On Meet The Press today former Secretary of State, General Colin Powell pulled no punches in damning the Republican Party’s “dark vein of intolerance.” He referred to the party’s constant use of racial code language directed at white conservative voters in its efforts to defeat Democrats generally and President Obama particularly.

Although he did not name names, Powell called out former surrogate and New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu for characterization of Obama’s first debate performance as “lazy.” And, again, without mentioning her name, he castigated Sarah Palin, who, Powell charged, employed obvious and egregious slavery-era terms in her references to the president:

“There’s also a dark — a dark vein of intolerance in some parts of the party. What do I mean by that? I mean by that that they still sort of look down on minorities. How can I evidence that?

"When I see a former governor say that the President is “shuckin’ and jivin’,” that’s racial era slave term. When I see another former governor after the president’s first debate where he didn’t do very well, says that the president was lazy. He didn’t say he was slow. He was tired. He didn’t do well. He said he was lazy. Now, it may not mean anything to most Americans, but to those of us who are African Americans, the second word is shiftless and then there’s a third word that goes along with that. The birther, the whole birther movement. Why do senior Republican leaders tolerate this kind of discussion within the party?”

The general then diagnosed the Republicans as “having an identity problem.” Its shift to the right has not served it well, he said. They have lost “two [consecutive]... presidential campaigns. I think what the Republican Party needs to do now is [take] a very hard look at itself and understand that the country has changed,” he said. “If the Republican Party does not change along with that demographic, they are going to be in trouble.”

His prescription? “Everybody wants to talk about who is going to be the candidate,” Powell said. “You better think first about what’s the party actually going to represent.”

Sure, Powell endorsed Obama for the second time in this last election. Yet, he remains within the Republican Party. As an “old soldier,” decorated war hero, former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, National Security Adviser, and Secretary of State – all while maintaining his GOP bona fides, it is not possible for Republicans to simply dismiss this latest analysis as simply “partisan politics.”

Powell, of course, is not the first to try to bring the Republicans out of the deep funk of racism, xenophobia, and all round ridiculousness on everything from abortion to immigration. Yet, as we have seen just during this last week, they do not seem to have gotten the message. Bills to “repeal and replace” so-called “Obamacare” were introduced in Congress, as well as more anti-abortion bills. ( A "fresh" effort to defund Planned Parenthood was submitted with much fanfare, even though that organization spends a miniscule amount on actual abortions).

I say give them their head. Let them rant and rave about “losing” their America all they want. We will just continue to keep on keeping on; trying to make this a “more perfect union.”

Colin Powell in 2016!

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