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Since 1946, when Palmer Hoyt re-established the editorial page, we've
endorsed a candidate in 14 presidential races. Until today, we had endorsed seven Democrats and seven Republicans.
In 1974, in an editorial written after Hoyt's retirement, The Post wrote:
"An editorial endorsement of a candidate is nothing more nor nothing less
than an opinion intended to stimulate public discussion and to give the
newspaper's best judgment for its readers to ponder and weigh as they see fit. Our endorsement system is not beyond criticism. We are seeking improved government of the people, by the people, and for the people, and so far we have not found a better way to express election opinion than the endorsement system."
And since "lively disagreement is the lifeblood of opinion pages," as the
late Sue O'Brien once wrote, one of our board members, Chuck Plunkett, has penned a dissent column, also found on this page.
The endorsement process often isn't pretty. It can be a fierce debate,
fueled by high emotions. But it tells you where we stand today as a
newspaper.
After all the debates, YouTube videos, and the endless loop of campaign ads, our hope is to give you something else of substance to chew on as you mull the election.
Editorial page editor Dan Haley can be reached at dhaley@denverpost.com.
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LOS ANGELES TIMES
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-endorse19-
2008oct19,0,5198206.story
>From the Los Angeles Times
Endorsement: Barack Obama for president
He is the competent, confident leader who represents the aspirations of the United States.
11:01 AM PDT, October 17, 2008
It is inherent in the American character to aspire to greatness, so it can
be disorienting when the nation stumbles or loses confidence in bedrock
principles or institutions. That's where the United States is as it prepares
to select a new president: We have seen the government take a stake in
venerable private financial houses; we have witnessed eight years of
executive branch power grabs and erosion of civil liberties; we are still
recovering from a murderous attack by terrorists on our own soil and still
struggling with how best to prevent a recurrence.
We need a leader who demonstrates thoughtful calm and grace under pressure, one not prone to volatile gesture or capricious pronouncement. We need a leader well-grounded in the intellectual and legal foundations of American freedom. Yet we ask that the same person also possess the spark and passion to inspire the best within us: creativity, generosity and a fierce defense of justice and liberty.
The Times without hesitation endorses Barack Obama for president.
Our nation has never before had a candidate like Obama, a man born in the
1960s, of black African and white heritage, raised and educated abroad as
well as in the United States, and bringing with him a personal narrative
that encompasses much of the American story but that, until now, has been
reflected in little of its elected leadership. The excitement of Obama's
early campaign was amplified by that newness. But as the presidential race
draws to its conclusion, it is Obama's character and temperament that come to the fore. It is his steadiness. His maturity.
