It wasn't an easy decision for the Long Beach Press-Telegram to decide on Obama:
Americans are starved for leadership. But leadership and politics come together only when the dominant values are authenticity and courage.
That's what we hope to see from both of these candidates in the remaining few days of their campaigns. It's possible, if one should clearly surpass the other in committing himself convincingly to those values, we could change our minds yet one more time before the ballots are cast.
But not likely. Barring that, our recommendation is to vote for the candidate who thus far has shown greater stability, wisdom, and at least the potential to challenge Americans not just to prevail, but to strive toward greatness. In our judgment, that is Barack Obama.
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The San Gabriel Valley Tribune also found it difficult to choose:
We know that many readers will disagree with our views on some of these issues, and that there are many other issues not even raised here.
But over the past five months of heavy campaigning by the candidates and after thoughtful and spirited debate, we have made our choice.
In just over two weeks, voters will go to the polls to make theirs. We urge all of our readers to be among them.
This election will chart the course not just for the next four years but for many more as the incoming president and Congress grapple with two wars and an economic crisis while carrying an onerous national debt and skyrocketing budget deficit on their backs.
To best meet these challenges, we respectfully endorse Barack Obama for the presidency.
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The Las Cruces Sun-News would feel more comfortable with Obama if they knew him better, but they are endorsing him anyway:
While Obama's résumé may be thin, his talents and abilities are anything but. In the nearly two years since his announcement, Obama has inspired a flock of new voters who are excited about the U.S. political system for the first time in their lives. He has demonstrated steady leadership and a keen intellect at a time when those qualities are most needed.
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The Mason City Globe Gazette says Obama is the best one to heal the country:
The nation needs someone who has the temperament, the intelligence, the perspective, the vision and the compassion to steer us through the obstacles ahead.
That man is Barack Obama.
Obama has emerged from the crucible of the campaign as someone who is poised under pressure, a natural-born leader who inspires both by word and deed.
He recognizes that our problems are shared, and he calls upon each of us to take responsibility for dealing with challenges in a way perhaps not seen since John F. Kennedy implored the nation’s citizens to ask “... what you can do for your country.”
The problems are real and the solutions will not be easy, but Obama shows great faith in the ability of Americans to rise to the occasion. His own life story is evidence of that potential.
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The Yakima Herald Republic says Obama is their man:
Obama's pick, veteran Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, is head and shoulders above Palin. His years of experience and expertise in foreign affairs are strong complements to Obama.
Obama may be the least experienced of the two presidential candidates, but he has demonstrated the savvy, reasoned countenance and willingness to look at new ideas that are sorely needed in the White House. The nation has had enough of the shoot-from-the-hip policymaking that has seemed so much a part of the Bush II presidency.
In short, Obama/Biden is a much stronger ticket than McCain/Palin.
They'll have their work cut out for them handling the economy and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, clearly the two overarching issues of the day. Obama's economic plan is a springboard for dialogue on Congress: a windfall profits tax on excessive oil company profits, middle-income tax relief, increased trade, more jobs from all energy strategies, small business support and the nation's damaged housing and mortgage industry, to name a few.
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The streak of the Daily Breeze's endorsement of Republicans ends with Obama:
Though the Daily Breeze has endorsed candidates from both major political parties for the offices of U.S. Senate on down, we have for decades endorsed Republican candidates for president. That streak ends today.
We endorse Barack Obama for the nation's top elected post only after much retrospection about the last eight years, the current financial meltdown and what seems to be a very uncertain future. We're certainly not experts in economics, foreign policy, retooling our infrastructure or energy policies. What we do know, however, is that current policies are not working.
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The Marin Independent Journal endorses Obama:
President George W. Bush, who in 2000 said he was "a uniter, not a divider," is handing over the helm of a nation that is more divided than when he was sworn in at president in 2001. We are a nation that is entrenched in a costly war that many Americans oppose. We are a nation facing a daily dismantling of an economic framework in which we have long believed and invested. We are a nation that has seen our country's global image as a beacon of economic strength and human rights sink as rapidly as the Dow Jones in recent weeks. We are a nation that wonders, "How do we get out of this mess?"
The next president - whether he be John McCain or Barack Obama - has to unite the country and prepare it for a period of significant change.
Obama is the best choice to lead our nation as we approach a future that is filled with uncertainty.
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The Daily Camera says Obama has for the most part remained above the fray:
So who is Obama running against? A man who, on the cusp of this country's greatest financial collapse since the Great Depression, said the fundamentals of our economy were strong. Injected politics and pageantry into the crisis. And a man who -- when asked as all great leaders are, to pick a successor and team mate -- cynically chose a divisive, win-at-all-costs campaigner woefully, embarrassingly and dangerously unqualified for the job.
Obama has remained, for the most part, above the fray. In Sen. Joe Biden, he selected a solid running mate with more experience than himself, and someone who could help him navigate foreign policy. Obama is not just the right choice against the McCain ticket, he is the right choice for president in our troubled times.
