(Jake Turcotte)
Anchorage Daily News supports… Obama?
By Jimmy Orr | 10.26.08
Well, you can’t call the Anchorage Daily News a homer.
In endorsing Barack Obama as its preferred presidential candidate, the newspaper put aside rooting for the home team and opted to choose the ticket that does not include Sarah Palin on it.
In sports terms
You could look at it this way. If a Pennsylvania sportswriter voted Penn State No. 1 this week, you could call him a homer. Penn State played well yesterday. And against Ohio State. In Ohio. But Texas is still No. 1.
But if the Nittany Lions got a vote from their home state, you’d understand it. It’s home state love.
My homies
So if the Anchorage Daily News — Alaska’s largest newspaper — opted for the McCain-Palin ticket, you could rack it as the same type of deal.
After all, it’s always good to have big friends in Washington — especially with Ted Stevens no longer a certainty.
The scoopÂ
The writers of the editorial state that “the election is … not about Sarah Palin.”
Yeah, but ask anyone — at least us outsiders anyway. We don’t want to know necessarily why you chose Barack Obama over John McCain, we want to know why you didn’t back your own.
The State of Wyoming, just like Alaska with just three electoral votes, liked the idea of having a high placed representative in the capital. And still does. Poll numbers for Dick Cheney may be low in the rest of the country. But not in Wyoming.
So, we’ll blow past the Obama part of the endorsement (you can read the full editorial here). Let’s get to the part about Palin.
About Palin
First they recognize the historic implications of Palin being on the ticket.
Alaska’s founders were optimistic people, but even the most farsighted might have been stretched to imagine this scenario. No matter the outcome in November, this election will mark a signal moment in the history of the 49th state. Many Alaskans are proud to see their governor, and their state, so prominent on the national stage.
They also discuss her star-like appeal and her future.
Gov. Palin has shown the country why she has been so successful in her young political career. Passionate, charismatic and indefatigable, she draws huge crowds and sows excitement in her wake. She has made it clear she’s a force to be reckoned with, and you can be sure politicians and political professionals across the country have taken note. Her future, in Alaska and on the national stage, seems certain to be played out in the limelight.
But, like Penn State, Palin’s not yet ready to be the national champ.
Yet despite her formidable gifts, few who have worked closely with the governor would argue she is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and juggle the demands of an economic meltdown, two deadly wars and a deteriorating climate crisis would stretch the governor beyond her range. Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time.
Just like 2004
Although the Daily News editorial team says it’s not about Palin, the last line suggests it was part of the decision.
So is the editorial so powerful that it will cause Alaskans to abandon their governor in droves? Not likely. They backed Kerry-Edwards in 2004. And, in Alaska, Bush-Cheney won by a landslide.
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2. Bill L | 10.26.08
Looks like Palin put her lipstick and heels on, went to the big city, bought some fancy clothes, took up with a fast crowd and got caught up in the campaign to nowhere She reminds me of a rogue moose trying to run in the Kentucky Derby. While a moose has some similarities to a Thoroughbred, don’t put any serious money on her to win or place, but she does put on a good “show”. To quote movie detective Dirty Harry, “A person’s got to know their limitations”
How mindless and desperate the Repulican base must be, who wihout question supports any unqualified person who parrots their beliefs.
3. WWJD | 10.26.08
For everything there is a season, and it’s time for a change. McCain/Palin’s only problem is that they aren’t offering much of a change.
5. Marcos El Malo | 10.26.08
It’s a no brainer this year if you’re not a GOP hyper-loyalist, just as Reagan was the obvious choice in 1980 for most Americans, excluding those on the far left. I used to count myself as a conservative when it meant support for fiscally conservative policies, small government, and prudent foreign policy. With the GOP’s shift to the extreme right and the so-called Culture War, I am considered a moderate Republican at best and a RINO (Republican in Name Only) at worst.
