Editorials

Times Review endorsement: Hillary Clinton for president

Hillary Clinton campaign photo courtesy of Hillary for America/Flickr.

Since it was founded in 1977, Times Review Media Group, as our company is known today, has published an endorsement editorial with each presidential election.

We have never once supported a Republican. In 1980 and 1996, we made no endorsements at all, our closest nods to a Republican.

If Ronald Reagan or Bob Dole couldn’t get our endorsement in those years, it’s safe to assume Republican nominee Donald Trump’s chances were fairly slim this time around. 

Now, you might ask yourself, ‘“Why on earth does the local newspaper publish endorsements on the presidential election?” It’s a question our current editorial board has discussed many times in recent years about a tradition we’ve considered discontinuing.

We thought it would be irresponsible, however, to walk away from endorsing for the presidency during a year in which a major party has nominated a man many Americans believe to be unfit for the presidency.

Considering our history of endorsing only Democrats for the White House, we decided to do things differently this year. We simply don’t want that fact to undermine the importance of voting for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton over Mr. Trump, Libertarian Gary Johnson or Green Party candidate Jill Stein.

Instead, we’re sharing sentiments expressed in other newspapers’ endorsements of Ms. Clinton. In particular, we’re borrowing lines only from newspapers that have historically endorsed Republican candidates.

It is important to note that as this editorial was finalized Tuesday, no major U.S. newspaper had supported Mr. Trump’s bid. It should also be noted that three of the top 100 circulation newspapers — The Chicago Tribune, The Detroit News and The Richmond Times-Dispatch — have endorsed Mr. Johnson.

Here’s why five traditionally Conservative editorial boards are endorsing Ms. Clinton and we are, too:

The Dallas Morning News

Sept. 7; had not previously supported a Democrat since before World War II

“Unlike Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton has experience in actual governance, a record of service and a willingness to delve into real policy. Resume vs. resume, judgment vs. judgment, this election is no contest.”

“As President Barack Obama’s first secretary of state, she helped make tough calls on the Middle East and the complex struggle against radical Islamic terrorism. It’s no accident that hundreds of Republican foreign policy hands back Clinton.”

The Arizona Republic

Sept. 27; had not endorsed a Democrat in its 126-year existence

“Clinton knows how to compromise and to lead with intelligence, decorum and perspective. She has a record of public service as First Lady, senator and secretary of state.”

“She has withstood decades of scrutiny so intense it would wither most politicians.”

“Trump responds to criticism with the petulance of verbal spit wads. That’s beneath our national dignity.”

The San Diego Union Tribune

Sept. 30; had never endorsed a Democrat in its 148-year existence

“If Trump is elected president … he would be in charge of the executive branch of a global superpower and possess enormous authority, operating with no coherent worldview besides ‘I alone can fix it.’ ”

“Based on what Trump has said, we could see an administration that’s friendlier to ruthless Russia — which is waging a cyberwar against America — than to such democracies and historic partners as Great Britain, Germany, Canada, Japan and Australia.”

“We understand the lack of enthusiasm for [Ms. Clinton’s] candidacy, the anger over her private email server, family foundation and income from Wall Street speeches, and the questions about how America fared in foreign affairs when she was secretary of state. But despite Trump’s insistence otherwise, she has the better temperament to be president — and the experience, background and relationships with world leaders that we need in a president.”

The Columbus Dispatch

Oct. 9; had not endorsed a Democrat in 100 years

“[Trump] has proved himself a liar of epic proportion. He is a bigot, a braggart and an admirer of foreign thugs such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin. He is reckless and thin-skinned. He has demeaned Mexicans, demonized Muslims, insulted women and mocked the disabled.”

“His economic policies, to the extent that they can be analyzed, would at least double the national debt.”

The Cincinnati Enquirer

Sept. 23; had not endorsed a Democrat in nearly a century

“Some believe Trump’s business acumen would make him the better choice to move America’s slow recovery into a full stride. It’s true that he has created jobs, but he also has sent many overseas and left a trail of unpaid contractors in his wake. His refusal to release his tax returns draws into question both Trump’s true income and whether he is paying his fair share of taxes. Even if you consider Trump a successful businessman, running a government is not the same as being the CEO of a company. The United States cannot file bankruptcy to avoid paying its debts.”

Hillary Clinton campaign photo courtesy of Hillary for America/Flickr.