The largest newspaper in the swing state of Ohio, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, endorsed President Obama for a second term today, citing his policies as best for Ohio, noting that’s he’s been met with unbending resistance and belligerence from Republicans and sounding the alarm on etch-a-sketch Mitt Romney’s domestic and foreign policies.
They write:
Much of what beset America during Obama’s first term lay outside his direct control. The bobsled slide into recession was in full motion when he took office. The economic calamity has been global; recovery, sporadic and weak. Obama’s attempts to reach across the aisle politically were met with unbending resistance, even belligerence…
Not impressed with Romney’s ever-changing domestic policies or his inability to reign in the extreme elements of his party (Ohio is very aware of Ryan et al’s obstruction to Speaker Boehner’s deficit and debt deals), it’s Romney’s blustering, swaggering foreign policy that raises even more alarms:
Romney’s tendency to bluster on foreign policy provides more cause for doubt. With tens of thousands of young Americans still in harm’s way in Afghanistan, the United States cannot afford to be drawn into new wars without clear national interests at stake or to sap its resources in further open-ended conflicts. The Benghazi killings reveal the risks of an “Arab Spring” in which terrorists have gained new weaponry and new freedom to operate. But these challenges require inventive diplomacy and international engagement, not slogans or swagger.
On the auto bailout, they praise Obama’s auto rescue plan and explain the differences between what Romney advocated for and what Obama did, saying Obama’s plan was gutsy as it was unpopular at the time – and it worked:
Public opinion opposed another bailout. Romney urged the companies to file for traditional bankruptcy — at a time when private-sector credit was frozen even for healthy firms.
Obama told the companies to restructure using the Bankruptcy Court and set conditions for government financing: GM’s chairman had to go. Excess plants and dealerships had to close. Chrysler had to be bought out by Fiat. Contracts had to be renegotiated… It was unpopular but gutsy. And it worked. That’s leadership that deserves a chance to finish the job. Re-elect President Obama.
Newspaper endorsements might not seem important in the larger context of an election, but they can have an important impact locally, where they are viewed as a trusted source of information. This is just one of many endorsements flooding in for the President this week, and they’ve all been thoughtful, important reads in the sense that they provide an overview of how newspaper editors, who follow politics closely, view the actions of our elected officials.
Editorial endorsements offer us a chance at the big picture, instead of the 24 hour cable news cycle race. For this reason alone, it’s worth noting how many of them mention the President’s calm, steady leadership, the obstructionism of the Republican Congress (specifically the House where Ryan resides), the unnerving changes of Mitt Romney’s positions on domestic issues and his damaging swagger on foreign policy.
Another swing state paper has endorsed Obama, and they did it by explaining the auto rescue in a way that debunks Romney’s talking points. This isn’t good news for the Romney campaign.
Read the entire editorial here.
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Reynardine
Oct. 20th, 2012 at 8:44 pm
I am glad to see this editorial describing the facts so succinctly and clearly, and if the rest of the press, print, broadcast, cable, and electronic, had done as much, we might never have arrived at such a perilous position.
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sachet
Oct. 20th, 2012 at 8:56 pm
WooHoo! Let’s cast those ballots for Pres. Obama. Let’s do this fellow Pres. Obama supporters.
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DobieTracker
Oct. 21st, 2012 at 1:35 am
PRO OBAMA VOTERS need to be MORE MOTIVATED to get out and vote than the racist, anti-gay, anti-PROCHOICE, and anti-contraception voters who are very very motivated because they cannot stand having a black man in the white house AND they think that finally, for once, all their extreme fundamentalist fear based religious views are going to rein supreme over the rest of us.
Beliefs that any abortion for any reason warrants MURDER CHARGES, that all contraceptives are the same as MURDER (other than rhythm and condoms) that if a raped woman gets pregnant that she must have enjoyed it, or at least it was not “legitimate” rape cause if it was her body would not have allowed her to get pregnant.
OH YEAH and humans walked with the dinosauers !
It COULD HAPPEN ! ! !