Despite the McCain campaign smears, there is no doubt in my mind that Barrack Obama is a center left candidate. The grumblings I hear from the extreme left re-enforce my opinion, although the Obama campaign has done a pretty good job of keeping this tamped down. (I’ve read one leftist criticize Obama for not repudiating Colin Powell’s endorsement, for example.) The right is doing itself no favors when it attempts to characterize Obama as a Socialist, as being in league with America’s enemies (not to mention characterizing Democrats as one group of those anti-American enemies), as being a pal of terrorists, and even of being (seriously, I’m not making this up) the Antichrist. The McCain campaigns claims ring hollow; they’re being both ridiculous and insulting to my intelligence.
Even if the situation (two wars and an economic crisis) weren’t so dire, I’d have trouble supporting McCain because of some of the decisions he’s made, the worst being his impulsive VP pick. However, in the current environment, I can live with a center left President. I can give him my support even if it is not passionate support.
All the same, I am not voting for Barrack Obama. We forget that there are other candidates and other political parties, minor though they may be. This election, I’m voting for Bob Barr of the Libertarian Party for numerous reasons. I like his policies. I like that he has evolved over time rather than flip flopping to suit the political winds. Most of all, I want to send a message to the GOP leadership about what direction I want the Party to go when, post election, it surveys the wreckage and begins to pick up the pieces. And if the GOP doesn’t return to its principles, maybe it’s time for a new conservative party.
I am fortunate not to live and vote in a battleground state. If I did, I would have to wrestle between voting my principles (Bob Barr) or voting pragmatically (Obama). To my Republican friends in the non battleground states, I urge you to vote 3rd party. For those in the battleground states, I urge you to grit your teeth, hold your nose, and think of the future of our country. Vote Obama.
6. joe q public | 10.26.08
You seem to be having fun with this. WHY?
You take a democratic publication, announce that they are supporting the democratic candidate, and you act like this is big news.
It seems to me that you are pandering to thode who(m?) you preceive to be the victor.
You state as reasons not to suppport Palin her lack of readiness.
You fail to state that her views differ from the opposition whom you support.
GET A CLUE. People should vote for the candidates that most aligns with their views. If that is Obama - well fine. If it is McCain and Palin - in my opinion that is better.
No person is ever “ready” to be president. It is a job that grows the person - hopefully in the right direction.
7. disgusted | 10.26.08
Since when has it been the job of a newspaper to endorse candidates?
Just another liberal slanted dish rag unworthy of anything but starting fires.
8. Elaine Williamson | 10.26.08
As an Alaskan and an Anchorage resident, let me first say - the snow here is not yet as deep as that in your photograph. (But I get it - it’s a joke…)
I begin by saying: I did not vote for Sarah Palin. I do not agree with all that she has done as governor. Having said that, she has done a pretty good job here, and she has consistently worked both sides of the legislature to push through her legislative goals. Her work here in Alaska has been consistent with the views she expressed during the campaign for governor.
I used to respect her.
Since she was selected as Vice Presidential nominee, however, she has become unrecognizable. Who is this woman? What did you do with Sarah Palin? Has she been replaced by aliens? Or has she succumbed to the lure of the bright lights and big city political stage? She is not the same women who left here nearly two months ago.
It’s very disappointing.
In any event, the ADN endorsement of Sen. Obama is also consistent with that newspaper’s history of endorsing candidates who represent a centrist political philosophy. And Sen. Obama is a centrist in the U.S. at large, although heaven knows, not here in Alaska.
Sign me - Puzzled by Palin
10. Grimm irony | 10.26.08
Well, someone had to say it, so kudos to the Anchorage Daily News.
The emperess has no clothes. (read into it what you will)
11. Patti | 10.26.08
Well, I can’t let another anti-media attack (comment no. 7) pass without comment. It’s clear to me this year’s Republican anti-media, anti-intellect smear campaign, designed to discredit legitimate media bringing up real issues with the McCain/Palin campaign — AS WELL AS WITH OBAMA/BIDEN — is working. People believe the media are left-leaning because they’ve been told so by Republicans and by Fox News. Do people who repeat this claim do any actual homework before parroting their beloved talking heads?
