The Phila Inquirer will endorse McCain this election..

[fencesitter]

Just my prediction. Ever since the new owners took over things have shifted rightward.
Today's editorial page is fronted by a big article comparing Palin with Reagan, An editorial claiming racism plays no role in Obama's candidacy, and an editorial decrying Obama's tax and change policies as too costly.
This paper gave us "21 reasons not to elect GB" back in 2004, and has almost always endorsed Dem presidential candidates.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080914_Palin__Reagan_share_much.html

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080914_Obama_s_change_could_cost_big_bucks.html

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080914_Back_Channels__Don_t_cry_racism_if_Obama_loses.html

sad.

[PCIntern]

1. I can't disagree with you...

I can however, tell you that there's at least one subsciber who ain't renewing i that happens...

[Boz]

2. And will move no one, Philly is gone to Obama, it will be one of his largest margin wins

[darius15]

Yup, Kerry got 80% in Philly in 04

[blm]

15. Wake up - it will help COVER THEIR ASSES when they steal Pennsylvania. When McClatchy sold

the two largest Penn papers they acquired from KnightRidder deal to RW ACTIVISTS, I predicted Pennsylvania was being set up for a steal and the papers would be crucial for the set up and the cover up.

[PCIntern]

23. Yes.

[Ioo]

3. Thank god no one cares about news paper endorsements...

They mean little to people, the new paper media is dead and endorsements do not make the news cycle and talk shows

[PCIntern]

6. Not true here in Philly...

it makes a small difference...can be enough in the 5 county area to make a difference in a close election here in PA

[Ioo]

8. My undersanding is the data shows that it means very little...

I can dig up the report...

[PCIntern]

11. No argument BUT

what is very little? 500 votes in Florida doesn't sound like much either...this is gonna be close here in PA...we are a RACIST state, make no mistake. That old saying about Philly and Pittsburgh and Alabama in between...notice he didn't say "Indiana"...it's Deliverance Country out there.

[Ioo]

14. Phily will go BO by Huge Numbers, and West PA Hates Philly, may hurt JMcShame

there is not going to be a 500 vote anything in philly

[darius15]

9. Really? that's weird, considering

that Philadelphia's black mayor, Michael Nutter, campaigned heavily for Hillary Clinton and Obama still managed 91% of blacks.

It would be weird if a newspaper could swing more voters than the mayor, don't you think?

[ClarkUSA]

13. That's your opinion but is not borne out from past voting patterns.

The Philly area will go for Barack by a wide mile. It's western PA that we need to focus on.

[PCIntern]

17. You're just not processing what I'm saying...

Of course BO wins Philly by wide margin...here's the rub: IF the Inky endorses McSame, then SOME 5 county voters will decide to break for McSame...with me so far? Now, if the Western part except for Allegheny county is EVEN WORSE than it should be, the VOTES WE LOSE IN THE 5 COUNTY AREA WILL COME BACK TO HURT US.

[ClarkUSA]

19. What you're saying is fear-based speculation. I have an alternate hope-based supposition...

In the meantime, I'd prefer to keep organizing on the ground.

[PCIntern]

21. Excuse me...

I can do two things at the same time. I can work on the ground and be concerned about a major newspaper's endorsement. This is a serious issue in a state which is this close. It is NOT a serious issue in Alabama if someone, say endorsed Obama, or NY, if someone endorsed McCain. Right?

[ClarkUSA]

32. I'm not concerned at all because I disagree with your opinion which in turn is based on speculation.

Sorry, but I've organized PA for Team Obama and this is not even remotely part of my consideration there.

[PCIntern]

37. Well, good for you Mr. Team Leader...

what are you doing posting on this stupid board on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, when you should be out coordinating your team?

[ClarkUSA]

38. You are unpleasant when people disagree with you, aren't you?

Not that it's any of your business, but there is such a thing as taking a break.

And have you ever heard of a broadband access card?

What are doing today for Team Obama besides making Chicken Little predictions on "this stupid board"?

[ClarkUSA]

4. No one gives a shit in Philly who the paper endorses.

Obama will still win the Philly area in a landslide.

[PCIntern]

7. 5 county area, my friend... I beg to differ n/t

[ClarkUSA]

10. We can agree to disagree; the Des Moines Register endorsement didn't help Hillary or McCain, did it?

And the Des Moines Register is THE paper for all of Iowa.

[PCIntern]

12. Yes we can agree however...see my post above...

I'm not saying it sways lots of voters BUT IMPO WE CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE ANY.

[ClarkUSA]

16. I disagree with your "WE CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE ANY" argument.

We are going to lose some here and there, but it's probable that we will win by a landslide in the Philly area.
The Enquirer endorsement won't convince anyone who wasn't already going to vote for Grandpa Simpson.

[PCIntern]

18. BO is not running for President of Philadelphia...

if he doesn't get a great enough plurality here, then te Western part of the state is a greater problem. Every vote coounts here in PA. I live here...I'm telling you that this is the case...we CAN and HAVE gone either way in a Presidential election.

[ClarkUSA]

20. I know PA well - there is no way the Enquirer endorsement will make a difference.

And your strident Chicken Little pronouncements are unlikely.

When's the last time PA went for a Republican presidential ticket?

[PCIntern]

22. Bush Sr 1988, Reagan twice...are you kidding?

[ClarkUSA]

27. That was a generation ago -- now Democrats have a huge edge in voter ID and Bush II is hated here.

Are you kidding?

