President Barack Obama.
POWELL VS PROMISE
Keen power brokers reluctantly put Gen Powell forth as a potential Democratic vice presidential nominee in the 1992 US presidential election or even potentially replacing Vice President Dan Quayle as the Republican vice presidential nominee. Powell was persuaded by the BUSH Camp and began to campaign for Republican candidates in 1995. He was touted as a possible opponent of Bill Clinton in the 1996 US presidential election, possibly capitalizing on a split conservative vote in Iowa State. Powell even led New Hampshire state polls for the GOP presidential nomination. Later, Colin Powell defeated Clinton 50–38 in a match-up contest with real voters in the exit polls conducted on Election Day according to The New York Times in 1996. Although, Colin Powell was NOT an official contestant in the elections or political race, Powell WON the Republican New Hampshire Vice-Presidential primary on write-in votes.
Powell was always modesty and self-deprecating saying “Mine is the story of a black kid of no early promise from an immigrant family of limited means who was raised in the South Bronx,”
POWELL VS THE POLLS
The Polls, the people and Politicians wanted Powell but so-called Washingtonian pragmatists and their ultra-right wing cousins with racial and discriminatory zeal sabotage one of the finest statesmen-soldiers of all time. Hours before Dick Cheney emerged as Vice Presidential nominee to George W Bush Jnr, many wanted Powell’s name on the Presidential ticket. They printed BUSH-POWELL posters but right-wing republican gate-keepers went against every poll and crowned Cheney because they believed the country was unprepared for “A BLACKman in the WHITEhouse” As a compromise they made him the 4th most important person in the USA – Secretary of state. (That is President is first, Vice President is second, Speaker is third and Secretary of State as fourth). Consequently, Colin Powell was of the Whitehouse but NOT in the Whitehouse, his popularity and talent was needed by the Whitehouse however his colour would stain the Whitehouse. In his autobiography, General Colin Powell wore the hat of a soldier and obeyed orders instead of complaining and contesting the logic of partisanship and prejudice. He served gracefully as American’s first BLACK Secretary of State while his popularity was higher than the President’s or the Vice President’s.
This political arrangement which eventually came to hurt President Powell was not based on meritocracy or personal popularity but was a creation of bias. It was bias born of race. It was a missed opportunity for America to live up to its July 4th 1776 declaration that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all MEN are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.“ Therefore politically, Colin was less equal than Dwight. This is how Powell was cheated of a well-deserved place in the Whitehouse. As soon as he left government, in 1997, he founded a non-profit organisation, America’s Promise, dedicated to helping disadvantaged children.
POWELL VS THE PEOPLE
To the People of north America, General Powell was the father of “Operation Desert-STORM” one of the most successful military campaigns in the history of the USA. White, blacks and Latinos could not get enough of General Powell on television. So every award organiser wanted to honour this new national hero with more recognitions. Sir Colin Powell even received a British knighthood even when he wasn’t British. Queen Elizabeth II gave him a Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) medal.
Every College President wanted him to speak at their graduation ceremony. Every nation in the world wanted him to mentor their military leaders or inspire their people. Every business executive wanted him on their board. Entrepreneurs and business leaders tapped and enthusiastically embraced Powell leadership skills. Due to the events in the Persian Gulf, most Americans forgot that this was a little poor inner-city New York boy of poor Jamaican immigrant father and mother with strong work-ethic and Christian values.
He retired from the army in 1993 and embarked on a journey of writing including writing his autobiography – which quickly became a New York Times best-seller, and engaging in charity work for the next generation while quietly changing business thinking via his numerous speeches and interactions with leaders.
POWERFUL POWELL
His rise to four-star US General, National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, mastermind of Desert Storm, made him the man many Americans would like to draft as President. (A landslide presidential victory was always his, as a reward for role he played in the Victory of “Operation Desert storm”. One of the uniformed men puts it best when he said “As in the 1956 elections, war hero – President Dwight Eisenhower was guaranteed the whitehouse! But the only reason for not having a President Colin Powell is his African heritage. This is the reason why fair-minded citizens saw beyond this racial occlusion and voted for Powell even when his name was not on the ballot paper” Congress recommended him for promotion to 5-star general but the Clinton-Gore politicized his well-earned 5-Star status.
It is beyond doubt that General Colin Power will always be remembered as a case of a man whose presidency was stolen by racism. The record is clear, Powell may have his faults but his achievements is second to none when compared with all the presidential aspirants of his generation. See my Linkedln page (https://www.linkedin.com/in/professorchrisimafidon/ ) for a full list of the record-breaking accomplishments of General, Sir Colin Powell.
Professor Chris Imafidon a multi-Guinness World record holder; internationally renowned adviser to monarchs, governments, presidents and corporate leaders; Mentor to multi-millionaire tech entrepreneurs; many world record holders. His research and innovation have been recognised internationally, winning multiple awards in many continents across multiple disciplines and his mentees are global leaders in pioneers. Mentor to New York Times Bestellers and a Sunday Times Op-ed author. He is a 5X international best selling author, and a WallStreet Journal Best seller. [Twitter @ChrisImafidon; Instagram@CoImafidon; Facebook/Linkedln –Professor Chris Imafidon and Clubhouse]
Kindly follow us on twitter:@AfricanVoice2
