Barack Obama racking up the newspaper endorsements (including one that really caught our eye)

Editor & Publisher, which specializes in covering the newspaper industry, is keeping track of press endorsements in the presidential race. As of today, it's a rout: Nods for Barack Obama outpace those for John McCain by more than 3-to-1.

Many will profess not to be surprised by this. Still, although many newspapers -- especially the larger ones serving urban populations -- long have leaned Democratic in their editorial stances, the magazine notes that the tally in 2004 was a horserace: John Kerry barely edged George W. Bush, 213-205.

The Ticket will be the first stipulate that newspaper endorsements are not particularly influential these days in high-profile political races (and have not been for several cycles). That's a big reason why one of the recent endorsements caught our attention -- given the state in which it appeared, it constitutes a working definition of tilting against windmills.

The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah's major newspaper, came out for Barack Obama. This, in a state President Bush carried in 2004 with close to 72% of the vote (his best showing anywhere).

McCain, the editorial makes clear for its predominantly Mormon audience, clearly hurt himself in the paper's eyes when he bypassed Mitt Romney as his running mate. It then harshly criticizes "the impetuous McCain" for selecting Sarah Palin instead.

Palin, the editorial continues, "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."

The Tribune's readers, at that point, could be excused for checking the masthead to make sure they had not mistakingly stumbled across a copy of the New York Times.

The Tribune piece goes on to detail what it terms "compelling reasons" for backing Obama; the complete editorial can be read here.

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[Observer]

It is simple, Chicago needs the distributed wealth more than anyone else.

$40 Billion pension fund in debt?

Can anyone guess what state will be the first to get the wealth redistributed?

And that would help lower the taxes of Illionoisians.

[Linda]

You have to admit the newspaper endorsements seem to follow the left wing media and the biased articls and television coverage this past year.

There is no free press that reports facts and the news anymore....its all about partisan politics and the interests of the journalists and the editors and the owners, not of the people they serve.

I'd love to read an honest publication, that is fair to both sides, besides the Christian Science Monitor but unfortunately, the newspaper staff don't care about us, the people....its all about their and their own party preferences.

[WH Mitchell]

Senator Obama may have to get past Berg v. Obama questioning his natural citizenship first. This contentious issue may have constitutional implications. I really didn't
think much of this because I thought Obama could hand over documents to squash this outlandish lawsuit, but for some reason, Obama's attorneys are side-stepping the suit. I hope this doesn't get out of hand.

[frieda]

At what point will the press force Obama to own up to the full extent of his ties to ACORN?
At what point will the press demand a full accounting of Obama’s ties to the New Party?
At what point will the depth of Obama’s redistributionist economic stance be acknowledged?
Barack Obama is hiding the truth about his political past, and the press is playing along.

[Plain Jane]

The intelligent argument for McCain/Palin has disintegrated across the board on all blogging sites. All that's left are the rather dimwitted and racist claims of muslim, socialist, terrorist ... it's pathetic and sad. What's evn more pathetic is that they got these ideas from the GOP candidates whose mud has dried up.

[steve rodriguez]

There was a time when newspaper endorsement would matter, but those days are long gone. Most newspapers like the NY Times, LA Times, Washington Post etc. have lost their impact because of bias and subjectivity!

[BoSacks]

To some of the comments list above:

Free press is just that free press, a publisher supplies generally what the buying public wants. There are just as many right leaning pundits and right leaning newspapers papers as there are left. The sad mantra of a liberal dominated press is a farce and not accurate. How could it be? I ask you to put into your incorrect formula, Rupert Murdoch or Fox news, or Patriot radio or Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity or the hundreds of others. It is a free press and free market system. The buyer gravitates to the news supplier that fits their concerns and political views best. Simple supply and demand. There is no liberal conspiracy only simple economics.

[Boomer Consumer]

Thesis: Newspapers are, for the most part, thoughtful, well-informed, objective entities whose collective views are well worth the public's consideration.

