Newspapers are handing out Hillary Clinton endorsements like party favors these days. Some, like the The Dallas Morning News and the Arizona Republic, have crossed party lines to do so. The New York Times also happily endorsed, which wasn’t a huge surprise (considering the paper’s leanings) but is still a prestigious notch on one’s political belt.
Some papers who have endorsed Clinton never make a practice of selecting a candidate. Yet given Donald Trump’s contempt for the media, perhaps they’ve decided it’s time to take action, however slight. In the case of The Atlantic, the paper has only endorsed three presidential candidates within its 160-year history. Their first endorsement was Abraham Lincoln in 1860, and this time around, they’ve chosen Clinton as their first official selection since 1964. Last time, their reason for endorsing Lyndon B. Johnson was “focused less on his positive attributes” than on their revulsion for Barry Goldwater. Now, the paper’s distaste for Donald Trump is a certain factor, but they also do actually favor the very “prepared” Clinton despite her flaws:
Hillary Rodham Clinton has more than earned, through her service to the country as first lady, as a senator from New York, and as secretary of state, the right to be taken seriously as a White House contender. She has flaws (some legitimately troubling, some exaggerated by her opponents), but she is among the most prepared candidates ever to seek the presidency.
The paper is also confident that Clinton understands global policy and will work hard in dealing with issues arising within the country. In addition, they deem her capable of “analysis and hard work.” Yet when it comes to Trump, the paper does not hold back in expressing how the editorial board really feels. In fact, they get a little down and dirty:
Donald Trump, on the other hand, has no record of public service and no qualifications for public office. His affect is that of an infomercial huckster; he traffics in conspiracy theories and racist invective; he is appallingly sexist; he is erratic, secretive, and xenophobic; he expresses admiration for authoritarian rulers, and evinces authoritarian tendencies himself. He is easily goaded, a poor quality for someone seeking control of America’s nuclear arsenal. He is an enemy of fact-based discourse; he is ignorant of, and indifferent to, the Constitution; he appears not to read.
Well, they have clearly thought through this decision and are apparently comfortable in letting their preferences hang out. And with about a month to go until voters hit polling places, things are starting to get real.
(Via The Atlantic)
