Chicago Tribune Endorses Obama!

If this was yet just another newspaper endorsing Obama for President, it certainly wouldn’t warrant its own topic.

But history was made yesterday, with one of this nation’s top papers.

The Chicago Tribune is a conservative paper. Don’t believe me? Read their statement of principles below. And In the paper’s 161 years, it has NEVER – NOT ONCE IN 161 YEARS – endorsed a Democrat for President. EVER.

Well, no longer.
The paper has just endorsed Barack Obama for President.

This isn’t a liberal newspaper endorsing its own kind. Nor is it a small, unimportant paper. It’s one of this nation’s most prestigeous conservative papers.

This is absolutely astonishing. It’s the newspaper equivalent of Fox News endorsing Obama.

chicagotribune.com/news/opin … 1034.story

Two quotes:
“On Nov. 4 we’re going to elect a president to lead us through a perilous time and restore in us a common sense of national purpose. The strongest candidate to do that is Sen. Barack Obama. The Tribune is proud to endorse him today for president of the United States.”

“Many Americans say they’re uneasy about Obama. He’s pretty new to them.
We can provide some assurance. We have known Obama since he entered politics a dozen years ago. We have watched him, worked with him, argued with him as he rose from an effective state senator to an inspiring U.S. senator to the Democratic Party’s nominee for president.”


I’m sure there will be plenty on the right who will try to spin this by either (a) completely ingoring it, pivoting to simply say “Well, the Sticksville Gazette endorses McCain” or (b) claim that the conservativbe Chicago Tribune (which for 161 years has refused to endorse a Democrat) is somehow secretly part of the “liberal media.” Nice try. The Trib has been so conservative that for the past 161 years it has NOT ONCE endorsed a Democrat. If they didn’t feel a Republican worthy enough, they would endorse independents or simply not endorse anyone at all rather than endorse a Democrat. Not any longer. They looked at McCain (who they endorsed for the Republican Primary) and looked at Obama. And for the first time in this major paper’s history of 161 years, they are endoring the Democrat – Obama.

Spin that, guys, in a way that anyone other than yourselves will believe.
This is the newspaper world equivalent of Fox News endorsing Obama.
chicagotribune.com/news/opin … 1034.story
Here’s the wiki (“Political allegiance: Libratarian, Conservative”)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Tribune
And for those who don’t believe they’re conservative, just have a look at their editorials and endorsements for the last 161 years.

Or hear it in their own words.
This is their own “statement of principles” from last year (2007):

"The Chicago Tribune believes in the traditional principles of limited government; maximum individual responsibility; minimum restriction of personal liberty, opportunity and enterprise. It believes in free markets, free will and freedom of expression. These principles, while traditionally conservative, are guidelines and not reflexive dogmas. The Tribune brings a Midwestern sensibility to public debate. It is suspicious of untested ideas.

And they’re supporting Obama.
A democrat for the first time in 161 years.

edited by Bill: Please don’t use profanity in thread titles

For what it’s worth, the Los Angeles Times has also just endorsed Obama.

Apparently, they too have never before endorsed a Democrat for President either.

The last time they offered an endorsement was 1972, when they endorsed Nixon.

latimes.com/news/printeditio … 9821.story

Maybe they both endorsed Obama because they don’t think McCain will do a better job ruining the country??