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The Sarasota Herald Tribune has noted change is the big theme of the campaign:
Obama has displayed presidential temperament under the intense fire of a tough campaign. It's a leap of faith to support a candidate with so little political experience. But the leadership skills Obama has demonstrated and his ideas for improving on the last eight years -- which haven't worked very well, have they? -- pose the lesser risk and offer the greatest potential to the nation.
We recommend Barack Obama for president of the United States.
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The Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette endorsed Obama yesterday:
So judge the candidates not on the details, because they will change, but by their approach and their character.
And over his long presidential campaign, Obama has displayed the character and gained respect as a leader. McCain, on the other hand, has persisted in flogging failed policies. With McCain, we’re faced with a form of déjÀ vu that will send America into a faster tailspin. More American blood will be spilled. More of us will be out of work. More children and teachers will be working under flawed federal law.
Nowhere have the character and leadership of the candidates been better represented than their first major public decisions as presidential nominees: the selection of running mates.
Obama chose a veteran government servant well acquainted with myriad domestic and international issues facing the nation. The choice of Joe Biden was criticized as cautious and safe, not a bold stroke. So now we know something about Obama: He recognizes the divisions in America, he understands bold isn’t necessarily the best thing to do, and that in this case the overall ticket was going to be bold enough for voters.
McCain selected a candidate whose main qualification was to appeal to the base members of his party, who were concerned about whether he had the true conservative credentials they sought. If there are voters who believe Sarah Palin is really ready to be president, they have their fingers crossed.
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The Palladium-Item believes Obama should be the next president:
The Democratic Party candidate has convinced this newspaper that he best possesses that unique set of skills demanded to hold the most powerful and coveted public office in the free world.
Senators seldom possess records of executive leadership, so we are left to judge them, in large measure, on how they conduct a campaign. This again is where Sen. Obama has proven his skills. He did so by surrounding himself with immensely talented people whose energy is exceeded only by their skills, as evidenced by their victory over the entrenched Clinton political machine in the Democratic primaries. And he did so again in his choice of a running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, who has instilled confidence rather than raised eyebrows and profound, lingering questions in the manner of Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
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The Hawk Eye says Obama makes the most compelling case for change:
He understands a nation of healthy Americans can be competitive in the world market and has a plan to expand access to quality health care to more of us.
He knows removing troops from Iraq must be done carefully, but must be done as soon as possible. The Iraqi government must take more responsibility for its own security.
Given the plate left behind by the current president, the next four years will be excruciatingly challenging for the next administration.
With Sen. Joe Biden as vice president, an Obama administration will have the experience to handle the job.
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The Storm Lake Time went with Obama, but I cannot find the piece.
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The Bangor Daily News endorsed Obama Saturday:
If elected, Sen. Obama will work with a Congress controlled by Democrats. He and party leaders have a responsibility to restrain government spending, resist growth in government programs and foster moderate policy shifts, which requires building on good ideas from Republicans and Democrats alike.
This is especially necessary because Sen. Obama will have a difficult time finding ways to pay for the needed, but expensive reforms he proposes for health care, education and the tax code. Addressing voters’ top concerns — righting the economy, ending the war in Iraq and moving America toward energy independence — will only come through bipartisan negotiations, in which Sen. McCain can play a key role as he has on important issues such as climate change and military contracting.
At a cost of $10 billion a month, the loss of more than 4,000 American soldiers’ lives and the constraints it placed on the U.S. military, the current strategy in Iraq is not sustainable. Sen. Obama understands this.
He also understands that drilling for oil without conservation and support for renewable energy won’t move the U.S. toward energy independence. He understands that reducing taxes and health care costs for the middle class and small businesses are essential to rebuilding the economy.
For these reasons, the policies of the Barack Obama and Joe Biden ticket and its serious focus on our most pressing issues will better serve Maine and America.
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The Brunswick Times Record endorsed Obama Friday:
Electing Barack Obama would demonstrate that America is better than the way our government has conducted the people's business during the last eight years. It would repudiate outside claims that this nation has become a hypocritical, floundering empire and affirm that we remain a civilization founded on opportunity, equality and each person's freedom to fulfill his or her promise.
McCain served our parents well. Obama will serve our children better.
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The Columbia Tribune is keeping its fingers crossed over Obama:
The best hope is that Obama will rise to the occasion and become a strong, moderate leader of his party and the nation. He is in a position to chart such a course, and he is demonstrating the necessary potential. His résumé is short, but his intellect and personality are strong, rather like John F. Kennedy, if you think about it.
Finally, his understanding of the need for competence and experience in his administration was demonstrated by his choice of Joe Biden for vice president. A lot of excitement at the top and competence on the team would be a good combination.
McCain has much to commend him, but he is hampered by his party’s narrow-mindedness and his own personality, not to mention his age. I don’t think he will die in office, but we all know the job is terribly demanding and an older fellow simply does not have as much energy as he once did. John McCain is an admirable man, but for this season Barack Obama is the better choice.
