Opinion: A surprise: Hillary Clinton backed by a college newspaper
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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.