Anchorage Daily News Endorses Obama

The Anchorage Daily News has endorsed Barack Obama for President.

Gov. Palin has shown the country why she has been so successful in her young political career. Passionate, charismatic and indefatigable, she draws huge crowds and sows excitement in her wake. She has made it clear she’s a force to be reckoned with, and you can be sure politicians and political professionals across the country have taken note. Her future, in Alaska and on the national stage, seems certain to be played out in the limelight.

Yet despite her formidable gifts, few who have worked closely with the governor would argue she is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and juggle the demands of an economic meltdown, two deadly wars and a deteriorating climate crisis would stretch the governor beyond her range. Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time.

I imagine that this endorsement will tend to have some more weight than newspaper endorsements typically do. Not much more weight, but some. It’s certainly more likely to get attention.

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Alex Knapp
About Alex Knapp
Alex Knapp is Associate Editor at Forbes for science and games. He was a longtime blogger elsewhere before joining the OTB team in June 2005 and contributed some 700 posts through January 2013. Follow him on Twitter @TheAlexKnapp.

Comments

  1. Paul Barnes says:

    I do not understand this argument. It’s not like Obama is any more ready that Palin.

  2. Bithead says:

    I imagine that this endorsement will tend to have some more weight than newspaper endorsements typically do. Not much more weight, but some. It’s certainly more likely to get attention.

    Oh, I’ve no doubt the Obama camp will be waving it like a flag. Yet, ADN was the paper that was screaming ‘foul’ the loudest when Palin went up against her own party, including Stevens. This is payback for that action against the old boy network. Hardly unexpected and not particularly significant.

  3. DaveD says:

    A newspaper endorsing a Democrat. Shocking.

  4. rodney dill says:

    few who have worked closely with the … would argue … is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and juggle the demands of an economic meltdown, two deadly wars and a deteriorating climate crisis would stretch the … beyond … range.

    Much the same could be said for Obama.

  5. angellight says:

    Republicans always make a word or phrase that is good and right, a dirty word, example liberal. Redistribution of wealth or spreading the wealth, epitomizes the principals of sharing and fairness — it means that everyone gets to share in the pie, everyone has opportunity, not just the special few! I believe that the McWizards of Oz are finally being exposed! AND

    If the American public is truly concerned about the Voting Problems in America, then they should vote Dems all the way down the chain, because Republicans have filibustered or stopped any kind of legislation to reform our voting system from fraud and hacking time and time again. We need a voting system we can believe in. This you will see reformed with a Dem President and legislation, along with enacting badly needed regulatory rules on our economic systems.

  6. G.A.Phillips says:

    few who have worked closely with the … would argue … is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and juggle the demands of an economic meltdown, two deadly wars and a deteriorating climate crisis would stretch the … beyond … range.

    Ya we need a communist millionaire/fake Christian abortionist who who says IRAN IS NOT THREAT.

  7. Alexander Klingman says:

    G.A. Phillips,

    Just out of curiousity, what threat do you believe Iran poses to the security of the United States of America? Especially with oil under $70 a barrel and Ahmadinejad facing not only a serious illness, but also polls indicating that he’s going to lose his election? What is the specific nature of the threat? Please provide details with documented evidence. Having sent troops in Iraq doesn’t count because that doesn’t pose any threat to the security of the United States itself.

  8. Brian says:

    Ya we need a communist millionaire/fake Christian abortionist who who says IRAN IS NOT THREAT.

    I think it’s fair to ask whether Iran itself actually poses an existential threat to the U.S. Cleary, it does not. Is it in our interest for Iran to democritize and end its development of potential terrorist camps? Yes. But are they likely to take direct measures to take us on in an out and out fight? No. So, whenever someone says that Iran poses a direct threat to the United States, I think its important to distinguish in what way exactly they pose that threat. As they stand, right now, as a nation, they do not.

  9. Brian says:

    Forget it, Klingman beat me to the punch.

  10. Eneils Bailey says:

    Paul,

    I do not understand this argument. It’s not like Obama is any more ready that Palin.

    I agree with that statement. There has been a continuous barrage from the Democrats and MSM to go after her, while ignoring BHO’s lack of experience and past associates.

  11. Bystander says:

    “what threat do you believe Iran poses to the security of the United States of America?”

    Not much if the US were a third-world isolationist nation instead of a world super-power that in intricately woven into world politics. The Mid-East is a tinder box with plenty of powder sitting in Israel – and the shaky hand of Iran is ready at any time to strike a match. If that happens, your question will be answered in spades.

  12. Hey, greeat idea! Since we don’t need to worry about anything but imminent direct threats within our borders, can we leave the UN now?

  13. Eneils Bailey says:

    can we leave the UN now?

    If we left the UN today, and kicked these miserable third world despots and maggots out into the Atlantic Ocean, it would be grossly behind schedule.

