Salt Lake Tribune endorsement

On Friday, the Salt Lake Tribune published its candidate endorsement for the Presidential election.


"Nowhere has Mitt Romney’s pursuit of the presidency been more warmly welcomed or closely followed than here in Utah. The Republican nominee’s political and religious pedigrees, his adeptly bipartisan governorship of a Democratic state, and his head for business and the bottom line all inspire admiration and hope in our largely Mormon, Republican, business-friendly state."


And yet.....


http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/55019844-82/endorsement-romney-obama-president.html.csp

Min

They also backed Obama in 2008, maybe they feel they need to save face for endorsing him four years ago in a belief a recovery will somehow appear under another Obama term in office.

Min

Min wrote: »

They also backed Obama in 2008, maybe they feel they need to save face for endorsing him four years ago in a belief a recovery will somehow appear under another Obama term in office.

But they have a history of backing GOP candidates in what is a strongly red state, and a key reason for their withholding support for McCain in 2008 was that he chose Palin over Romney as his running mate. Why the change of mind?

Overheal

Deleted User wrote: »

On Friday, the Salt Lake Tribune published its candidate endorsement for the Presidential election.


"Nowhere has Mitt Romney’s pursuit of the presidency been more warmly welcomed or closely followed than here in Utah. The Republican nominee’s political and religious pedigrees, his adeptly bipartisan governorship of a Democratic state, and his head for business and the bottom line all inspire admiration and hope in our largely Mormon, Republican, business-friendly state."


And yet.....


http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/55019844-82/endorsement-romney-obama-president.html.csp

Uhm, your quote (italics) is from the same article you linked (from Friday, October 19):

Nowhere has Mitt Romney’s pursuit of the presidency been more warmly welcomed or closely followed than here in Utah. The Republican nominee’s political and religious pedigrees, his adeptly bipartisan governorship of a Democratic state, and his head for business and the bottom line all inspire admiration and hope in our largely Mormon, Republican, business-friendly state. [what you quoted]

But it was Romney’s singular role in rescuing Utah’s organization of the 2002 Olympics from a cesspool of scandal, and his oversight of the most successful Winter Games on record, that make him the Beehive State’s favorite adopted son. After all, Romney managed to save the state from ignominy, turning the extravaganza into a showcase for the matchless landscapes, volunteerism and efficiency that told the world what is best and most beautiful about Utah and its people.

In short, this is the Mitt Romney we knew, or thought we knew, as one of us.
Sadly, it is not the only Romney, as his campaign for the White House has made abundantly clear, first in his servile courtship of the tea party in order to win the nomination, and now as the party’s shape-shifting nominee. From his embrace of the party’s radical right wing, to subsequent portrayals of himself as a moderate champion of the middle class, Romney has raised the most frequently asked question of the campaign: "Who is this guy, really, and what in the world does he truly believe?"
The evidence suggests no clear answer, or at least one that would survive Romney’s next speech or sound bite. Politicians routinely tailor their words to suit an audience. Romney, though, is shameless, lavishing vastly diverse audiences with words, any words, they would trade their votes to hear.

[cont'd]

Do people read anymore? Or has the internet just exacerbated a global pandemic of ADHD?

Overheal

Overheal wrote: »

Do people read anymore? Or has the internet just exacerbated a global pandemic of ADHD?

Does the above mean anything?

My point was that the SLT is endorsing Obama because in its view Romney's deficiencies outweigh apparently compelling reasons for supporting a pro-business candidate with close connections to the paper's very definitely red home state.

My approach was to quote the opening segment and then link to the story, so that if you opted to read it you could do so at the editorial source rather than just taking my word for it. That style might be a tad complicated for some to follow, but I imagine that most reasonably minded people would get it. In any case, most newspapers regard it as bad form to liberally quote their articles instead of linking to them.

nagilum2

Deleted User wrote: »

Does the above mean anything?

My point was that the SLT is endorsing Obama because in its view Romney's deficiencies outweigh apparently compelling reasons for supporting a pro-business candidate with close connections to the paper's very definitely red home state.

My approach was to quote the opening segment and then link to the story, so that if you opted to read it you could do so at the editorial source rather than just taking my word for it. That style might be a tad complicated for some to follow, but I imagine that most reasonably minded people would get it. In any case, most newspapers regard it as bad form to liberally quote their articles instead of linking to them.

Newspaper endorsements don't affect presidential election voting. Full stop.

Overheal

Deleted User wrote: »

Does the above mean anything?

My point was that the SLT is endorsing Obama because in its view Romney's deficiencies outweigh apparently compelling reasons for supporting a pro-business candidate with close connections to the paper's very definitely red home state.

My approach was to quote the opening segment and then link to the story, so that if you opted to read it you could do so at the editorial source rather than just taking my word for it. That style might be a tad complicated for some to follow, but I imagine that most reasonably minded people would get it. In any case, most newspapers regard it as bad form to liberally quote their articles instead of linking to them.

Not exactly Shirley Jackson's The Lottery. This is an internet message board, so ironically yes a better synopsis might have helped.

I think the point is clear enough in the op ed, that Romney is not the same character that Utah admires. As for compelling reasons, I think it's plenty compelling to see Romney's failure to lay out his plan for the economy - the math - as a reason not to trust him with the seat for 4 years. The tribune is also pretty fair to point out the Obama failings and successes. Obamacare did indeed deplete most of his political capital, for example.

Overheal

Overheal wrote: »

This is an internet message board, so ironically yes a better synopsis might have helped.

That's fair enough - but maybe next time you could demonstrate more manners when making your point. After all, it's a bit naff to be snippy with someone just because you find their style less linear than you like.

Overheal wrote: »

As for compelling reasons, I think it's plenty compelling to see Romney's failure to lay out his plan for the economy - the math - as a reason not to trust him with the seat for 4 years.

That's your view, but it's not one that would necessarily cut much ice in a strongly Republican state. I wonder, though, would the SLT have considered a different endorsement if it felt that Romney was at least being consistent. Too many Mitts?

Overheal

Im sure they would have. Isnt there a whole tenet of conservatism dedicated to consistency?

I'll tell you right now: I'd vote the guy in, if he can show me how his currently advertised budget changes make sense on paper.

nagilum2

nagilum2 wrote: »

Newspaper endorsements don't affect presidential election voting. Full stop.

Why do you say that?

Here's a link to a piece about the pattern of newspaper endorsements from 1972 to 2008. It doesn't say if there is an effect, it just runs the numbers.

http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/political-newspaper-endorsements-history-and-outcome/


Here's a more academic paper published quite recently. It suggests that in the round, newspaper endorsements have limited impact on overall average voting. But it also makes the point that newspaper endorsements can be a "short cut" to voters deciding a candidate's views and political positions relative to theirs. Thus, conservative voters will be less likely to vote for candidates endorsed by liberal papers, and more likely to vote for those endorsed by conservative papers.

http://kyledropp.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/0/9/12094568/endorsements-sept11.pdf

Overheal

Overheal wrote: »

Im sure they would have. Isnt there a whole tenet of conservatism dedicated to consistency?

I'll tell you right now: I'd vote the guy in, if he can show me how his currently advertised budget changes make sense on paper.

I daresay he'll carry Utah comfortably; as he also will in SC.

Is that the term "voodoo economics" I hear in the background? I don't believe you can cut a budget deficit without making BOTH tax increases and expenditure cuts. You certainly won't do it with tax cuts.

Charter:
This forum is not a newsdump, blog or somewhere to post copy & pastes from other sites. All OP's and posts require some input of your own.