Chicago Tribune Endorses Obama: Paper's First Dem. Pres. Endorsement Ever

By Jeralyn, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:19:12 PM EST
Tags: Barack Obama, John McCain, Sarah Palin (all tags)

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The Chicago Tribune joins the LA Times in making its first endorsement of a Democrat for President.

Many Americans say they're uneasy about Obama. He's pretty new to them.

We can provide some assurance. We have known Obama since he entered politics a dozen years ago. We have watched him, worked with him, argued with him as he rose from an effective state senator to an inspiring U.S. senator to the Democratic Party's nominee for president.

On McCain, the choice of Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate is a factor and the paper says it shows McCain "failed in his most important executive decision." : [More...]

McCain failed in his most important executive decision. Give him credit for choosing a female running mate--but he passed up any number of supremely qualified Republican women who could have served. Having called Obama not ready to lead, McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. His campaign has tried to stage-manage Palin's exposure to the public. But it's clear she is not prepared to step in at a moment's notice and serve as president. McCain put his campaign before his country.

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Chicago Tribune Endorses Obama: Paper's First Dem. Pres. Endorsement Ever | 36 comments (36 topical)

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I rolled my mouse over. . . (5.00 / 1) (#2)
by LarryInNYC on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:23:29 PM EST

all the states at electoral-vote.com the other day. Even with his home state advantage in Illinois, the state showing the largest percentage victory for Obama in state polling at this time is. . .

New York.

Perhaps this endorsement will help Obama in Illinois.

Wow (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by Steve M on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:27:46 PM EST

I am having trouble thinking of any major newspaper with as long a Republican pedigree as the Chicago Tribune.

To put it in perspective: (5.00 / 1) (#15)
by scribe on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:54:25 PM EST

the Tribune was to FDR the way Fox News is to today's Dems.

And it's been that way since ... forever.

For them to come out for any Democrat is simply earthshaking.

[ Parent ]

Foster, Bean, Obama before n/t (none / 0) (#18)
by rilkefan on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 04:03:57 PM EST

[ Parent ]

Well the Tribune (none / 0) (#26)
by Pepe on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 05:12:29 PM EST

and the LA Times are both owned by Sam Zell. Look him up on wiki and other places and this guy has an angle here. An investor in Wall Street and Real Estate who does not like and never has liked sub-prime loans to the less advantaged.

Here is a quote on sub-prime lending from wiki regarding Zell:

In April 2008, Zell made a controversial comment about the subprime mortgage crisis at a conference in Los Angeles, where he stated, "this country needs a cleansing. We need to clean out all those people who never should have been in houses in the first place."

Now I have honest doubts about Obama. And two endorsements from Zell owned newspapers today given Zell's history is dubious at best too me.

Back in February he was blaming the economic woes on Clinton and Obama which can be found with a quick google. Now this endorsement? What's up? I don't know but again given Zell's history from what I have read so far this doesn't look right.

What does Sam know that we don't is the question that I'd like answered.

[ Parent ]

: He's killing the Trib (none / 0) (#32)
by Cream City on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 05:30:47 PM EST

but then, so are most owners of most newspapers. They were bought for what used to be their amazingly high profit margins, compared to most businesses -- and all these new owners are not willing to settle for the norm. They already were in bad shape before this economic mess. Expect to see many of them go under or merge even more soon.
And the fewer the voices, the more mergers and media concentration, the worse for us.

[ Parent ]

Might matter that Obama is local (none / 0) (#7)
by rilkefan on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:36:54 PM EST

- they endorsed him for Senate - and that Zell is iirc now running the board.

[ Parent ]

Well gosh (5.00 / 0) (#8)
by Steve M on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:41:28 PM EST

against Alan Keyes, you mean? That must have been a tough call.

As for local connections, I'm pretty sure the Trib didn't endorse Adlai Stevenson.

[ Parent ]

: Stevenson (none / 0) (#9)
by klem4708 on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:45:18 PM EST

They did not.

[ Parent ]
: They could have not endorsed at all (none / 0) (#17)
by rilkefan on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 04:03:25 PM EST

I suppose. Ok, Keyes, but they endorsed Bill Foster recently too. And there's been a lot going on behind the masthead since AES.

[ Parent ]

All politics is local. (none / 0) (#25)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 04:59:47 PM EST

Not many Illinois presidents to endorse (none / 0) (#19)
by Cream City on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 04:19:29 PM EST

and this would be the first Dem one. Lincoln and Reagan were Repubs, of course.

Hard to imagine the Trib would not endorse him -- with it, the hometown always comes first, and this would be the first Chicagoan in the White House.

Abe and Dutch were, after all, downstaters.

[ Parent ]

What about (none / 0) (#22)
by Steve M on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 04:37:03 PM EST

Adlai Stevenson?

[ Parent ]

That tested the Trib just too far (none / 0) (#28)
by Cream City on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 05:23:34 PM EST

so either the Trib is less to the right these days -- or Obama is less to the left than ol' egghead Adlai.

You decide.

[ Parent ]

Trib. criticizes McCain's (none / 0) (#31)
by oculus on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 05:27:31 PM EST

plan to buy out bad mortgages. That tells us a lot.

[ Parent ]

As I recall, it's always disliked McCain (none / 0) (#33)
by Cream City on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 05:32:25 PM EST

but then, so have many of the GOP powers-that-be. What will come out of its internal disarray will be interesting to see.

