Clinton in a landslide — in endorsements: Do they matter?
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton meets with attendees during a campaign stop in Fort Pierce, Fla., today.
NEW YORK » “A clear and present danger to our country.” ”Xenophobia, racism and misogyny.” ”Beneath our national dignity.”
Those aren’t excerpts from attack ads by Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Those are longtime Republican newspapers disavowing Donald Trump.
If newspaper endorsements equaled victory, Clinton would be in line for a historic landslide. She has been endorsed by dozens of papers ranging from such expected backers as The New York Times to such once-certain GOP advocates as The Dallas Morning News, the Arizona Republic and the Cincinnati Enquirer, which on Sept. 23 called for “a leader who will bring out the best in Americans, not the worst.”
Today, USA Today ended its tradition of not taking sides and published an anti-endorsement, contending that Trump “lacks the temperament, knowledge, steadiness and honesty that America needs from its presidents.” The paper didn’t back Clinton but advised readers to “Stay true to your convictions.” The same day, The San Diego Union-Tribune endorsed Clinton — the first Democrat it has endorsed in its history.
Trump, meanwhile, is supported by far fewer publications. They include a paper owned by son-in-law Jared Kushner (the New York Observer) and the National Enquirer, a tabloid whose parent company is run by Trump friend David Pecker and whose content usually focuses on celebrity scandal.
Trump scorned the negative editorials today, tweeting that “The people are really smart in cancelling subscriptions to the Dallas & Arizona papers & now USA Today will lose readers! The people get it!”
“I don’t read USA Today,” he said later to WZZM13 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, “It’s not much of a newspaper as far as I’m concerned.”
If Clinton’s overwhelming advantage among editorial boards mirrors the revulsion Trump has inspired from officials in both parties, the endorsements may also illustrate the decline in newspapers’ power to shape opinions and the strength of Trump’s anti-establishment appeal. Polls show Clinton trailing in Texas, Arizona and Ohio despite the unexpected support of GOP papers. During the primaries, the venerable conservative paper the New Hampshire Union Leader endorsed Chris Christie, only to have the New Jersey governor lose the state decisively, drop out and back Trump. The Arizona Republic favored John Kasich in the state’s GOP primary, but Trump won easily, and the Ohio governor finished fourth.
“Newspaper endorsements don’t have nearly the impact they used to,” says Mark McKinnon, co-host of Showtime’s political show “The Circus” and a longtime adviser who has worked with former President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the GOP’s 2008 presidential candidate. “There are just way too many other sources of information for voters today.”
“They are just part of the wave,” says political historian Rick Perlstein, who is in the midst of a multivolume series on the rise of the conservative movement and has written in depth about elections of the 1960s, ’70s and beyond. “They don’t start anything, and probably didn’t determine much — but betoken a widespread disgust in the air.”
Readers may not let editorials tell them how to vote, but they care enough to respond. Dallas Morning News editor Mike Wilson recalls a group of about a dozen people demonstrated against the endorsement across the street from the paper. Wilson went down to talk with them. In a series of tweets, he described a discussion that began angrily but settled into a serious dialogue. “I got a few words in and persuaded zero people,” he tweeted.
Wilson said he’s received some messages from Clinton supporters thanking the newspaper for the editorial, but hasn’t heard that it changed anyone’s mind. “They’re not really meant to end arguments, they’re mean to start discussions, and this one certainly did that,” he said.
“One of the reasons we exist is to take editorial positions on things that can improve lives in our community,” he said. “That is one of the core functions of a newspaper.”
Peter Bhatia, editor and vice president of audience engagement at the Cincinnati Enquirer, said he knows that the impact of editorial endorsements has lessened. “The days of people taking the endorsements of an editorial board and going into the polling place with them are pretty much long gone,” he said. But he still considers it an important obligation. The newspaper’s editorial board came to consensus pretty quickly so they decided to get it out.
As anticipated, some readers lashed out. Bhatia said he received some 150 angry emails and there were some canceled subscriptions. “I am impressed by how thoroughly rehearsed some of the attacks on Hillary Clinton are,” he said. “They have a very familiar bent to them.”