[PCIntern]

29. See any polls with BO up by 8-10 pts.here?

[ClarkUSA]

33. What's that got to do with the OP? And McCain has never led in any PA poll so far this year.

Obama is leading in every PA poll ever taken. Sorry, I'm not buying what you're selling.

[PCIntern]

36. One more time...and I'm not the OP, but there you go again...

1. Philly and the surround always goes big for Dems
2. the rest of the state has many many RWers
3. the state will not go Dem unless there's a BIG Dem plurality here
4. if..now take your time...IF the Inky persuades some percentage of voters here in the EAST to vote Republican, then

now hold tight,

IN A CLOSE STATEWIDE ELECTION...VERY CLOSE..........

It MIGHT make a difference.

Let's say mcCain wins by 1200 votes...it could happen...then one could say that the Inky endorsement carried him. My point is...it may be that close.

[ClarkUSA]

41. I didn't say you were the OP. And quoting Reagan doesn't get you any points, either.

Your patronizing, snide attitude and tedious repetition of your Chicken Little opinion
which is based on pure speculation about a newspaper's possible endorsement
of McCain is duly noted.

Now stop being a pitbull with lipstick and let's agree to disagree.

[PCIntern]

44. I already agreed to disagree, which is a tautology...

it is just that every little thing is just every little thing and then it all adds up and we lose.

and yes, I'm snide when I'm being patronized.

[Overseas]

5. Oh-- new owners -- Damn. More right wing purchases of media, eh?

They've really become so powerful through media ownership.

[mvd]

24. I think they will weakly endorse Obama

The editorial page is still center-left, but more timid. I argued with Satullo over his centrist philosophy, but at least he had strong opinions.

That said, the columnists have shifted rightward greatly. The only "liberal" is Trudy Rubin, and she still is weird about withdrawal from Iraq. I canceled my subscription due to the rightward turn.

[PCIntern]

25. mvd

I treat many of the Inky and Daily News personnel and let me tell you, the words 'fascist', right-wing asshole', and worse come out of their mouths frequently when referring to their bosses.

[mvd]

28. Sounds like a RW takeover - not surprised

I'm going by what I have seen from the editorial page - not counting other columns. I don't see a hard-right shift yet, but they did call Palin a "bold choice." We'll see whether the owners allow them to endorse Obama.

[PCIntern]

34. It's been subtle publically,

but internally it's a frigging nightmare. Look at all the columnists who were reassigned for no obvious reason and the number of reporters who have left only to be replaced by AP RW Stenography and all the bureaus which have closed.

[blm]

40. Exactly - when KnightRidder was forced to sell by Bush's shareholder pals, McClatchy

bought them fully intending to sell some of the biggest papers that had a strong reality-based presence in their states. I warned at the time that McClatchy would put on an ACT and leave some bureau's alone (most notably DC bureau) for a time to sway the mediawatchers, but around the country the takeover would slowly move rightward in the first year or so, and then more rapidly in 2008.

That information proved to be correct....once again.

At some point soon, I expect even the stellar DC bureau to lose the windowdressing of support from McClatchy. The nation's news industry is almost completely fascist at this point, and the nation's news audience is TOTALLY FOCKED!

[Cha]

35. Yeah, let 'em endorse the LIAR and the LIAR..

fuckin' weaken their credibility even more.

[Barack_America]

26. If they want to go out of business they will.

The Philly electorate is hugely Democratic. People here in Philly take this kind of thing personally. The Inquirer will suffer if they support McCain.

[mvd]

30. Good point

I think they would endorse Obama (weakly,) IF they are allowed to. It's obvious the new owners are more conservative.

[blm]

43. Beyond conservative - I warned DU in 2005 that the owners were RW POLITICAL ACTIVISTS.

And the rest of the news organizations looked the other way knowing full well that two of Pennsylvania's largest newspapers were taken over by avowed RW activists. In the past, there is no way this takeover would have been ALLOWED by the rest of the newsmedia, let alone undiscussed.

[budkin]

31. And Obama will still win PA!

[PCIntern]

39. I hope so, my friend...

it is not going to happen without a lot of work and a good ground game here in Philly and the surround....

[grandpappy]

42. I agree

with PC Intern. Philly has only part of the votes for Pa. You need all the votes you can get in Philly to off set the rest of the state.

Remember Pa has either the 3RD or 4Th largest population of retirees in the country.

Over 1 million hunters + unknown number of gun owners. Plus their families.

This "rust belt" thing is over blown. Most heavy industry has been gone for a long while and never will come back. A fraction of what it use to be. There is a union presence BUT union are hated here as mush as Rendall is. The state has become diversified. Wal Mart no. 1 employer in the state.

Racism is a major road block.
Most of "ALABAMA" part of the state has been Republican for years and WILL NOT CHANGE! You can go in to 1000's of small towns and there will be very few people of color if any at all.

If the newspaper endorsement changes even 10 people thats 10 we can't efford.

[smoochpooch]

45. Meh, these are op-eds, you have to look at who wrote them.

The first was written by a Dean at Regent University. Enough said.

The second was written by the president of the Rio Grande Foundation, which really means they oppose government actually solving problems.

The third is written by Kevin Ferris, you can read a little about this joke of a human being here: http://www.inkywatch.org/?p=206

My point is that on the opinion page, most people look to see who is writing the column. For example, when I see the words "Jonah Goldberg", I know everything that comes after is a crock of shit.

[PCIntern]

46. and yet...

for many folks: if it's printed in the paper it's true.

[coalition_unwilling]

47. Philly had no problem burning black

chidren to death (MOVE ca. 1985), so we can't be too surprised.

City of Brotherly Love, my ass!