Romney Advisor John Sununu’s Racist Attacks Against Colin Powell And Barack Obama

John Sununu, an outspoken top advisor to Mitt Romney, his campaign chair, and a Romney surrogate who frequently appears on TV news shows, yesterday told America that General Colin Powell endorsed President Barack Obama because they both are Black.

Sununu, the former Republican governor of New Hampshire, last night told CNN’s Piers Morgan, “You have to wonder whether that’s an endorsement based on issues or that he’s got a slightly different reason for President Obama.”

When pressed, Sununu added, “Well, I think that when you have somebody of your own race that you’re proud of being President of the United States — I applaud Colin for standing with him.”

This is hardly the first time John Sununu has used race and other dog whistle politics to attack President Obama and his supporters.

Igor Volsky at Think Progress offers a quick look back:

– Obama is foreign. Obama doesn’t understand the “American system” because “he spent his early years in Hawaii smoking something, spent the next set of years in Indonesia, another set of years in Indonesia, and, frankly, when he came to the U.S. he worked as a community organizer, which is a socialized structure.” [Fox News, 7/17/2012]

– Obama doesn’t know how to be an American. During a conference call, Sununu claimed, “The men and women all over America who have worked hard to build these businesses, their businesses, from the ground up is how our economy became the envy of the world. It is the American way. And I wish this president would learn how to be an American.” [Conference call, 7/17/2012]

– Obama is a lazy idiot. Sununu described Obama’s debate performance as “babbling,” “lazy,” and “disengaged,” and dismissed the possibility that he could do better in the future. “When you’re not that bright you can’t get better prepared.” [Fox News, 10/4/2012]

– Obama has no class, just wants to be cool. “That moment of using the B.S. word was kind of a self-defining moment for the president,” he told Sean Hannity. “No class, wants to be cool. Sacrifices the dignity of the presidency for appearing cool to a magazine that works for some of his base.” [Fox News, 10/25/2012]

In endorsing Barack Obama, Powell said Romney’s economic policies are “essentially ‘let’s cut taxes and compensate for that with other things,’ but that compensation does not cover all the cuts intended or the expenses associated with defense.”

Powell was America’s was the 65th Secretary of State, and served under President George W. Bush. He also served as the National Security Advisor, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and was the first African American to hold those positions.

General Powell endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 as well, and withstood similar racist attacks. Last year, Rush Limbaugh said General Powell will vote for President Obama again because “melanin is thicker than water.”