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The Durham Herald-Sun endorsed Obama, but the editorial is available only to subscribers.
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The Greenville Daily Reflector believes Obama has seeked to raise public discourse:
Obama has been dismissed by opponents as little more than an exemplary orator, a man with limited political experience who is unprepared for the challenges ahead. He has been the subject of blatant falsehoods about his religious background and attacked as a radical leftist with dangerous associates.
But Obama has responded by relentlessly seeking to raise the level of public discourse and by focusing on the path toward an America that lives up to its promise as the greatest, most prosperous nation in history. His potential for achieving that outweighs McCain's.
The United States needs a new start with leaders capable of bringing innovative solutions to the troubling challenges that face this nation. For those reasons, the country needs Barack Obama as its president.
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The Wilmington Star News mentions Obama's temperament:
You have to wonder why anyone would want to be president of the United States, especially at a time like this. The economy is in a tailspin, and the best and brightest financial minds have not yet figured out how to stop what appears will be a deep and painful recession. The war in Iraq has stretched our military and diverted billions of dollars from other needs.
The next president will need the right combination of leadership skills, temperament and a strong group of advisers to see the United States through these crises.
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The Yamhill Valley News-Register says Obama is hope for America:
What could McCain have been thinking when he tapped a former small-town mayor barely into her first term as governor of a state with a population about the size of Portland? Sarah Palin is woefully unprepared for the vice presidency, let alone the presidency.
She lacks the intellect, grasp of issues and national/international experience to stand a heartbeat from the presidency — especially when that heart beats in the chest of a 72-year-old four-time cancer victim. She’s an ideologue from the far right who’s shown a propensity for pettiness and self-aggrandizement.
The pick suggests two things about McCain: He’s willing to put personal interests above national interests, and he’s prone to rash, impetuous actions.
FDR led us out of the Great Depression, following a market collapse that occurred on the watch of his hapless Republican predecessor, Herbert Hoover.
We have to place our hopes for like leadership in perilously similar times in the hands of one of two men. We place ours in the hands of Barack Obama.
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The Daily Item's pick is Barack Obama:
Throughout our nation's history, in trying times, America has been fortunate that voters have shown the wisdom to select leaders ready and able to guide our nation forward. In the days leading up to and through the Civil War, it was Abraham Lincoln. During the Great Depression, it was FDR. Ronald Reagan led our nation to conclusion in the Cold War.
Considering the scope of the challenges facing our nation, voters again must make a bold, but wise, choice for president. That choice is Barack Obama.
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The Eagle claims Obama is the better choice for president, and it has never endorsed a Democrat in the past fifty years:
In the past 50 years, The Eagle has never recommended a Democrat for president. We made no recommendations in 1960 and 1964 -- when Texas' own Lyndon B. Johnson was on the Democratic ticket -- nor did we in 1968 -- although we did praise Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey's position on the Vietnam War. We did not in 1976 and 1980. In 1972, The Eagle recommend Richard Nixon, in 1984, Ronald Reagan. We recommended George H.W. Bush in 1988 and 1992 and his son in 2000. We recommended Bob Dole in 1996.
Four years ago, the Editorial Board couldn't recommend George W. Bush for a second term, but we also couldn't recommend Sen. John Kerry either, so we made no choice.
This year is different, in large part because of the very difficult challenges facing this nation after eight years of a failed Bush administration. We are faced with a choice between Sen. John McCain, who claims to be an agent of change but promotes the policies of the past, and Sen. Barack Obama, who also wears the change mantle, but offers a vision for the future, even if he has yet to fully explain how he would carry out that vision if elected president in little more than two weeks.
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The Olympian says Obama is the best agent for change:
t is true that Obama is a bit of a gamble because of his youth and short time in Washington, D.C. Sen. John McCain, on the other hand, is a sure thing: more of the same. Experience doesn't matter if the vision and judgment are as wrong-headed as President Bush's.
Where Obama is nuanced and thoughtful in dealing with the world's complexities, McCain is increasingly angry and simplistic, bouncing around from one bumper sticker solution to another. Remember the gasoline tax holiday? Drill, baby, drill? The faux campaign suspension? The ever-evolving $300 billion mortgage buy-back plan? Then, just last week, the $52 billion stimulus plan that relies heavily on more tax cuts?
Erratic might not be a strong enough word.
How else can you explain the selection of his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, whom even many conservative columnists say isn't qualified and call a "cancer on the Republican Party"? Unlike Sen. Joe Biden, she's either too inarticulate or too cowardly to regularly face the press.
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The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin recommends Obama as the best choice for president:
As the economy tumbles and our military fights two wars, the United States needs a strong leader with a clear vision for the future. We see Barack Obama as a better choice than John McCain for president of the United States.
Obama, a Democrat, is extremely intelligent and has articulated a plan to deal with the sour economy. He understands that middle class Americans — most of us — are getting pinched.
McCain has been uneven as he has campaigned over the past two years. Sadly, we have seen the moderate Republican kowtow to the far right at the expense of his independent — or maverick — reputation.
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