Columbus Dispatch Dumps Dubya-The first time in 88 years, endorsed a Dem

[bigtree]

DISPATCH
DUMPS DUBYA
For the first time in 88 years, the Big D is poised to endorse a Democrat for president.
http://www.theotherpaper.com/cover.html

"This newspaper has supported President Wilson," the Dispatch declared on Nov. 5, 1916. "It believes he has fought a knightly fight and that right will win." In the 88 years since then, the Dispatch hasn't endorsed a single Democrat for president.

Democratic candidates have won the presidency 10 times in that span, carrying Ohio in eight of those wins. The Dispatch, though, turned up its nose at all of them and stayed steadfastly loyal to the Republicans.

Until now.

Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts appears poised to join President Wilson this October on the list of Dispatch-endorsed Democrats.

Kerry's positions on health care, private-school vouchers and a host of other issues position the likely Democratic nominee well to the left of the Dispatch editorial board. But he's got one big thing going for him: He's running against President Bush. And as the Dispatch made clear last week with three scathing editorials in eight days, it doesn't like President Bush.

[unblock]

1. wow. ya gotta understand the dispatch

the dispatch is for the reporting weenies who couldn't make it to the big leagues (the wall street journal) but they try damn hard to make every page seem like the wsj editorial page.

i grew up with the citizen-journal and the dispatch, 'bumbus's left-right fight. sadly, the cj got swallowed up, and now all cow paths lead to the lone, conservative voice of the dispatch.


for them to dump a republican is HUEUEUEUEUGE!

[NewYorkerfromMass]

7. Thank you for that invaluable local perspective.

It certainly sounds like a big deal. Kerry indeed seems to be uniting and bringing together a lot of diverse groups.

[spooky3]

11. yes, unblock is absolutely right--this is HUGE

it's the only paper in Cols., and very conservative.

[Wonco_the_Sane]

2. Go Bucks

Great post...can't believe I missed it. I love the Other Paper. (Moved to Columbus 2 years ago) Remember the "singing" commercial last fall for the other paper? Great stuff. Thanks for that.

[OhioStateProgressive]

3. yes

I heard it on QFM96 a few times:)

[spooky3]

12. I moved from Cols 5 years ago and I remember the singing commercial

it was great. So was the Other Paper.

[MurikanDemocrat]

4. Scathing words for Bush

There's a LOT of anger out there from Republicans for Bush. How he managed to bankrupt this country in 3 years starting out with a huge surplus is rank incompetence. That it was intentional is treasonable.

[NJCher]

5. oh the times, they are a changing

Thanks bigtree. Makes my day.


Cher

[Feanorcurufinwe]

6. Awesome!! Ohio is one of the states we need to win.

[bigtree]

8. We sure do. Way to go Kerry!

:toast:

[Old and In the Way]

9. Well, well,well

More proof that Kerry is capable of uniting the whole country against the fascist neo-cons.

[HuskerDem]

10. Holy Schnikies

That is HUGE.

[ShimokitaJer]

13. Wow, even the Dispatch seems to vote based on electability

They don't like his positions, and yet they're supporting him because "as the Dispatch made clear last week with three scathing editorials in eight days, it doesn't like President Bush."

[bigtree]

14. They see him as left of center

Yet some would argue here that he is a tool of the right.

[ShimokitaJer]

17. I think you miss the point

It isn't that he is a tool of the right. It is that, on several substantive issues, his position does not differ from that of the right.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

15. They don't like his positions because they are a CONSERVATIVE paper

you must have missed that.

[ShimokitaJer]

20. It's hard to miss

But thank you for your condescending attitude.

Still, "Conservative paper endorses Kerry" isn't exactly the way I would choose to bring Kerry supporters into the camp. If you are suggesting that they are supporting him for some reason other than his electability over Bush, then I would be open to hearing about Kerry's appeal to this paper.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

21. Bush is a dangerous incompetent who needs to be replaced

and Kerry is a 180 degree turn in the right direction for our country.

[bigtree]

22. This is about winning the election over Bush

by winning conservative states like Ohio.

It amazes me that the overriding 'principles' of those who oppose Kerry don't include a plan to defeat Bush in the conservative states that have rejected Democrats in the past. There are complaints about the overriding concern of voters about electibility, yet, what are the dissenters asking of the voter? Putting your support behind someone who may not have enough of a broad appeal to defeat Bush in these conservative regions may satisfy your puritan conscience, but politics is not a zero sum enterprise. To split the party and hand the election to Bush would evicerate any chance to further the principles you expouse. That, I believe would be the ultimate betrayal of your ambitions.

Our government is the instrument of our collective conscience. Our ideas and ideals mesh in a political system of compromise. It is a longshot to come up at the time of the election and say to voters, here is my narrow appeal, now let's go change everyone's minds. It is a better candidate who tries to bring together diverse interests around a popular platform.

There is an opportunity to bring folks around to a point of view, that is out of the mainstream in a primary, but there is still a need to bring together a large enough coalition of interests that will encompass the concerns of the majority of voters in the general election.

[gulliver]

16. That's a great photo!

They get it!

[Renew Deal]

19. I agree

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=759943

[Renew Deal]

18. Bravo bravo bravo

:party:

What makes this great is that they are willing to dump W. This is terrific. Hopefully their base continues to crack.