He also cites their incivility, but doesn’t find that unusual in the internet age. He said there also have been a few dozen positive notes. He said he gave an interview to CBC radio in Canada and got a long email from someone who found his arguments convincing.
Just one problem: The person lives in Canada and can’t vote.
43 responses to “Clinton in a landslide — in endorsements: Do they matter?”
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who cares about the liberal press from SA to AP to all these others they are biased anyway, they still back a murderer, because there liberals with mental disorders. but I will stick to my facts no matter what they say, Hillary is still a murderer.
Who did Hillary kill? Answer the Donald in the debate. lol Pretty pathetic when the Donald is the best candidate republicans could come up with. Well better luck next time.
Boots, I guess you don’t follow international news.
boots follows himself…in a circle.
I do follow international news. Have to laugh at your concern for Hillary so called “kill” while ignoring the previous presidents slaughters. But so typical of republicans. Its ok if you are republican.
Boots, Hilliary is nothing to be proud of either.
Hillary was not my candidate but at least she is not an embarrassment. She should make a decent president and who knows she might be like Nixon and bring peace to the world. It was Nixon, an anti commie who opened up China to the world.
Boots,
If she by chance gets elected she’ll end up like Nixon.
She will kill the American dream by allowing zillions of more illegals and “refugees” in and bankrupt us more with entitlement to her voters.
lol, but the Donald would kill the American dream by continuing to push Voodoo economics. This has never worked and will only crash the economy. Besides the Donald has been a pusher of Immigrants. Look at his wife.
She is not a “murderer” and she is not going to allow in “zillions” of illegals and refugees. On a percentage basis, the US lets in fewer refugees than Europe. Ironically, Europe is now we’re you’re more likely to achieve the “American dream” of upward mobility these days.
64hoo…agree.
Boots, answer this question. How many American military lives were lost because of the Bush/Cheney/Powell lies?
were not talking about lost of life in a war, were talking about murder, I guess you don’t know the difference.
Mrs. Clinton has never murdered anyone. You persist in this lie over and over again.
You cannot write truthful things.
its not a lie, ambassador Stevens kept calling for help when the terrorist were starting a few hours before attacking the compound, it was her duty to send help when they kept contacting her and she did nothing to help them, even up to the time of the attack, that makes her an accessory before and after the fact of the murder of Stevens, so that’s the same as pulling the trigger, and that is murder. and she is guilty no matter how many excuses you make. so you go ahead and back a murder.
64hoo – It seems impossible that you could be this mixed up all the time. Did you read the Gowdy Report? Nothing you write is true. Nothing. Might it be worthwhile to read something and educated yourself about what really happened that day?
And under exactly what pretenses were the military sent, a big fat lie by Bush/Cheney/Powell. There was never a declaration of “war”. You obviously cannot figure that out. I could use your same flawed Dishonest Donald logic to connect you to many unfortunate events around town.
Really not much difference to the dead.
Are you kidding me? American military lives are still being lost because of the previous administration lies. But in answer to your question, far too many.
For those who are too cool to read, the article states that “Those are longtime Republican newspapers disavowing Donald Trump.” And the publications who are endorsing a Democrat for the first time are NOT the liberal media.
If you read further, you would have seen: “Trump, meanwhile, is supported by far fewer publications. They include a paper owned by son-in-law Jared Kushner (the New York Observer) and the National Enquirer, a tabloid whose parent company is run by Trump friend David Pecker and whose content usually focuses on celebrity scandal.”
LOL, the National Enquirer! HOW EMBARRASSING! Trump supporters, YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!!!
Obviously you haven’t seen the first Men in Black. lol This is where you get the real news. But the Donald does appear that he might be from out there with those tiny hands. lol
Haha, MIB, that’s a good comparison! Right, they used the tabloid magazines as “the hot sheets.” And the NY Times “gets lucky sometimes!” That’s so Trump!!!
Never had a subscription to the SA, never will.
How come you are allowed to comment here then?
He probably uses some other users access. Cheap. lol
Yeah, how can you comment here? Are you a Russian hacker? Why don’t you uncover some useful info on the candidates?
