November 1, 2020

"This newspaper has not supported a Republican for president since 1972. But we believe Mr. Trump, for all his faults, is the better choice this year."

Say the editors of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette... that's Pittsburgh, the second-largest city in the state that will probably determine the outcome. 
We too prefer the first-class temperament and demeanor of a Winston Churchill, a Dwight Eisenhower, a Franklin Roosevelt, a Ronald Reagan, or a Barack Obama (whom this newspaper enthusiastically supported in 2008 and 2012)... 
[H]e recognized [Middle America's] pain. No one ever asked the American people, or the people in “flyover,” country, if they wanted to send their jobs abroad — until Mr. Trump... He has put America first, just as he said he would.... 
[T]he Biden-Harris ticket offers us higher taxes and a nanny state that will bow to the bullies and the woke who would tear down history rather than learning from history and building up the country. It offers an end to fracking and other Cuckoo California dreams that will cost the economy and the people who most need work right now. “Good-paying green jobs” are probably not jobs for Pittsburgh, or Cleveland, or Toledo, or Youngstown. It offers softness on China, which Mr. Trump understands is our enemy. 
Mr. Biden is too old for the job, and fragile. There is a very real chance he will not make it through the term. Mr. Trump is also too old but seemingly robust. But in Mike Pence, Mr. Trump has a vice president ready to take over, if need be. He is a safe pair of hands. Sen. Kamala Harris gives no evidence of being ready to be president.

88 comments:

Michael K said...

Nice to see one newspaper not taken over by SJWs.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Nice, but newspaper endorsements are more commonly used for cleaning out your Jack o’ lantern than informing voting choices. Too late.

stutefish said...

That seems like an implausibly conservative and small-government attitude to take, for an editorial board that hasn't supported a Republican for president in half a century. If those are their reasons for preferring Trump over Biden, what were they doing supporting Obama in 2008 - let alone 2012, and Hillary in 2016?

Mike Sylwester said...

Thank you for dividing this passage into its original paragraphs instead of smashing them all together into one very long paragraph.

Jersey Fled said...

Wow!

Achilles said...

This is what a preference cascade looks like.

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette is A year late.

The cascade was on before Covid and before BLM.

That was why those two events happened.

All signs point towards democrats knowing what was really happening on the ground for over a year.

Francisco D said...

It looks pretty good for Trump in PA.

Did any newspapers endorse Trump in 2016?

DavidUW said...

North Philly turnout continuing to lag behind state mail-in totals, to the tune of 9 percentage points.

475k vote margin in favor of hilary last time and she still lost by 45k votes.

Joe can't afford to lose another 45k votes from Philly.



Ken B said...

Tepid but thoughtful.

James Graham said...

My recommendation: two-handed voting.

I'll hold my nose with my left while my right pulls the lever for Trump.

Marcus Carman said...

The world truly turned upside down: A newspaper making sense.

0_0 said...

Well, hot damn.

Political Junkie said...

If newspaper endorsements matter (I think they do), I pray this helps Uncle Trump in OH and PN.

Have a good Sunday everyone.

rhhardin said...

They don't say what Trump's flaws are.

rhhardin said...

"For all Don Rickles's flaws, ..." means they don't understand his act.

Curious George said...

Biden has been the laughingstock of the Democratic Party for over four decades. Obama wouldn't support him last election, and is a only supporting him now (late to the game) because his election eliminates spotlighting his corruption. Kamala Harris is a cock sucking pretender who got no support in the primaries.

The editors of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sells to Pittsburgh and PA. Pittsburgh and PA isn't NYC or DC. They have too many blue collar white working families, many of them union, that have been sold out by democrats. They're MAGA people.

JK Brown said...

Have they heard of early and mail-in voting? An endorsement at this late date, like the PDC debates, is essentially just posturing.

bagoh20 said...

All good points, although they unfortunately had to add the mandatory bullshit about demeanor. I have come to prefer that demeanor, which is really nothing more than honesty and lack of pretentiousness. You know exactly what Trump is thinking, because he simply tells you without all the tortured attempt to say terrible things with a profession smile. Trump's opposition has called him every one of the worst insults known to man, and has accused him of everything from racism to mass murder. Is that what they mean by good demeanor?