AND IT WILL HAPPEN UNLESS WE ARE MORE MOTIVATED TO VOTE CAUSE THE ONLY THING THAT REALLY MATTERS IS WHO GETS THE MOST VOTES.
Monday morning early voting starts in Anchorage Alaska and after seeing how close SICK SARAH came to the VICE PRESIDENCY, I KNOW IT CAN HAPPEN.
VOTE AND VOTE EARLY AND DRAG YOUR FRIENDS AND GIVE RIDES TO STRANGERS.
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Rocky in Texas said...
Oct. 20th, 2012 at 9:29 pm
With Bain & Karl Roves involvment in these Electronic Voting Machine Companies I expect they will steal Ohio and enough other States for a romney win.
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Sandra
Oct. 21st, 2012 at 12:55 pm
If there’s a big turn out for PO, the likehood of stealing the elections are slim, 2008. Politicolnews.com wrote an article on Oct.19th explaining how the R’thugs stole election using diebold 2004 and Ken Blackwell but if there’s a huge turnout like 2008, it’s more difficult to do so. Important to GOTV to block Tagg and his cohorts from stealing OHIO.
Intersting article, everyone should read it. Title:
Tagg Romney invested in Ohio Electronic Voting Machines.
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A Walkaway
Oct. 21st, 2012 at 12:57 pm
That combined with people intimidating women and minorities at the polling stations, combined with all of the deceit and misdirection aimed at the poor and minorities (especially the Latinos). What needs to happen is that the mainstream press needs to be MADE to report this news and that accurately. If that happens early enough for voters to hear, then people will be motivated enough to get out and vote.
Maybe the petition against the Republican party will also work – it would be nice to see a bit of real justice for once.
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Mark Brewster (@1dangerouself)
Oct. 20th, 2012 at 9:40 pm
I applaud newspaper endorsements; local folks often develop a ‘trust’ in a local paper, and that can be enough to turn them one way or the other. It’s a big responsibility, but can impact people hundreds of miles away.
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Sally
Oct. 20th, 2012 at 10:21 pm
Tagg Romney OWNS some of the machines being used in Ohio…how’s that for cheating to win?
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jane Sendek
Oct. 20th, 2012 at 10:50 pm
You have to understand the context of this endorsement ,they are considered a Republican paper in this town,and endorsed McCain in 2008.
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cedric
Oct. 20th, 2012 at 11:23 pm
Colorado, Florida, and Ohio all largest papers endorses President Obama.
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Nancy Harrison
Oct. 21st, 2012 at 6:05 am
Not to mention the Salt Lake City (UTAH!) endorsement for President Obama.
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Miguel Gonzales
Oct. 21st, 2012 at 12:48 am
Well hopefully these endorsments realy do help Obama, last month I would have said Obama was going to win by a landslide, but with the momentum Romeny has gained after the first debate is makeing things much more difficult for Obama and us.
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DobieTracker
Oct. 21st, 2012 at 1:29 am
Pretty bad when a CATHOLIC vice-presidential candidate has a his own church’s condemnation.
How bad IS IT when you got NUNS ON A BUS speaking out AGAINST you—AND—-for your opposition.
WHEN have we EVER had something like the NUNS ON A BUS during ANY Presidential campaign?
I don’t remember anything like this ever happening before.
AND, it is the MORALITY of Lyin Ryan position that has motivated the nuns to speak out and continue speaking out on how opposed their are MORALLY to Lyin Ryan’s plans.
Pretty bad to be Catholic and have the nuns grouping up against you ! ! ! !
WOW !
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A Walkaway
Oct. 21st, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Many of those nuns… I consider to be true Christians (even as I’m uncomfortable with the hierarchal structure they exist under). The Bishops, on the other hand… and they may try to shut them down (I think they DID).
The Bishops are so dedicated to forcing their religious beliefs on the rest of us that I think they’ve forgotten all about Jesus.
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A Walkaway
Oct. 21st, 2012 at 2:20 pm
Correction – I think the Bishops DID try to shut them down.
It appears that they didn’t succeed.
