Breaking News: Des Moines Register picks McCain, Clinton

A big, big night for John McCain, scoring two major unexpected newspaper endorsements in two varied regions.

The Des Moines Register, the most important newspaper in the first state to choose presidential nominating delegates, will endorse the senator from Arizona for the Republican nomination and Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nod in Sunday's editions.

“The times call for competence," the newspaper stated."Americans want their government to work again. The times call for readiness to lead. Americans want their country to do great things again. They’ll regain trust in their government when they see a president make that happen.”

McCain, who was tied for fifth in the Register’s November Iowa poll of likely caucus-goers, was described this way in the Register editorial:

“Time after time, McCain has stuck to his beliefs in the face of opposition from other elected leaders and the public. He has criticized crop and ethanol subsidies during two presidential campaigns in Iowa. He bucked his party and president by opposing the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. A year ago, in the face of growing criticism, he staunchly supported President Bush’s decision to increase troop strength in Iraq.

“McCain would enter the White House with deep knowledge of national-security and foreign-policy issues. He knows war, something we believe would make him reluctant to start one. He’s also a fierce defender of civil liberties. As a survivor of torture, he has stood resolutely against it. He pledges to start rebuilding America’s image abroad.

“The force of John McCain’s moral authority could go a long way toward restoring Americans’ trust...

in government and inspiring new generations to believe in the goodness and greatness of America.”

Typically, because of its liberal bent, the Register's editorial approval carries more weight with Iowa's Democratic voters. Some 40% of Iowa Republican caucus-goers are evangelical Christians and polls indicate they are favoring Mike Huckabee.

However, with the rise of alternative media and the Internet and the Gannett paper pulling back from its once saturation statewide coverage, the endorsement of that paper does not carry the political clout that it once did.

About Clinton the Register wrote:

“Readiness to lead sets her apart from a constellation of possible stars in her party, particularly Barack Obama, who also demonstrates the potential to be a fine president. When Obama speaks before a crowd, he can be more inspirational than Clinton. Yet, with his relative inexperience, it’s hard to feel as confident he could accomplish the daunting agenda that lies ahead.”

The endorsements (the board noted it paid no attention to poll standings in its selections; McCain has been focusing on New Hampshire, not Iowa where he is not well-organized) will give McCain and Clinton a boost of strength and added credibility in these closing two-and-half weeks before some 120,000 Democrats and about the same number of Republicans (out of Iowa's 3 million residents) will kick somebody's campaign into high gear for the nation's first primary five days later in New Hampshire.

In 2004, as Howard Dean and Richard Gephardt argued and attacked their way to the finish line, the Register endorsed John Edwards, who surged to second place behind John Kerry, and both ultimately made up the Democratic ticket.

As pleased as the Clinton camp probably is, it must also remember that in the past 20 years no Democrat endorsed by the Register has gone on to win the party's presidential nomination. The paper chose Edwards in 2004, Bill Bradley in 2000 and Paul Simon in 1988. The Democratic caucuses were uncontested in 1992 and 1996.

(UPDATE: The Register's endorsement announcement contained the following paragraph: "The Register’s editorial board members who participated in the endorsement process were: Laura Hollingsworth, publisher; Carolyn Washburn, editor; Carol Hunter, editorial page editor; Linda Lantor Fandel, deputy editorial page editor; Rox Laird, editorial writer; and Andie Dominick, editorial writer." Late tonight some commentors on the website questioned if there might have been some gender bias toward a female candidate by an all-female editorial board.)

Also, tonight the Boston Globe announced that it was endorsing McCain and Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois for their parties' nominations.

Of Obama, the Globe said, "all the other Democratic contenders have more conventional resumes, and have spent more time in Washington. But that exposure has tended to give them a sense of government’s constraints. Obama is more open to its possibilities."

