‘Tis the season for magazines and newspapers to officially endorse political candidates, and the presidential endorsements are starting to roll in. According to Editor & Publisher, “America’s Oldest Journal Covering the Newspaper Industry,” Obama picked up 16 endorsements Sunday (including several in swing states) and McCain received two.
Here are three endorsements, each remarkable for a different reason:
The New Yorker magazine
Remarkable because: While it’s not a surprising endorsement, this column is remarkable because it is so well written and hits so many issues right on the money.
The first five paragraphs focus on the Bush administration, then the endorsement really gets rolling. It goes issue-by-issue: the economy, national security, the Supreme Court, and, finally, each candidate’s character. It’s a bit longer than an average endorsement, but well worth the time. If you read just one endorsement of a presidential candidate, this thoughtful, detailed account is the one:
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2008/10/13/081013taco_talk_editors
The Record
Remarkable because: This conservative newspaper endorses its first democrat in 72 years.
Since 1895 The Record has served the conservative area of Stockton, California, in the central part of the state. For the first time in 72 years the paper is endorsing a democrat for president (the last was FDR in 1936).
The story behind the endorsement, “Obama turns tide of Record endorsements,” saying it was “a unanimous decision made by our editorial board.” Includes recaps of all previous Record endorsements, which makes for an interesting historical perspective:
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080928/A_NEWS0801/809280302/-1/A_NEWS13
The actual endorsement, titled “Choice is clear: Obama for president”:
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080928/A_OPINION01/809280301/0/A_NEWS13
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Remarkable because: A brief endorsement that, again, is extremely well written.
This column addresses experience, judgement, choices of advisors and other factors often overlooked in other comparisons of the candidates.
http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-platform/campaign-2008/2008/10/sunday-editorial-barack-obama-for-president/
