News & Observer Endorses Obama

The Raleigh News and Observer joined the Asheville Citizen-Times, the Greenville Daily Reflector and the Wilmington Star News in endorsing Barack Obama for president. In their words:

In fact, the junior U.S. senator from Illinois -- the son of a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Kenya, the product of humble beginnings and a raising by his extended family, the kid with big dreams, the young man with much ambition, the hard worker who made the most of his education and his opportunities and then went to Chicago to help others do likewise -- could not be more of an example of all that America is and all that it can be. Barack Obama has weathered the rigors of a long and difficult fight for his party's presidential nomination and now seeks to make true the biggest dream of all, to become the president of the United States.

Today, a little more than two weeks from this critically important Election Day, The News & Observer, with pride and hope, in the belief that Obama is exactly what the nation needs at a time when the hills are steep and the winds against us are stiff, enthusiastically endorses him for president. His time has come. And these times have come to him.

It's a beautifully written endorsement.

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Wow and what an endorsement

Submitted by momoaizo on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 7:11am.

they were paying attention...

There is a crisis of spirit, and Barack Obama knows it. He has spoken to it with a call for change. His vision is not obscure, and not out of reach. And there is meaning in his words, from his pledge to realize universal health care to his promise to get the United States out of the mire of Iraq honorably, to his plan to restore economic stability and opportunity. His would be a government of thought before deed and of strength given by the people, not just exercised from above.

No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots.

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I am impressed!

Submitted by funluvn on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 7:16am.

That is no mamby-pamby double talk filled endorsement at all. Straight to the issues that are affecting these United States and at one with the hope for true change that may allow a better discourse and a healing here in our nation.

Kudos, N&O!

North Carolina. Turning the South Blue!

North Carolina. Turning the South Blue!

Well,

Submitted by Lovex7 on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 8:04am.

I think I am loving them a little more this morning. I haven't even liked them lately...except for their endorsement for #13. #4 too. Love David. Worked in his very first campaign when I lived in Wake County.

Lovex7

Paper Roses

Submitted by gregflynn on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 9:15am.

That was a nice page to open up to after picking my paper up from the driveway. There seems to be some tension within the paper though.

John Drescher the Executive Editor wrote yesterday:

Our editorial page endorses candidates. I am not involved. I supervise all news content but not the editorial pages. Steve Ford is in charge of those pages.

Today Editorial Page Editors Steve Ford writes:

We're moving through our editorial endorsements of candidates in the upcoming election, with a notable one appearing today. Here's a reminder that these endorsements are determined by the staff of the editorial pages in consultation with the publisher. The N&O's news department is not involved.

Based on previous local and state race endorsements that make little sense I detect some cynicism in the choices. They want to sell newspapers after all and I am one of a dying breed of hard copy readers. Actually I'm a hybrid in that I read both.

Drescher probably wasn't tipping his hand.

Submitted by Graig on Tue, 10/21/2008 - 9:33pm.

I think they just put those statements in to remind readers and be transparent. I'd be surprised if Drescher had any disagreement with the Obama endorsement. But I do know from several conversations with him that he is really intentional about not interfering with the opinion pages.

Good Observation

Submitted by gregflynn on Tue, 10/21/2008 - 10:23pm.

I was sensing something about the Governor's race which has yet to receive an endorsement. I was trying to read between the lines and may have read too much. I got an independent email from someone in the trade suggesting that there really is no tension because there is no real interaction between the news and editorial departments though there was an abruptness about Drescher's comment.

My feelings about Drescher have been colored by his recent characterization of Ron Woodard of NC Listen as a reasonable voice in the immigration debate. Everything I know about Woodard is that he is opposed to most immigration, legal and illegal, especially from Latin countries.

Amazing endorsement.

Submitted by PaulM on Tue, 10/21/2008 - 10:22pm.

So beautiful, so compelling.

*sniff*

hahahaha

and you add so much to the conversation, Paul.

Submitted by Linda on Tue, 10/21/2008 - 11:19pm.

Do tell...why are you here?

Can't help it

Submitted by PaulM on Tue, 10/21/2008 - 11:29pm.

that endorsement was just so cheesy. The people who think they are liberals and swoon over ever word uttered by Obama (except for his AIPAC speech, perhaps) amuse me greatly. I'm sorry for thinking this was funny, the N&O's endorsement is serious business.

You didn't really answer my question, though, did you?

Submitted by Linda on Wed, 10/22/2008 - 12:10am.

Why are you here?

I guess you can't help it

Submitted by Brunette on Wed, 10/22/2008 - 7:39am.

But it seems to me that you could do better. That is, if you have substantive observations to offer, you could try communicating those instead of the teenage stuff. (When I read your posts I picture an adolescent having hormonal issues. Can't help it.)

I think one of your credibility problems is that you have taken a stance against which nothing that anyone, whether Obama or Colin Powell or anyone else, says or does can possibly matter. You can't consider anything in the N&O's endorsement because you've perdetermined that it is meaningless.

Thus, why comment? You and we know that you have decided it's all hogwash, so is your purpose to remind us? Surely you aren't telling yourself that the kinds of comment you've been making are intended to persuade. So, again, what is your objective?

This is why I think you are a troll. You have no purpose here other than to clog up space. You're an angry kid and you want to vent so you're using this blog for a personal venting session.

Can't you find a nice trail in the woods to utter a primal scream or something?

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing
-Edmund Burke