[ Parent ]

The Trib endorsed (5.00 / 1) (#34)
by JThomas on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 05:40:27 PM EST

McCain in the GOP primary and have always been fans of McCain. They cite his embracing of fiscally irresponsible Bush tax cuts by McCain and his selection of Palin as main reasons they relunctantly moved away from him.

[ Parent ]

: That was fandom? (none / 0) (#36)
by Cream City on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 07:17:15 PM EST

No wonder he's in trouble!

[ Parent ]

Could be (none / 0) (#37)
by TomStewart on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 10:50:30 PM EST

They thought that at this time, he was the best man for the job, regardless for the Chicago connection.

[ Parent ]

We get the CW (5.00 / 1) (#4)
by rilkefan on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:33:43 PM EST

"On McCain, the choice of Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate is a factor"

Pushing this to the exclusion of all else just makes McCain look good.

Maybe they're finally making up for (5.00 / 0) (#11)
by TomStewart on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:47:21 PM EST

Dewey Defeats Truman. Just 60 years late.

Michael Smerconish (5.00 / 0) (#14)
by cannondaddy on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:53:08 PM EST

Endorses Obama

Gross. I could live without knowing that. (none / 0) (#27)
by Teresa on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 05:19:35 PM EST

Has he changed or does he just not like McCain?

[ Parent ]

: He's been telegraphing this for months. (5.00 / 0) (#35)
by steviez314 on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 06:16:55 PM EST

In almost every TV appearance, he's railed against the Iraq War, when the people who plotted 9/11 were safe in Afghanistan.
He's repeatedly endorsed Obama's view as to where our military priorities should have gone, and when he gave McCain 2 chances to agree with him, McCain just wouldn't do it.
It's like he's a single issue voter and the choice between Iraq and Afghanistan is it. I'm not surprised at all about his endorsement.

[ Parent ]

Trib endorses Obama (5.00 / 1) (#23)
by arguewithmydad com on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 04:41:01 PM EST

It is a huge deal that the Tribune endorsed Obama. The endorsement of any candidate by the Tibune is an important plum for the candidate, but for a Democrat that was always a pipe dream when it came to Presidential races. It is a reflection of how bad the McCain/Palin ticket is. Even in the eyes of a Republican newspaper, McCain/Palin is a bad choice for the country.

"mccain put his campaign (none / 0) (#5)
by Jlvngstn on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:34:21 PM EST

before his country"

with the pick of an unready Sarah Palin...

The Trib encouraged him to run for Pres so this comes as no surprise. They are also probably concerned about losing readership to the flailing sun-times who will undoubtedly endorse Obama...

They don't care (5.00 / 1) (#12)
by klem4708 on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:48:39 PM EST

"The Trib encouraged him to run for Pres so this comes as no surprise. They are also probably concerned about losing readership to the flailing sun-times who will undoubtedly endorse Obama..."

In 160 years, the Trib has never endorsed a Democrat. In a big Democratic town, they have never cared about their readers' political preferences before.

[ Parent ]

yes you are right (none / 0) (#13)
by Jlvngstn on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:50:11 PM EST

and the Sun-Times, for those of us who have worked there (20 yrs ago for me) will find the comment amusing as the CST is rumored to most likely fold within a year. The CST is all but dead......

[ Parent ]

: Exactly. Newspapers are flailing (none / 0) (#29)
by Cream City on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 05:25:47 PM EST

and stock in ours to the north has dropped to 25 percent of what it was. It's doing anything it can, too, to try to keep local readers. Except, of course, the sensible thing of providing a better product.

[ Parent ]

Please, let us not claim the Trib (2.00 / 0) (#20)
by Cream City on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 04:21:02 PM EST

has put country first now or throughout its inglorious history, by any means. As ever, it's putting Chicago first.

[ Parent ]

Seems they did put country first in their opinion (5.00 / 2) (#21)
by samtaylor2 on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 04:30:56 PM EST

It happened to also go along with putting chicago there as well- there is nothing wrong with that. The singularity of choice in this country makes no sense.

[ Parent ]

that's not how we do things in (5.00 / 2) (#24)
by Jlvngstn on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 04:52:58 PM EST

chicago. Kudos to the Trib for endorsing our candidate.....

[ Parent ]

: Ha. It's wonderful for Chicago (none / 0) (#30)
by Cream City on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 05:26:40 PM EST

when the Chicago Way actually is the better way?!

[ Parent ]

Most important executive decision? (none / 0) (#6)
by joanneleon on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:36:25 PM EST

McCain failed in his most important executive decision.

I agree with everything the Tribune said about McCain except I don't think the VP choice is his most important executive decision.

He blew it when he chose Palin. But he had already made a lot of mistakes in his executive decisions about his stances on issues (e.g. Iraq war withdrawal, tax cuts for top 1%). And I'm sure that if he were elected, there would be many more important executive decisions made than the choice of his VP.

Just a few months ago, we were hearing all kinds of statistics and research about how the VP choice doesn't matter in a presidential election.

McCain made it more important than usual by making a spectacularly bad choice, and by choosing someone who had no experience, which negated his biggest and most legitimate campaign weapon against Obama.

To be fair (5.00 / 2) (#10)
by CoralGables on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:45:45 PM EST

all that you suggest as executive decisions are just ideas and campaign promises. Thus far McCain has only made one decision and that was his choice of Palin as a running mate.

[ Parent ]

: Well, that... (5.00 / 1) (#16)
by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 03:56:18 PM EST

...and "suspending" his campaign. But your point is a good one--his "executive decisions" do not include his policy stances.

[ Parent ]