About McCain, the Globe said his honesty had come at a political cost but could help a polarized nation as a welcome antidote to the "toxic political approach" of the last two presidential elections. Noting that its editorial board has many differences with McCain stands, the endorsement said:

"As a lawmaker and as a candidate, he has done more than his share to transcend partisanship and promote an honest discussion of the problems facing the United States. He deserves the opportunity to represent his party in November’s election.'

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[/////ANDRE]

Bah! *I* Endorse Ron Paul!

[Carl R]

McCain is by far the most electable republican in the general election .let's see if republicans are smart enough to pick to him.

[pmorlan]

As an Edwards supporter I'm very disappointed that the Register did not endorse Edwards but I'm really not surprised. Edwards comments at the Des Moines Register debate about corporate greed probably didn't go over very well in the Gannett boardroom especially when the undecided voters in the CNN & Fox focus group reacted so favorably towards them.

[Sheldon]

The endorsement of The Des Moines Register will help Hillary Clinton in the very competitive race for the Iowa caucus.

[jose]

Yay! She's earned this endorsement! Obama just got the Boston Globe endorsement, which is great for Hillary supporters because if he miraculously ends up being the nominee, he will live up to the tax-n-spend liberal caricuture republicans will use to defeat him in '08.

[evelyn]

What good is "competence" when you voted for the war in Iraq? What rubbish and sellouts these newspaper people are.

[Sam]

This is just the boost Hillary needed before the Iowa caucuses- this may just win Iowa for her. Given that most the Register's readers are of the age of likely caucus goers.

[PJL]

Three women lead the editorial board of the Des Moines Register. This is the newspaper that simply denied a Presidential candidate, Congressman Dennis Kucinich participation in their debate on Friday. One of the women on the editorial board of the Des Moines Register served as moderator of the debate.

More newsworthy and impressive, a major newspaper, the Boston Globe endorsed Senator Barack Obama for the Presidential nomination today. And former Republican Congressman of New Hampshire, Perkins Bass converted to the Democratic party to give Senator Obama his endorsement as well. Obama 08!

(So what's the meaning of three women on the Editorial Board? Is that ominous or evil or something?)

[Martin Edwin Andersen]

My, my, my. Sen. Clinton is endorsed by the ladies on the Des Moines Register editorial board.

Why are they trying to foist the most ethically challenged candidate on a party still in therapy after eight years of Mr. Clinton, his "bimbo eruptions," sleezy oversees Chinese financial backers, and the "smells-to-high-heaven" pardon of union-buster international financier Mark Rich? (See http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0212-04.h... ).

Did they ask her what roles will her brothers, Tony and Hugh Rodham, play in her administration? Tony helped gain a presidential pardon for a Tennessee couple convicted of bank fraud. Hugh pocketed $400,000 in legal fees after two of his clients were granted last-minute pardons. One, Carlos Vignali Jr., was convicted for transporting 800 pounds of cocaine; and his pardon was granted against the wishes of the Justice Department.

President Jimmy Carter's chief of staff Hamilton Jordan called the Clintons our "First Grifters"?

Why visit this upon us again?

Move on ...

Sign me,
A Heritage Democrat

P.S. After I served as Senate Majority Whip Alan Cranston's foreign policy advisor, I worked as a senior advisor for policy planning in the Criminal Division of Janet Reno's Justice Department. There I won the federal service's highest award as a national security whistleblower by shedding light on how top Reno aides--including the one she had just appointed to "clean up" the Immigration and Naturalization Service--were, according to the Department IG, guilty of "egregious misconduct" and "willful disregard for national security," including trying to arrange fraudulent visas for Russian women, one of whom the seniormost Reno aide (the one supposed to "clean up" the INS) involved the scandal was sleeping with.(http://foi.missouri.edu/whistleblowing/commen... ).

As they say in Spanish, the fish rots from the head.

[Martin Edwin Andersen]

Why the questions about whether some gender bias toward a female candidate (Hillary Clinton) was shown by the all-female editorial board at the Des Moines Register?