Do people know the difference between news coverage and editorial/opinion copy? Most major newspapers do their best to remain neutral in their news coverage. In other words, all those articles you read (if you read) that mostly state facts and leave it up to the reader to form opinions about what is really happening. Most newspapers, with a few exceptions, try to balance their news coverage as much as possible. The job of the news reporter is to dig up as many facts and ask as many questions as he or she can think of and present the findings without commentary. Some newspapers do a better job with this than others. I read several major newspapers each day, in hard copy and online, and find plenty of news copy that brings up important questions about both campaigns, though several papers do not ask enough questions about any issue, on any part of the spectrum.
Then there is the analysis, opinion columns, and editorials. Here you will see, yes, clearly stated opinions. In these you will often see a slant. This type of copy is usually clearly labeled so that a reader with even a hint of savvy knows that it’s opinion and not news. In news coverage, studies by media watchdogs have repeatedly shown that many major papers are pretty good at staying balanced.
People, KNOW THE DIFFERENCE between news and editorial! READ THE NEWSPAPER, don’t rely on television for your news! Form your own opinions, do not parrot what you are being told by people you assume to be smarter than yourselves who are really manipulating you! And stop repeating everything you hear without doing any research on your own.
12. Insight | 10.26.08
It’s easy to run an excellent campaign and cast yourself in a positive light when you have the the media on your side and $700 million to spend.
13. Lordastral | 10.26.08
Actually, not much of a joke, Anchorage normally gets an average snowfall of at least a foot each month from November through February, so the picture doesn’t seem too much of a hyperbole.
And to Joe Q Public, its not so much that Palin isn’t ready to be president, its that she is an absolute disaster when she is forced to deviate from her scripted talking points. The Katie Couric interview is so blatantly painful to watch that it instantly reversed my opinion of McCain. When he announced her as his pick, I thought to myself that it was a brilliant pick, designed to bleed women away from Obama’s campaign.
Following the Couric interview, where she seemed to be incapable of actually thinking up an intelligent response to a question, I decided that McCain had made the biggest mistake of his campaign. There are a lot of qualified women conservatives in this country. Yet somehow McCain managed to pass by all of them to settle on Palin, who while interesting to look at, doesn’t inspire confidence in her ability to understand the complex issues facing our country. Nor does it inspire confidence in John Sidney McCain’s judgment.
And good judgment, more than instant readiness, is what many people look for in a president. A president doesn’t need to have perfect understanding of every issue in the world, that is why he hires smart, talented advisers. To show poor judgment in selecting those advisers can result in getting poor advice.
We can’t handle 4 more years of bad advice going to a president that can’t use good judgment.
14. Lordastral | 10.26.08
To Joe Q Public, its not so much that Palin isn’t ready to be president, its that she is an absolute disaster when she is forced to deviate from her scripted talking points. The Katie Couric interview is so blatantly painful to watch that it instantly reversed my opinion of McCain. When he announced her as his pick, I thought to myself that it was a brilliant pick, designed to bleed women away from Obama’s campaign.
Following the Couric interview, where she seemed to be incapable of actually thinking up an intelligent response to a question, I decided that McCain had made the biggest mistake of his campaign. There are a lot of qualified women conservatives in this country. Yet somehow McCain managed to pass by all of them to settle on Palin, who while interesting to look at, doesn’t inspire confidence in her ability to understand the complex issues facing our country. Nor does it inspire confidence in John Sidney McCain’s judgment.
And good judgment, more than instant readiness, is what many people look for in a president. A president doesn’t need to have perfect understanding of every issue in the world, that is why he hires smart, talented advisers. To show poor judgment in selecting those advisers can result in getting poor advice.
We can’t handle 4 more years of bad advice going to a president that can’t use good judgment.
