I Endorse These Endorsements

Yesterday I mentioned that the Chicago Tribune has endorsed Obama, ending its 161-year Republican-only tradition. Turns out that the Los Angeles Times has now done the same thing (127 years for them). The list of newspapers that have endorsed Obama continues to grow, from the usual suspects (like the Boston Globe) to these big surprises, with several key battleground states represented (Denver Post, Miami Herald, etc.). Obama even recently picked up endorsements from two Texas newspapers that had supported Bush in 2004, the Houston Chronicle and the Austin American Statesman.

The reasons given in these endorsements, many of them thoughtfully and beautifully composed, usually include the irresponsible choice of Sarah Palin as McCain's next-in-line; this is from the Houston Chronicle:

Perhaps the worst mistake McCain made in his campaign for the White House was the choice of the inexperienced and inflammatory Palin as his vice-presidential running mate. Had he selected a moderate, experienced Republican lawmaker such as Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison with a strong appeal to independents, the Chronicle's choice for an endorsement would have been far more difficult.

and this from the Salt Lake Tribune (which also backed Dubya in 2004):

Out of nowhere, and without proper vetting, the impetuous McCain picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. She quickly proved grievously underequipped to step into the presidency should McCain, at 72 and with a history of health problems, die in office. More than any single factor, McCain's bad judgment in choosing the inarticulate, insular and ethically challenged Palin disqualifies him for the presidency.

Also cited are Obama's temperament, intelligence, and eloquence:

Under the most intense scrutiny and attacks from both parties, Obama has shown the temperament, judgment, intellect and political acumen that are essential in a president that would lead the United States out of the crises created by President Bush, a complicit Congress and our own apathy. (Salt Lake Tribune)

Mr. Obama’s temperament is unlike anything we’ve seen on the national stage in many years. He is deliberate but not indecisive; eloquent but a master of substance and detail; preternaturally confident but eager to hear opposing points of view. He has inspired millions of voters of diverse ages and races, no small thing in our often divided and cynical country. We think he is the right man for a perilous moment.  (Washington Post)

as well as his vision for the future and position on the issues:

In his bearing and his thinking, Obama better reflects the long-held — but recently tarnished — American values of equality, justice, fairness and civil liberty. He recognizes that government affects everyday Americans’ lives, so policies should be crafted to benefit the middle class directly rather than indirectly via crumb-spreading by those who have been allowed to consolidate wealth and power during the Bush administration. (Brunswick [Maine] Rimes Record)

Obama has responded by relentlessly seeking to raise the level of public discourse and by focusing on the path toward an America that lives up to its promise as the greatest, most prosperous nation in history. His potential for achieving that outweighs McCain’s. (Greenville [North Carolina] Daily Reflector)

I found all these excerpts here; you can follow the links at that site if you want to read the full copy of these or other endorsements. There's a frequently updated list of Obama/McCain endorsements here; as I type this, it's at 94-28 in favor of Obama.

The other big news today, of course, was Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama. The wonderfully insightful analysis at 538 suggests this:

Mostly, endorsements serve to win news cycles rather than win over voters, although Powell is probably the biggest "get" there is in this election (unless perhaps Ross Perot decided to endorse).... With that said, Powell has approval ratings as high as just about any public figure in America. His endorsement was eloquent, unequivocal, and because of his role in the Bush Administration, genuinely newsworthy. Powell's endorsement might play especially well among the defense and military communities in Northern Virginia, which just so happens to be perhaps the most important swing region in the election.

McCain, meanwhile, got the endorsement of a popular Mexican-American soap opera actress today, so there's that.

Comments

[Margaret]

I'm wondering just how desperate McCain and/or Palin will get to bring down Obama. I will expect them to ratchet up their attempts at slander and character assassination.

[Nicholas]

I am delighted with all the endorsements. I know a lot of people have mixed feelings about Powell because, however he may have changed in recent years, he did know all the lies and deceptions behind the illegal war in Iraq, and he did make a speech at the UN, and thus to the whole world, repeating all those lies and using them to justify a war that has been a total disaster. Even so, I'm sure his endorsement will gain extra votes for Obama and right now that's what matters.

[Kate]

How can the Tribune, the major paper in what is arguably the most democratic-leaning city in America in the past half century, never have endorsed a democrat? Can that really be true?