Political Junkie said...

One more post for the day. Our hostess is strong, smart as heck, dynamic, fun, and attractive (I am 50). I know she has made her decision to not vote for Pres. I wish the section she highlighted would guide her to pull the lever for Uncle Trump.

This is coming from a nonvoter of over a decade. I gave up. I encourage you to not give up.

Megthered said...

I think the Biden campaign thought they wouldn't have to campaign. They were counting on the chyna flu and rioting to keep the peasants from going to the polls or thinking Trump was ruining the country. They totally miscalculated the will of the American people. Now that they realize old Joe is losing, they are trying to get him out in public, but he isn't capable of campaigning like Trump. Trump is going everywhere and making sure everyone sees the contrast of him and Biden. Joe can't do that because of his mental and physical decline. the dems are in panic mode and don't know what to do.

Narayanan said...

James Graham said...
My recommendation: two-handed voting.

I'll hold my nose with my left while my right pulls the lever for Trump.
-----------===========
in these days of CoVid the words to use are : dangit my elbow jogged that lever before I was ready

Shane said...

This just about sums my feelings perfectly.
OrangeMan Bad? Yeah, so what? He works and gets things done.

Wilbur said...

I'm delighted to read this, but my uplift is tempered by the realization that it matters not one whit.

Can anyone identify a person who switched their presidential vote because of a newspaper or celebrity endorsement? Maybe you can. I've yet to know or hear of one.

Or is the problem that no one would ever admit to being so malleable?

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

Would have been nice if this had come out a month ago.

MadisonMan said...

So they could not support McGovern either. Thanks, stutefish, for making me feel really old, to ponder that 1972 was half a century ago :)

Mattman26 said...

Nice to see, and pretty reality-based.

I agree that local newspaper endorsements likely don't carry much weight, but for a paper that hasn't endorsed a Republican for president in nearly 50 years, it has a certain man-bites-dog quality that might create some impact.

And even if it doesn't sway many voters in Pennsylvania (and it was nice of them to toss in a few Ohio cities too), perhaps it's a reflection of their readership. As Achilles suggests, maybe they're a lagging indicator.

Bill Peschel said...

"They don't say what Trump's flaws are."

* No new wars gotten into.

* Moved U.S. embassy to Jerusalem

* Multiple peace deals negotiated between Israel and the Arab World

* GDP growth (Obama was the first president to keep the GDP below three percent all eight years) until the Wuhan Flu hit.

* Renegotiated NAFTA to make home-based manufacturing more economically sound.

* Introduced criminal justice reforms that benefited minorities.

* Eliminated U.S. postal funding that enabled Chinese manufacturers to ship products to the U.S. cheaper than companies within the U.S.

* Appointed numerous judges who believe in limiting their power to enforcing the Constitution.

Yep. Horrible man.

Kevin said...

I'll hold my nose with my left while my right pulls the lever for Trump.

It's the Toobin voting method.

Except his vote is for Biden.

And he's holding something else in his left.

bagoh20 said...

Trump had a rally yesterday in my hometown of Butler, PA, approximately 35 miles north of Pittsburgh, with a population 13,700. Secret Service estimates the crowd at 57,000 people, four time the population of the entire city and about a third of the entire county. Amazing!

MartyH said...

Newspaper endorsements may not change votes but they do indicate which way the wind is blowing.

Dan in Philly said...

Why do people feel the need to qualify Trump support?

Rory said...

The Post Gazette fired its longtime political cartoonist a couple years ago. He suffered TDS and wouldn't follow instruction to cover other subjects as well. It could be that they had their bloodletting in the newsroom and with woke subscribers then.

Yancey Ward said...

Has Twitter and Facebook locked their account yet?

Barry said...

I was not a Trump fan in 16 and voted for Cruz. In the general election I actually crossed out Trump's name and voted for Pense. This year I would have stood in the longest line to vote for Trump. I voted early and fortunately there was no broken glass to crawl over.

stever said...

"They don't say what Trump's flaws are."

He's not a democrat

Readering said...

Misleading, in that in 2018 the editorial board was merged with the editorial board of the Toledo Blade, publisher John Block, perhaps the most conservative newspaper owner in America.

wendybar said...