  14. Michael says:

    I do not understand this argument. It’s not like Obama is any more ready that Palin.

    And yet people feel far more confident about Obama’s ability than they do about Palin’s. You have two weak resumes, but one candidate nailed the interview, and the other failed it. You’re the hiring manager, which do you want?

    Hey, greeat idea! Since we don’t need to worry about anything but imminent direct threats within our borders, can we leave the UN now?

    The UN gives us hegemony, not protection. That has been the case since it’s inception. If we didn’t care about the hegemony, then yes, we could leave the UN.

  15. Eneils Bailey says:

    Let us not depart from the original point of the post here.

    Anchorage Newspaper endorses BHO.

    Today, drudge has linked, but did not write for all you MSM believers, an article at editorand publisher.com.
    “Most Major Papers Continue Circ decline.”

    Most newspapers and the MSM have taken a hard left turn that most newspaper subscribers detect and reject.

    Newspapers, along with the MSM, have given up reporting news and became political advocates long ago.

    Readers, along with the advertisers, recognizing that political discourse should be reported fairly, have taken their business elsewhere.

  16. Crust says:

    Here’s the link.

  17. Crust says:

    Alex’s choice of snippet is a little misleading, since it makes it sound like the endorsement of Obama is mostly over concerns about Palin. It’s not. Their key point is that Obama has shown himself to be the firm hand on the tiller in the economic crisis and McCain has not:

    The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation.

    Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand. The same cannot be said of Sen. McCain.

  18. Floyd says:

    Every obscure actor, paper and politician who endorses Obama seems to make the HEADLINES, in spite of the fact that he refuses to allow disclosure of such simple things as birth and education records[even when court ordered]

    In the interest of fairness, and since this is as close to a public forum that I can reach, here are some of the endorsements for McCain, broken down by category…..

    http://tinyurl.com/4gfzxx

  19. Michael says:

    he refuses to allow disclosure of such simple things as birth and education records to my satisfaction.

    I fixed that for you.

  20. Crust says:

    Asking about education records seems more than a little ironic coming from someone who is presumably a McCain-Palin supporter. McCain came near the bottom of his class at Annapolis and Palin went to I think it was five colleges in six years. Meanwhile, Obama ran the Harvard Law Review.

  21. Floyd says:

    Angellight;
    Recommended reading for those exposed only to public education system propaganda.
    It’s worth the challenge to attain a modicum of balance.

    1]”The Little Red Hen” [Little Golden Books]

    2] “The Ant and the Grasshopper” [Aesop]

    There are of course many more, but this should be challenge enough for now!

  22. Floyd says:

    Crust,
    I would not ask Obama for his education records.
    They are irrelevant, since Axelrod and buddies supply his every word.
    But like any product I buy, I would like to know the country of origin!
    BTW, jumping to conclusions is not even good exercise.[lol]
    ……………………………………

    No Michael, you fixed it for YOU![lol]

  23. Brian says:

    Hey, greeat idea! Since we don’t need to worry about anything but imminent direct threats within our borders, can we leave the UN now?

    I only ask for clarification in how Iran, the nation, poses a threat to the U.S. exactly. There are many ways in which it may, however no real way in which the remedy would be even limited military action. Absolutists terms are ridiculous.

  24. Crust says:

    It looks like the Anchorage Daily News endorsed Gore in 2000 and Kerry in 2004. So while it’s sorta interesting that Alaska’s largest newspaper is endorsing Obama (despite the hometown Palin angle) it’s not that interesting.

  25. Michael says:

    No Michael, you fixed it for YOU![lol]

    Well, implicitly yeah, way to miss the point. Obama has released records in enough detail to satisfy me, and the majority of people interested. This means that Obama’s birth and education records have been presented with a reasonable quantity and quality of information. Only you and a few other conspiracy theorists continue to feel that they were inadequate.

  26. just me says:

    It looks like the Anchorage Daily News endorsed Gore in 2000 and Kerry in 2004. So while it’s sorta interesting that Alaska’s largest newspaper is endorsing Obama (despite the hometown Palin angle) it’s not that interesting. I think this is a point worth repeating. I have found over the years that liberal leaning papers with liberal leaning editorial pages almost always endorse the democrat and conservative leaning papers tend to endorse the republican. This has been the case with the two major papers in my state. I could have told you which paper would endorse which candidates before the conventions. There are probably a few papers that may make a surprising endorsement, but I think it is pretty easy to figure out endorsements based no the editorial page alone.

  27. Floyd says:

    “”a few other conspiracy theorists continue to feel that they were inadequate.””
    “”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””

    Like a federal judge whose orders are being ignored.

  28. Michael says:

    Like a federal judge whose orders are being ignored.

    What orders?

  29. rpk says:

    According to my Alaskan friends, the ADN is a liberal newspaper that is out of touch with majority of Alaskans.