A surprise: Hillary Clinton backed by a college newspaper

After a flood of Pennsylvania newspaper endorsements for Barack Obama, the University of Pennsylvania's Daily Pennsylvanian broke from the pack today. In something of a surprise, given how well Obama often does among young voters, the newspaper endorsed Hillary Clinton.

This was a symbolic victory for a Clinton campaign that has fought hard to woo students in Pennsylvania, sending daughter Chelsea and and husband Bill to campuses throughout the state in recent weeks.

Here's a snippet from the paper's editorial:

"Pennsylvania Democrats are confronted with a tragedy of riches: two incredibly appealing candidates for their Party's nomination.

We want to believe that Sen. Barack Obama can accomplish all he promises. His soaring rhetoric and compelling vision have inspired us and many other students.

But while Obama's charisma far outshines that of Sen. Hillary Clinton, her public service, political experience and tenacity tell us not only "Yes we can" but also "How we can." As such, we endorse Clinton for the Democratic Party's nomination for president.

Our endorsement is not a rejection of Obama's leadership qualities. But choosing the president of the United States is too important a decision to make based on hope alone. After finishing his term in the Senate and better showing us what he can do for the American people, Obama could one day be a remarkable president."

-- Josh Drobnyk

Josh Drobnyk writes for the Swamp of the Chicago Tribune's Washington bureau.

Comments

[John Jones]

what Hillary thinks of working folks:

"Screw 'em," she said, according to several witnesses. "You don't owe them a thing, Bill. They've done nothing for you. You don't have to do anything for them." -- 1994

[Donald Martin]

The media keeps try to crame us in our little demographic boxes. I am a 48 year old white guy, who the media says I should not be back Obama. But I am!!
So if a couple of college student back Hillary, bit deal. The major news papers in PA all back Obama.

[Bookworm]

Did the latest debate not show both of these people untrustworthy? Did Obama's answer regarding the 'bitter' small town people really convince anyone? (We all know what he meant!) I find both of their responses condescending -- as if we really don't notice that they avoid the real questions, twist things around, and expect us to buy their answers. Hillary and Obama both favor abortion of all kinds. Where's the hope? Where's the love? How many more black babies will die under Obama's watch? How many more white females?

[Piper Jamerson]

Interesting........ Wasn't it Bill Clinton that claimed the "young" voters were too naive to know who to vote for? Will the Clinton's change their tune yet again given this new endorsement?

[Nonya]

I am continually flabbergasted at how the press just fawns over Obama. A perfect case in point: the title of this article. It's really such a shock, that intelligent free-thinking minds would endorse Hillary?

[RedWing]

Awesome article and GREAT choice!
I think your publication really nailed it on the head in your outlining of the important differences between the two candidates. While acknowledging Sen. Obama's qualifications and ability to inspire, you brought out the fact that hope is not enough when were talking about the President of the United States of America. Sen. Clinton has more experience and is READY. Beyond "Yes We Can" and into "How we can". Well said, well selected!

Go, Hillary, Go!

Outraged Florida Dem.
(Outrage over the Florida mess...will my actual vote ever count as it was cast?)

[Donald Martin]

Despite what the press states, not all college kids are for Obama, and not all 50 year old white males and females are for Hillary. I am a 50 year old white male, and my wife and children all support Obama. But I guess if Hillary can't get any major publications in PA to support her, she will need to talk about the one paper that did.

[Fourthsign]

ooooh my! what will baracky say??? he should have gotten all endorsements because he is GOD! well I take that back, he is a DOG, a little scoundrel a mutt!

go to my blog for FAIR and BALANCED INFORMATION REGARDING THIS MUTT! PART 1 AND PART 2...

http://www.myspace.com/muniz4hillary

[Lydia Davis]

Where is the news that the powerful Pittburgh Post- Gazette endorsed Senator Obama after spending more than three hours questioning both candidates?

All the major Pennsylvania papers have endorsed him, yet nary a word from the mighty Los Angeles Times.

Coincidence?

[Adrienne]

Fantastic choice. Thinking with your brain and not your emotions. You are so right, Hillary is ready and Obama certainly could be ready someday after more experience.

[tony]

Interesting comments. I regret that no one brought up Hillary's ties to the Black Panthers and her hero, Saul ALinsky. I also regret that all those hard-working, God-fearing, "Catholics" in Pennsylvania are apparently willing to put a known pathological liar into the White House. Hillary will only win by default, not by being a true winner. My new bumper sticker for her is: "HILLARY: Liar, Liar, Pantsuit on Fire!"

[robinia]

Tony, your comment is true as well as hilarious...

However, Monica has already coined that bumper-sticker at the aftermath of her "cigar-affair" with Mr. Clinton.
"Bill: Liar, LIar, Monica's panties are on Fire"

[WHN]

LATIMES

WHY SUCH HEADLINE

SERIOUSLY????

no really seriously, why such headline?

Go back to Journalism School.

CLINTON WINS ENDORSEMENT OF COLLEGE NEWSPAPER

is what an unbiased newspaper should put out.

NO OPINIONS.

[Hoagy from Muskogy]

Younger minds are waking up to the leftist peril.Small town
America has long been inoculated against elitist liberals.
The debate certainly demonstrated Obama's fragility when
trying to justify the bad company he keeps and his natural
tendancy to pander to whatever group of radical leftists he is adressing. The mask has slipped and most despise
the duplicity and doctrinaire sectairian caracteristics of the real guy..