They know who will bring the jobs. They know who will bring the MOBS. PERIOD. Any city with brains would do the same.....

hstad said...

Interesting endorsement - kinda late though?

Trafalgar's latest poll says it all - Trump for a huge victory.

"...Robert Cahaly: What we’re seeing with the Hispanics, the blacks and now the youth vote is starting to move. The Hispanic numbers in both states is 41 for Trump and the African American number in Nevada was 20 and 27 in Florida..."

That's a massive swing in favor of Trump who received (in 2016) votes from Blacks (8) -Hispanics(28) and makes PA a lock for President Trump.

minnesota farm guy said...

The chickens are coming home to roost for the Dems no matter how hard the pollsters and MSM try to tell us otherwise. Trump's incredible campaigning for the last few weeks is paying off. I still have a queasy feeling about the election, but every bit of good news helps: FL, NC, AZ, IA all headed in the right direction.

As my whimsy leads me.. said...

This is the same editorial that was published in the Toledo Blade today. Both papers are owned by Block Communications.
I’m glad to see them, but it does show the shrinking existence of truly local newspapers. There used to be at least two dailies, even in a medium-sized town.

Toy

Sella Turcica said...

The Post Gazette said:

“We too prefer the first-class temperament and demeanor of a Winston Churchill....”

Funny that they use him as an example. Here, for example, is the opening paragraph of an article in the Summer 2002 edition of the Hudson Review:

‘THE FIRST TIME YOU MEET WINSTON," Winston Churchill's friend Lady Lytton once remarked, "you see all his faults, and the rest of your life you spend in discovering his virtues." It was a perspicacious comment, and goes some way toward explaining the paradox of a man who was overweeningly ambitious, bumptious, slapdash, reckless, and a monster of egotism, yet who has been generally judged as the greatest British statesman of the twentieth century, possibly of all the nation's history.”

mpeirce said...

Similarly, the Toledo Blade also endorsed him: We believe Mr. Trump, for all faults, is the better choice this year.

https://www.toledoblade.com/opinion/editorials/2020/11/01/the-man-and-the-record-president-donald-trump-2020-election/stories/20201101091

Jupiter said...

If the paper has not supported a Republican since 1972, what's Reagan doing in there?

n.n said...

Trump has stood against the progressive prices secured with Obamacares, ended Obama's elective wars and social justice adventurism, [catastrophic] [anthropogenic] immigration reform (e.g. refugee crises, trail of tears), diversity and exclusion, and redistributive change deals that profit from environmental (e.g. Green), labor, and regulatory arbitrage that place Americans second, and sometime as the last, the final choice. He was one of the first people to promote early, out-patient treatment of Covid-19 that has reduced excess mortality by 80 to 90% around in hospitals and trials around the world. He has stood against Planned Parent and other poorly conceived choices that account for nearly half of all deaths. He stood against the anti-nativists who demanded immigration reform from areas known to sponsor terrorism, the origin of SARS-CoV-2, and worked with nations to normalize emigration reform to mitigate progress at both ends of the bridge and throughout. Here's to and additional 16 trimesters of Trump, less the Democrat, media-led witch hunts, warlock trials, and protests.

TJM said...

Well Trump is not a bought and paid for crook like China Joe

n.n said...

The world truly turned upside down: A newspaper making sense.

Color bias is intrinsic. Diversity is progressive. Good for them that they are at least open and consistent with their priorities.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

If been hearing for the past week to 10 days the NYTs had a big story dropping today.

What happened to the political hit the NYTs had planned. Anyone know.

I'm shocked and amazed that Trump is the cleanist politician in my life. Who would have been very thought that.

Obadiah said...

They do enumerate Trump's flaws, but Ann didn't quote that part:

"We share the embarrassment of millions of Americans who are disturbed by the president’s unpresidential manners and character — his rudeness and put-downs and bragging and bending of the truth.

None of this can be justified. The president’s behavior often has diminished his presidency, and the presidency. Most Americans want a president who makes them proud."

Joanne Jacobs said...

I was on the editorial board of the San Jose Mercury News for many years. I wrote election endorsements. We always believed we had no impact on the presidential race: Voters had plenty of opportunities to make up their minds. We did have an impact on local races, we believed.