15. Phoebe | 10.26.08
The media bias has nothing to do with confusing news article and news editorial. The media bias comes from focusing on one aspect of a candidate, rather than focusing on an aspects of BOTH candidates. Let’s not forget the media’s attention on Palin’s to-be-wife daughter and the rumors of her giving birth to a child. I mean, how many have read detailed reports on Obama’s daughters’ life stories? How are they doing in school? What kind of school are they attending, private or public? It even matters more because of Obama’s stand on education. And I’m not even going to go into the whole wardrobe media coverage issue.
This, my friend, is media bias. When it decidedly only covers Palin’s daughter’s, who is of legal age to marry, decision, but not as enthusiastically “digs up facts” on Obama, that’s why it is called left-”leaning”.
16. wolf | 10.27.08
It should be noted, that after watching her these past few weeks, Palin has dropped 12% or more in the polls in her home state and a few rumblings are beginning to creep up about having her impeached, when she returns.
17. Ken Taylor | 10.27.08
McCain’s pick of Palin was a desperate attempt to halt the slow slide of his campaign, his advisor’s were probably warning him of impending doom.
In poker it’s called going all in, or Bet the Farm, sometimes you have the best hand, sometimes you don’t, in this case Palin was his ace in the hole, but it turned out she wasn’t really an ace at all.
Obama has a Royal Flush, the American people see that and knew that John couldn’t win, he gambled and lost.
18. Mike Miller | 10.27.08
Comparing Sarah Palin to Penn State Football?
“But, like Penn State, Palin’s not yet ready to be the national champ.”
If it wasn’t a perfect season so far I might expect to see a John McCain, Joe Paterno too old for the job comparison. But comparing Sarah Palin to Penn State will go down as one of the wackiest parallel universe comparisons in the history of this campaign. And that is no small feat, sir.
19. gaynell | 10.27.08
This paper has to be run by democrats…..no one else would endorse obama. Sarah is still the great candiate she was before this endorsement.
20. hierofalcon | 10.27.08
To Marcos El Mano… This will be a difficult year for me to vote as well. Personally, I preferred Ron Paul, and then looked at Charles Baldwin (Constitutional Party) even before Ron Paul endorsed Mr. Baldwin.
The biggest problem I have right now is that if any third party is elected without a similar shift in the Congress, the two dominant parties (Republicans and Democrats) will stop at nothing to destroy any policy proposal from the third party president to ensure that no third party is ever elected to that office again. It will be even worse than the spats that go on now between the two major parties when the control of Congress and Executive branches is split. They won’t do much of anything to make the situation better as they don’t want any glory to even slightly shine on the third party, so it will be particularly bad. Since incumbents have such an advantage in retaining their Congressional seats, they can do this pretty much with impunity. There are some four year stretches that the country could handle that. I’m not so sure that this is one of them. I’m getting to be a cynic in my old age.
In my state, it won’t matter much whether I vote third party or for Sen. Obama. The chances are excellent that we’ll be one of the few red states regardless of my vote. But the risk issue is something to consider this year in a third party. Better to try to shift Congress more third party first.
21. joe q public | 10.27.08
response to Lordastral
Since when does debating with a antagonistic news person qualify or disqualify a persons to be president.
The real issue (and only issue) is what do the candidates stand for.
Debating and interviewing may be good skills for being elected, but I disremember any US president debating anybody while actually in office.
I want a president and VP who believe as I do and think as I do.
I do not want the snob from Harvard and his social welfare policies. It will damage the country.
22. Tucker | 10.27.08
Palin is being investigated in her home state, giving many in Alaska a lot of doubt about her suitability for the highest office. Caribou Barbie should stick to moose hunting…you betcha!