[CJ]

I think people can tell the difference between "hope" and "hype".

[jennifer potenciano]

the university of pennsylvania's daily pennsylvanian (college newspaper) couldn't have said/written it better.

in just four succinct paragraphs, the paper (in the article written, if i got it right, by john drobynk, encapsulated the best argument, no, two best arguments really, as to why hillary should be the democratic party's unanimous choice as its presidential nominee (& by implication, america's next president).

obama's battlecry, "yes we can" should be superseded by the more substantive, more compelling (unofficial) hillary bottomline, "how we can."

(i remember this same "yes we can" shibboleth bandied about by the trade secretary of then philippine president cory aquino in the late '80s, during the height of the euphoria arising from the phenomenon of "people power revolt" in the philippines--the same political liberation theory cum methodology that a slew of erstwhile non-democratic states used to get freed from the shackles of their dictatorial, totalitarian regimes. jose concepcion, an opportunistic, shrewd businessman coined that motto, "yes, the filipino can" to supposedly prod the filipinos to aim for an nie--newly industrializing economy--status. but it turned out that what concepcion really meant was that, "yes, opportunistic, shrewd businessmen can always fool the filipino people, & make the most --juicy government contracts, behest loans, etc.--out of their positions & connections in government to further enrich themselves." needless to say, concepcion & his family corporations got richer by a quantum leap from 1986 to 1992 when he was cory's trade secretary.)

the daily pennsylvanian's second argument is no less convincing, to wit: "choosing the next president of the united states is too important a decision to make based on {obama's touted reference to} hope alone," & this despite obama's "soaring rhetoric & compelling vision." the university of pennsylvania student newspaper finds hillary's experience and program of govenment a more convincing reason for her to get the democrats' nod.

finally, seeing the awesome promise that barack holds, the daily pennsylvanian says that, with enough experience as a veteran senator tucked under his belt, obama can one day be president of the u.s. too.

i say, amen. there's only one thing i can add: to get the necessary experience & training to be the next u.s. president, obama can be hillary's runningmate in this november elections. thus, as vp, he'll have a front row seat on real power politics that'll come in handy when his turn comes.

this HILLARY-FOR-PRESIDENT-&-OBAMA-FOR-VP Tandem will be the team to beat in november, should it come to fruition. the republicans will have no answer to this, stumped as they'll be.

[Karl]

Can someone please tell these people this was a joke, and actually appeared in our Joke section of the paper. Man, you people are hungry for this stuff... who says Clinton supporters are ignorant.. dang. Try fact checking before you puff your chest...

http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2008/04/09/News/penn-Dems.Vote.To.Switch.Endorsement-3312336.shtml

[bob]

Finally a paper has made the right decision to endorse Hillary. It is also not a coincidence that U of P is made up of the best and brightest. it is encouraging when young people can come to the conclusion that Hillary is the best candidate.

[Henry Endeley]

The University News paper has done the right thing. A well thought out comments by the editor . Imaculate and sincrere. Readers should please go out and have their say on tuesday by voting Hillary. Our party will come out strong come Denver 2008.

[kmb08]

Please look at this race in a circumspect way:

Hillary is a fine person. If you can tell me one other person who has been under the microscopic scrutiny she has over the last 20 yrs., I'll show you someone who has pretty high negatives, but if you interview people, both Rep/Dems alike, and others who "truly" know Hillary, they think she's honest, intelligent, passionate, hardworking, policy driven, bi-partisan, committed...

If you aren't going to vote for a candidate who stretches the truth and misstates facts...well, I guess you won't be voting this year. Factcheck.org finds more instances where Obama misleads than Hillary has. Do your research.

This most recent debate was the "first" time Obama has experienced a little of what Hillary has gone through ad nauseum, and he got very testy....well, he acted as if he shouldn't have to disclose this uncomfortable dribble to the voters.

For the record..."elitism" isn't about financial wealth...it's a state of mind....of superiority, and yes, I saw the arrogance in Obama long before now.

Obama's lofty rhetoric sure is pretty to listen to...he gives a darn good speech....it's no wonder lemmings follow, especially those who haven't followed politics very long. Beautiful rhetoric is very poetic....but actual changes require prose.....it's complicated, tedious, and requires passionate determination. The staunch Republicans in the Senate won't be enamored by beautiful words. Sen. Ted Stevens stated "Obama folded like a cheap suit when the time came for him to take a stand".....Hillary won't fold.

Hillary is more genuine than Obama....she's more trustworthy(this is evident only if you actually do your research and not let tv soundbites tell you how to think), she works harder, she's more passionate, she's more committed to seeing goals achieved, she has an insatiable appetite for policy, she works across party lines, whereas Obama merely talks about this...but...I agree, she doesn't give as "pretty" a stump speech.

I still recall one woman in NH stating why she voted for Clinton over Obama. She said, Obama holds the huge rallies, but he doesn't do the leg work on the ground to shake the voters' hands...Hillary was seen trudging through the snow to shake voters' hands. She outworked his arrogant behind, and she still does...will she win the nomination...??No, because Democrats always find a way to nominate someone who won't win in the fall. Obama looks "weak"...just as a colleague in the Il. Senate alluded to when he said Obama earned the repuation of "gutless" and "absent" while serving in the state senate....but...at least he gives a darn pretty speech!!!!