I am very surprised to see a newspaper that backed Obama now supporting Trump. I think it's a reflection of local opinion, which bodes ill for Biden.

Amadeus 48 said...

Wikipedia says that editorial policy of the P-G changed in 2018 when the editorial team was headed by people from the Toledo Blade in an operational combination.

I'm Full of Soup said...

I guess the editors don't know Lunch Bucket Joe is from Scranton.

gadfly said...

The Post Gazette editors, obviously wearing blinders, get lots of things wrong, especially as they relate to steel and mine workers in western PA benefiting from Trump economic policies when he promised new jobs and new facilities which were only temporary - and then there was the false statement that Trump somehow raised everyone's 401(k) investment value during the his presidency.

The editors ignored the Trump lawbreaking during his presidency where he was found guilty of personal use of his charity assets, his stealing from his customers in the Trump University scandal, his illegally charging off, as business expense, illegal hush money to buy the silence of porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal - which amounts to two crimes times two. Character really does matter in America.

Then there was the president's illegal foreign corruption surrounding his interaction with the Russians during the 2016 election, his proven bribery offer to the Ukrainian president and, of course, his ongoing violation of the Emoluments Clause wherein he directly benefits from excessive government and foreign payments to his businesses. Now we know that he cheats on his taxes and owes $1.1 billion in loans from multiple sources, some unknown and some foreign sources. Who are we to trust? Certainly not Trump, the liar.

Meanwhile, the editors ignored Trump's failure to act quickly and effectively with regard to Federal involvement to counter the all-consuming novel coronavirus pandemic. All the president wants is the that he attains narcissistic heaven from screaming, unthinking fans at his "play it again Sam" political rallies. Somehow, four years of obvious failure are unimportant to Trump fanatics. I am reminded of the 1964 LBJ ad against Goldwater.

Tina Trent said...

This is huge. Weep your troll tears, Gadfly. You're not credible.

I'm Full of Soup said...

DavidUW:

North Philly is actually pronounced Norf Philly here.

Francisco D said...

gadfly is really pathetic and desperate today.

He forgot to mention that Trump is a Russian. Trump wants to shut down fracking because it really hurts Putins income.

Uh, wait a minute ...

TJM said...

Gadfly,

Everything you posted is BS - I could wear you out with lists of Clinton, Obama and China Joe’s corruption

Tina Trent said...

Readering: I don't think the realignment of editorial boards was that important -- there were already ties between the papers, but PPG is unquestionably the power base, and if anything, them changing their minds makes the statement even more powerful.

The negative throat-clearing but positive conclusion is also more powerful than a simple endorsement. They just shoved the Overton Window into Trump territory.

The PPG endorsing Trump is uniquely important in the current climate because it gives people permission to vote for him. Pennsylvania is home base for the execrable yet incredibly powerful Annenberg Public Policy Center and their media factcheck.org. There is no other state with a more relevant extant newspaper culture. This is big, big news.

Michael K said...

Blogger Readering said...
Misleading,


Oh, you mean they didn't endorse him?

Sod off, Swampy.

Michael K said...

gadfly, I think The Intercept might have a job for you. Not many still believe in the Russia hoax. Good match of delusions.

Narayanan said...

MartyH said...
Newspaper endorsements may not change votes but they do indicate which way the wind is blowing.
-------------=============
are endorsements = editorials

which way the wind is blowing? - have press room revolted against editors yet?

are they learning /not which side of bread is buttered/ but |where the bread has to come from?| and |the butter|

LilyBart said...

The president’s behavior often has diminished his presidency, and the presidency. Most Americans want a president who makes them proud."

Then how in the hell is Biden the alternative? He is a corrupt liar who has used his office for personal financial gain. He insults people, he says racist things, he 'bothers' little girls and other peoples' wives, he damages other people's reputations for personal gain (lying about his wife being 'killed by a drunk driver, when the accident was his wife's fault).

Biden was forced out of the 1988 presidential race for his habitual lying. This time the media covered it up because they wanted him to beat Trump.

Spiros said...

The Gazette's decision was made weeks ago. I wonder what happened?

RMc said...

Shorter gadfly: How dare a newspaper endorse Trump! Why, I oughta...!

n.n said...