Somehow it reminds me of those Democrats who voted for AG Alberto Gonzalez because of his "compelling personal story" when some of the unsavory elements of his thinking (on torture, etc.) were already known.

Hmmm. ... Now why would that be?

Hint: Let's look at presidential candidates and cabinet nominees as people, not as entitled representatives of this or that group.

[Lori]

You ought to read the blog at the DM Register endorsement. Comments are running 40 to 1 against this endorsement. DMR blew their opporunity to show they know the pulse of Iowa. Even the endorsement sounds like a shill from the Clinton campaign.

[eNews Reference]

In hindsight Bill Clinton might be saying Hillary Clinton should’ve never went to Iowa. The truth of the matter is there’s a chance that she might come in third in Iowa and she could’ve pulled third without even going.

[Bill]

Let's see, for decades all male editorial boards endorsed only male candidates and not a word of gender criticism was raised. Now an experienced, highly competent, brilliant female candidate is endorsed by an all female editorial board in Iowa and there's a chorus of criticism. Could it be misogeny is loose among the commentators and nay sayers?

(Well, to be fair, let's remember in those days there weren't a whole lot of female candidates to be biased against or for. Except Shirley Chisholm.)

[bill]

It looks like the ILLEGAL ALIEN folks own this newspaper too !
Are you sure the editors don't belong to La Razza ?
These two canidates are an ILLEGALS dream !!!!

[Jason]

The endorsements of McCain sound much like my endorsement of him: he's a honest politician in a dishonest field of GOP candidates. He is EXACTLY what this country needs going forward.

[Bill]

You should read the readers' comments on the Des Moines Register's endorsement of Clintion.. Scathing.

[Jeugenen]

REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS IN REVOLT

Just as the Ronald Reagan Real-Conservatives are revolting to crush the Podhoretz Neo-Conservatives; the Jack Kennedy Real-Liberals are revolting to crush the Leiberman Neo-Liberals.

These Neocons and Neolibs, victims of their own bloody subversive ideologies, now have the traditional Conservatives and Liberals fighting to drive them from power. Hillary and Giuliani are both dropping in the polls at accelerating rates.

The World is intently watching the American Cultural War, and cheering them on. It is the Dawn of the American Reformation; and the beginning of the End of the Era of the Ugly American.

Google: “Who Would the World Elect”; "Stricherz Why the Democrats are Blue"; and "Mearsheimer Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy"

[Joseph]

After McCain torpedoed the First Amendment with his campaign finance bill he co-sponsored with Feingold, my nickname for him has been the Manchurian Candidate, and his patriotism is of the nature with which H.L. Mencken said scoundrels cloak themselves.

I have trouble seeing a guy who spent out a war as a P.O.W. deserving of the Presidency compared to soldiers like Grant, Eisenhower, and Joshua L. Chamberlain, the hero of Gettysburg and the general Grant picked to receive the Confederate Army's surrender at Appomattox. McCain doesn't have 1% of the leadership skills of these men.

Chamberlain in my opinion would have been a better President than Grant. His mother taught him to see the divine spark in every person's eyes. His oratory persuaded 117 of 119 mutineers from another Maine regiment to re-arm themselves and fight beside him at Little Round Top. Mc Cain has trouble puffing out a sentence through clenched teeth.

Obama's platitudinous oratory mellifluously rolls off his tongue, but leaves my brain feeling unfilled, and lacking nutritious principles or specific solutions.

Both of the register's (deliberately lower case) picks strike me as lightweights compared to the tall, wise statesman, Ron Paul, who also comes up short in his oratorical skills. Hillary's grating voice causes me to mute the TV and read the close captioning, but even her text is bland. Great speakers persuade you to perform challenging actions, but her mouthful of promises and self-promotions illicits inertness.

The talent pool isn't very deep in this years candidate's class to this former Toastmaster's ears.