Antithesis: Many shallow, ill-informed, dissident and inarticulate voices have appeared at this site to bash the free press in an attempt to lessen its impact.

Synthesis: Newspapers have more influence than many would like them to have,

[Boomer Consumer]

P.S. (to Frieda)

Obama has directly explained to the press his relationship with Acorn (and Rev, Wright, and Bill Ayers). Sarah Palin has addressed only indirectly the finding of a bipartisan investigation in Alaska that she abused the power of her office, and thereby committed an ethical violation, by making a joke of it on Saturday Night Live. If you have evidence that Obama was involved in wrongdoing with Acorn, give the specifics and give up making unsupported charges that only distract from the issues that the electorate cares about.

[tdub]

Oh please......couldl the right wing for ONCE quit using the same old whiny tired riff about the "biased media"? It is getting most lame and pathetic. The Republicans always seem to have a problem with the media, but they have a bigger problem with THE TRUTH. And THAT is their real problem that they will never own up to.

[Andy Pudding]

Salt Lake City is a two-newspaper town. The Salt Lake Tribune has historically been anti-Mormon (although not so much now) and liberal-leaning. Had the region's other paper, the Mormon church-owned Deseret News, endorsed Barack Obama...now that would have raised some eyebrows.

[blooit]

The Salt Lake Tribne is a left wing paper founded IN OPPOSITION to Mormons in Utah. It is the most anti-mormon and anti-conservative voice in the state, if not the west.

Please don't make it sound like this is some sort of Mormon endorsement of Obama.

[giz]

John McCain´s birthplace is Panama and by that time he wasn´t native American until law was changed later.

[John G]

How could it matter what endorsements newspapers give? They have all ignored the Berg v. Obama lawsuit, originally filed 2 months ago. Imagine, a lawsuit that will probably create a constitutional crisis, yet practically no newspaper in the country, and certainly no major newspaper, has seen fit to cover the story. Serious users of the internet are very well aware of the MSM agenda and appropriately disregard their "endorsements."

[dax]

Tribune, Anchorage, Hartford, -wow looks to me that John McCain is really a very UNPOPULAR choice for President by some stalwart Republican newspapers.

Seems the same to me too...

Thats why after 24yrs of following my Republican roots, I am voting for Barack Obama...

the republicans are in turmoil, without any real plans beyond scare tactics and supporting the out of control Military Industrial Complex machine...which is in need of restructuring NOW...and I am sure I am not the only one...NO ONE PARTY, OWNS A PARTY VOTE anymore....

Voting FOR Obama

[cmnsns]

Bush redistributed the wealth. Pushing the burden for his ever-increasing overheads to the states/counties, to the next generation and ripping off the social security SURPLUS that peaked during his administration while pushing the benefit to a few in the investment, government contractor and government classes. Obama is simply correcting the Bush mis-distribution of wealth that has rewared the unproductive at the expense of the productive. Obama's proposals make economic sense. McCain's proposals do no add up.

[brian88]

Newsflash neocons: when your vp candidate is being taped, and she cant answer a softball question like "What newspaper's do you read?", thats not the gotcha liberal media. When your candidates tout themselves as fiscal conservatives, and then spend $150k for three days worth of clothes, thats also not not the gotcha liberal media.

The real problem the neocons have, is that their platform is "kill all islamofascists everywhere, legislate morality, and make Bush's tax cuts permanent", which just sounds kind of... crazy, right? So instead they push their xenophobia and mccarthyism (marxist! socialist! hussein! muslim! the birth certificate obama released is a fake! go joe sixpack real america! if youre not with us, youre against us! The liberals will take all your treasure and give it to homeless people!)

The problem is, not even the CORPORATE-OWNED media is buying what they are selling. The fact that most of it is made-up probably doesnt help either.

[David]

Traditionally, the Salt Lake Tribune has been considered anti-Mormon more than a pro-Mormon paper. The only thing that raises eyebrows about this article is that Frederick didn't do his homework. Then again, that's not so surprising for the LA Times.