51 Papers Ditch Bush

“51 papers ditch Bush – Amazing”

Editorial
Charleston Gazette
November 1, 2004

Remarkably, 51 American newspapers that endorsed Republican George W. Bush in the 2000 general election have renounced him after watching his performance in office. Forty switched their support to Democratic nominee John Kerry for Tuesday’s balloting, and 11 others abstained from endorsing anyone.

For example, Florida’s large Orlando Sentinel has backed every Republican nominee since 1968 — but not this year. “This president has utterly failed to fulfill our expectations,” the paper declared, urging its quarter-million readers to vote for Kerry.

The Seattle Times said: “Four years ago, this page endorsed Bush for president. We cannot do so again — because of an ill-conceived war and its aftermath, undisciplined spending, a shrinkage of constitutional rights and an intrusive social agenda.”

The Portland Oregonian, which backed the Republican in 2000, lamented that Bush “promised to reach out to unite the country. If anything, he has helped make the rifts deeper. That may be his real failure as president. Kerry can do better.”

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel said: “The nation simply cannot afford misjudgments like those that led to the Iraq quagmire, and deficits so large they prevent the nation from adequately providing for its armed forces, addressing homeland security needs, and guaranteeing the solvency of Medicare and Social Security. The Bush administration has fallen short on the foreign policy and fiscal fronts.”

The Palm Beach Post said: “Issue by issue, Kerry has laid out a better, fairer, more progressive agenda. He would shore up Social Security, not endanger Americans’ retirement by disguising a risky privatization scheme as part of an ‘ownership society.’ He would allow embryonic stem-cell research, not thwart hope by yielding to a narrow ideology. He would offer Americans the promise of health care that is available to members of Congress....”

In contrast, only six newspapers that endorsed Democrat Al Gore in 2000 switched to Republican Bush this year. Altogether, according to Editor & Publisher magazine, Kerry is endorsed by 172 papers with 19 million circulation, while Bush is backed by 137 papers with 12 million circulation.

Since many newspaper readers are thinking people with considerable political knowledge, we don’t know if they’re swayed by a paper’s endorsement. And newspapers probably have little effect on the bedrock of Republican Party support, white fundamentalists.

At the University of Michigan last week, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Seymour Hersh was asked why so many Americans remain loyal to the president. He replied: “One thing you have to face up to is the fact that there are roughly 70 million people in America who do not believe in evolution — and those are Bush supporters.”

Newspaper endorsements are unlikely to faze such ardent and convinced backers. However, we hope that mainstream Americans at least give sober consideration to papers’ views.