23. Patti | 10.27.08
Phoebe: Those things are NOT media bias. They are distractions, and believe me, the McCain/Palin campaign encouraged coverage of Palin’s daughter’s pregnancy to distract the public from the fact that she is not qualified to run the country. And here are some facts about how that “news” came about: Bloggers, not mainstream media, brought up the idiotic claim that Palin’s baby was actually her daughter’s baby. Supposedly in response to this (though most people were not paying even a little bit of attention to this story at the time), the campaign issued a press release — yes, a press release — announcing Palin’s pregnancy. They then immediately turned around and started accusing the media of making an issue of it. It was a brilliant strategy and it obviously worked on you. Please, read some major newspapers and actually study their coverage. And again, I’m not talking about TV news or most internet coverage either, but traditional newspapers. I think you will be surprised to find that they cover both sides fairly. And do not delude yourself into thinking the media doesn’t nit-pick stupid things about each and every candidate. That’s called selling newspapers, getting people to click on their online articles, and getting up tv ratings — so they can raise their ad revenue. No more, no less.
24. Mike the mechanic | 10.27.08
Re: Marcos El Malo
Marcos’ comment was very well reasoned and probably better than anything I could add, but I will try.
When you chose a mechanic for a job you don’t really care about race, age, sex, or party affiliation you just want the job done.
When I see Barack and Joe showing up for the job I see them pushing the equivalent of an 1000# Snap-On toolbox (aka taco cart) of advisers (University of Chicago, former Treasury Secretary, Wesly Clark, Colin Powell).
When I see John and Sarah showing up for the job he pulls out the equivalent of a Walmart screwdriver and pair of pliers.
My decision is to give the job to Barack. John and Sarah have had many years to build up their set of tools but never bothered because …. whatever.
It is no kindness to give a job to someone you think is likely to fail.
25. AKKidd | 10.27.08
What’s not mentioned is the true favored name of the Anchorage Daily News among us Alaskans…its the Anchorage Daily Worker. It’s cut from the same cloth as the rest of the liberal rags in the country and thankfully is losing readership too.
26. Mike | 10.27.08
How is this news? Was it “news” anchorage Daily News endorsed Clinton? Both times! Or how about when they endorsed Gore? Or Kerry? Or Dukakis? How is it “news” when a lib rag, with a long history of endorsing lib candidates, endorses a lib candidate?
Only at the Christian Science Monitor, I guess.
27. Mike | 10.27.08
Re:Lordastral
Palin is not ready to president but Joe Biden is? The same Joe Biden that you democrats have rejected - soundly I might add - everytime he ran? In the primaries poor old Joe barely got half a million votes. From Democrats! Now he is a “statesman”. HA! HA!
Palin is more qualified than the head of the Democrat ticket, Obama, the “community organizer”, who “organized” his community, Chicago, into the murder capital of the USA.
28. Scott | 10.29.08
Pro-Palin (and McCain supporters) are certainly ticked-off.
Funny, but Anchorage used to have another paper, the Anchorage Times, a pro-business, pro-gas industry, pro-Republican daily. Why didn’t it succeed? maybe because it - like ‘Fixed News’ (Fox News) resorted to slanting the news to suit their own needs.
Conservatives and Republicans are always welcomed to go into journalism (I knew many in J-school who remain in smaller markets after college). Why don’t they?
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Jimmy Orr has worked in politics for the majority of his professional career working for two U.S. Senators, two Governors and one President. Most recently, Orr served as White House Spokesman and Internet Director for President George W. Bush and Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger for Internet Communications.
David Cook is Washington bureau chief of The Christian Science Monitor and host of the Monitor's newsmaker breakfasts. He was the Monitor's editor from 1994 to 2001. Cook is a graduate of Principia College, served in the U.S. Army, was a Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, and is a member of the Gridiron Club, Washington's oldest journalistic organization.
1. Julie | 10.26.08
The major newspaper in Arizona has not endorsed anyone. Obama has more than a 3 to 1 lead in newpaper endorsements. Several have never endorsed a Democrat and some had never endorsed or had not endorsed for a long time.
Many papers listed Palin as a major reason. Others listed Obama’s cool and calm, intelligence, repairing our world image, and his outstanding campaign strategy.
Kerry had a small lead in endorsements in 2004