Yeah, I never understand comments like @calentura; you hate the paper, but you read it enough to leave a comment saying how much you hate it? Must have a lot of free time on your hands.
Mad magazine and Horse and Hound Daily are one of the few publicantions that have come out today to publicly endorse Trump.
Buahahahahahahahahahahhahahahhhahah.
Unfortunately for our friends and neighbors who work at Trump-branded properties, Mr. Trump’s racism and other personality disorders are causing a remarkable drop in business at the Trump hotel in Waikiki. Business is down something like 26% year over year, despite other local properties increasing their bookings, as people avoid the Trump name. Mr. Trump doesn’t own the hotel, but folks are now voting with their wallets, and they are abandoning him by the millions.
It would not be a large surprise if the owners of that hotel (and other Trump-branded hotels, who are similarly losing a lot of business) abandon his toxic name. He apparently didn’t understand that his supporters don’t have enough money to buy what he sells, and the people who do have money hate him now. A bad miscalculation for someone with his alleged business sense.
Fortunately for the Donald, people have short memories. After he loses in November, he will probably slowly recover. Won’t be long before people will say Donald who? lol
And counselor, what about his inane comment that he will place his privately held company in a blind trust and have it run by his children. Hellooo-you just contradicted yourself twice. Does he not know a blind trust cannot be run by relatives.
He’s counting on the fact that his supporters don’t know anything about trusts (or much else, for that matter) so he can lie like that without consequence. His supporters, by and large, are poorly educated, so he can get away with this kind of serial lying.
“Xenophobia, racism” have good reasons: You only need to ask the American Indians what happened to them.
October 1, 2016 at 6:27 am
“During Bill Clinton’s presidency, the FBI fingerprinted both Bill and Hillary over concerns that the two had inappropriate access to FBI files. This was similar to what had been done during Richard Nixon’s time and therefore the FBI fingerprinted the Clintons to see if there was any proof they had handled the files in question. It was determined that they had not, yet two years later, some of the files were found in her home, with her fingerprints on them.”
(WorldLifeStyle, etc etc)
Some think that President Obama was our Lenin
And that Hillary could be our Stalin
There is nothing more addictive than power or more destructive than the drive to satisfy that addiction.
Eight years ago you were free, you could drop out and be left alone.
That ended.
You are no longer free.
It was done using the Individual Mandate in ObamaCare.
They can hound you anywhere you go.
Scary times.
Be afraid, be very afraid. lol They are coming to take you away ha ha, they are coming to take you away he he…..
They should take you and all liberal here away. Far away like Africa.
Well that makes sense. So all that would be left are cowards who are afraid of their own shadows. Great idea.
How can you be such a sniveling, disgraceful coward and still call yourself an American? Aren’t you embarrassed to be afraid all the time?
Cowardice is unbecoming for Americans. We aren’t a fearful people. Except for Republicans, of course.
Worldlifestyle huh, quite the voracious reader aren’t we?? What’s next, stock tips from captain crunch? And it has a nice touch of melodramatic paranoia….does that come with your first tin foil hat and plans for a basement bunker?
How and when did Republicans become such pathetic cowards? It’s disgusting.
No one here seems to have discussed the issue in the article; endorsements. Some just went on tired anti-Clinton/liberal media attacks, apparently not reading that the interesting thing is it’s the conservative media outlets endorsing Clinton.
I would wonder if endorsements matter on that level. There are outlets I turn to for endorsements, and it’s all for local races, local initiatives, etc. Endorsements for major offices, that would be governor, state legislature, Congress, President, don’t matter to me, I don’t have difficulty deciding who to support. Mostly mayor too; I generally support different people during the primary, but go for the party choice in the general. But otherwise I do find endorsements useful. Even if I don’t agree w/an outlet’s stance on the issue, they’ll explain it so I can decide which way to vote.
I believe the Border Patrol Union endorsed Trump, care to guess why? I’ve heard (but can’t verify) that the designer haz-mat suit union endorsed Waldo. Okay, that last one was satirical but the board could use a little humor now and then, eh?