We share the embarrassment of millions of Americans who are disturbed by the ... manners and character — [their] rudeness and put-downs and bragging and bending of the truth.

Yes, that and their role in the conspiratorial cover-ups of Water Closet, is why the credibility of the press, media, social platforms, and fact checkers has progressed.

n.n said...

A publisher that will influence a statistically zero number of people, hopes that their belated endorsement of what people have observed over 16 trimesters, will earn donations, advertisement, and subscribers. Color me cynical. That said, lose your quasi-religion, discover your principles, and welcome to the American dream: Pro-Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

NCMoss said...

He's not Trader Joe.

Eva said...

The comment section is very interesting. Not exactly a cheering section for the endorsement.

DavidUW said...

Norf Philly makes Baltimore look gentrified.

Humperdink said...

As a home grown 'Burgh person, I can assure by tomorrow morning they will claim they've been hacked (only half-kidding).

Gunner said...

Gadfly, NDAs are not illegal.

stevew said...

Are there voters that planned to vote for Biden that upon reading the Post Gazette's endorsement of Trump switch their vote? The tradition of an independent and supposedly neutral and objective news outlet publishing a political endorsement has always struck me as ethically wrong.

readering said...

Misleading to suggest same folks who wrote the editorial this year wrote the editorials for all those past elections. But you knew that.

Political Junkie said...

stevew - It is the editorial page. It exists to give opinions. The front page is supposed to be neutral and straight.

Come on, man...Joe B

Achilles said...

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

Would have been nice if this had come out a month ago.

This is for a good reason.

They didn't want to endorse Trump or help him.

But all of the paper's readers support Trump.

So they had no choice if they wanted to avoid the fate of CNN and ESPN who are laying off all of their employees.

Humperdink said...

"Misleading to suggest same folks who wrote the editorial this year wrote the editorials for all those past elections."

Not sure what your point is, but its is clearly not the people, it's the mindset. See NYT, WaPoo, LATimes .....

Unknown said...

As a native Pittsburgher, with lots of Pgh connections, I am amazed by this -- the PG always offered up orthodox D-party liberalism on its op-ed page. They didn't endorse Reagan for crying out loud.

This year is just plain weird.

stevew said...

Political Junkie: Push ups at Dawn!!!

My question remains: were any votes changed?

effinayright said...

Gadfly, if you were a knife in the kitchen drawer you would be the clam knife.

Dull tool, man.

Drago said...

Gunner: "Gadfly, NDAs are not illegal."

Before this last year, gadfly didn't even know what an NDA was.

Drago said...

Joe Biden was very proud of his "Philadelphia Eagles" jacket which was really a Delaware Blue Hen jacket.

But Biden didn't know that.

He used to know that, but that was before his dementia became overwhelming.

Drago said...

Of course, gadfly still believes Joe Biden has a 16% lead in Wisconsin.

Seriously.

He/she/xe actually believes that.

320Busdriver said...

gadfly said:
“and then there was the false statement that Trump somehow raised everyone's 401(k) investment value during the his presidency. “

Christ almighty.....I just rechecked after this bad week and my 401 is up 22% YTD..=end balance-.5($added)/beginning balance+.5($added)-1

Before the drop it was ~27%. Prior years were great w/ 18 being the exception

IOW...you’re delusional

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

Comrade Joe is lucky to get a corporal's guard at a drive-in with free fries.

Readering said...

It's the publisher (whom I know personally) behind the change.

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

Sorry Gadfly, it's not illegal to pay someone hush money. It's illegal to demand hush money for keeping silent, that's called extortion. It's illegal to use campaign cash to pay hush money, as that is not a legitimate campaign expense.

Thanks for playing. Try again.

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

Gadfly's embarrassed that the Trump Hotel rents rooms for fair market value to all comers. To not rent them would be a violation of the civil rights statues. To rent them at either higher or lower value would be either a bribe, which is illegal on its face, or stupid, and the Trump organization isn't stupid.

MAJMike said...

Always wondered if Stormy Daniels paid income tax on that hush money and why her actions weren't considered blackmail.

Amadeus 48 said...

We are watching two different movies in this country. Many people are going to be sad soon.

Salty tears in the popcorn.