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Anne
Oct. 21st, 2012 at 7:43 am
It speaks volumes when newspapers that have previously endorsed Republicans come out firmly against Romney and endorse the president. They are only too aware of what happened under the last Republican administration whose laxness on domestic issues and “belligerent swagger” on the international scale cost this country so much. They also see in Romney an eagerness to repeat these very same things, while they see the perseverance in the president that has resulted in accomplishments despite the GOP obstruction he continues to face in Congress. We all HAVE to get out and vote to keep the Regressives out of the WH as well as vote more Progressives in Congress.
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Ed Buchanan
Oct. 21st, 2012 at 11:58 am
The bottom line is Mitt Romney is a draft dodger [4 deferments during the Viet Nam war] who will have us in another war because of his not having the word diplomacy in his vocabulary. Instead of focusing on who knew what and when when our embassy was attacked, the Republicans should stop trying to use this event for political gain and focus on how to prevent it from ever happening again. To attempt to use this event to win a presidential election borders on treason. Romney is a man who truly believes he has been chosen by his god to lead not only the US but the entire world. He sees no wrong in lying because he believes he is lying for the lord and this makes it alright. He truly believes he is the rider on the white horse in the Mormon White Horse prophesy. Another reason to keep religion out of politics.
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Emily
Oct. 21st, 2012 at 12:36 pm
I have lived in Utah since i was 5. when i found out the major paper of our state did this i thought it was a joke ! i had to go buy a paper just to see it lol. Seriosly if Utah can do it…especially against a mormon than miricals can happen! Im having that damn paper laminated. :)
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luciboo
Oct. 21st, 2012 at 2:13 pm
Finally someone is willing to speak the truth.
I think mass media is so controlled or intimidated by the right wing the truth is always hazy or neglected.
Thank you CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER!
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Eddie Powell
Oct. 21st, 2012 at 6:16 pm
With all these endorsements from these papers I cherish Salt Lake’s the most. It speaks volumes on character. Mitt Romney is a pathological liar. He is so blalantly with his lies that it is an insult to any one that deals with truth just on a causal basis. For some that deals with truth most of the time he thinks that one is just plain ignorant. If America elects him after their (Salt Lake) words we deserve ever evil this man can muster upon us. The whole lot of Repubs have been lying to this nation for so long that they and him could not see the truth with microscopic eyes. God bless Salt Lake for calling what so many, excluding Candy C. and Rachel M., were afraid to do.
Aside, it seems as though our women have more “Bs” than all the male newsmen combined.
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annette lewis
Oct. 21st, 2012 at 6:18 pm
It is encouraging to read articles like this.
It is almost a cliche to say that this is probably the most important election the US has had. The stakes are enormous. If Romney gains the presidency then the plutocratic take over of the US will be complete and it will become a Third World country. Obama is the last defence.
Take note of what happened to Russia.
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D. Landers
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 4:33 am
I’m so happy that the Plain Dealer has endorsed Obama. I hope this encourages more people to vote for Obama. A big turnout in Ohio could reduce the possibility of VOTER FRAUD via Electronic Voting Machines.
The new owners of Ohio’s VOTING MACHINES under the brand name of HART Intercivic is none other than TAGG ROMNEY, (Mitt’s son). In recent weeks, Tagg has taken a more “active role in his father’s campaign management.”
In 2008, after Romney lost the 2008 bid for President, it was all clear for Tagg Romney to invest in a company called Solamere Capital. Solarmere’s tangled web of investments now includes Hart Intercivic Voting Machines which will be used in Cincinnati Ohio, which could tilt Romney into the White House. The problem with these Electronic Voting Machines is that they are EASILY HACKED.
In election 2004, the inexplicable shift of more than 300,000 votes after 12:20 am election night was a virtual statistical impossibility. Yet “somehow” it happened: John Kerry’s 4% lead was mysteriously flipped to a 2% Bush victory in the dead of election night.
We can stop this from happening again by showing a strong Obama turnout in Ohio. It is far less likely for this type of voter fraud to occur if Obama shows a stronger lead in Ohio.
Vote, Ohio ! Vote Obama ! Obama 2012
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