Des Moines Register: Kerry the real thing

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/news/news_2004_1024b.html

"About half of Americans have lost confidence in President Bush, yet many hang back from embracing the alternative. That's unfortunate, because Senator John F. Kerry is a wise and decent man who has the makings of a fine president."

...

"But Kerry, we believe, has a better chance of overcoming that anger. It is the nature of the man to listen and to respect others. He does not tend toward vindictiveness or in-your-face triumphalism. There is a dignity about him."

Good stuff! Let's not get down over right-wing rags in Ohio. No major paper that backed Gore has endorsed a 2nd Bush term, while Kerry has changed minds across the country. Keep up the fight!

•  Let's see if this helps...

  ...break the tie in Iowa.
  

  by KTinOhio on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 10:25:55 PM PDT

•  Outstanding editorial.

  This will close the deal in Iowa.

  by khyber900 on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 10:26:19 PM PDT

  •  Agreed

    They layed down the gauntlet here:

    "Yes, Kerry is liberal. But what's to fear from a liberal president? That he would run big deficits? That he would increase federal spending? That he would expand the power of the federal government over individuals' lives? Nothing Kerry could do could top what President Bush has already done in those realms."
    

    by TXdem on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 10:32:57 PM PDT

    •  This is the paragraph...

      that I found most compelling.

      Yeah, he's a liberal. And if he is then George Bush is a UBER-Liberal.

      by VinceDee on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 10:35:08 PM PDT

  •  I'm afraid that's wishful thinking......

    I think Kerry will pull out Iowa based on the state party's excellent GOTV operations, but as a born-&-bred Iowan (although I haven't lived there in a number of years), I can tell you no one votes based on Register editorials or endorsements.  Iowa Goopers hate the Register because it is liberal, Iowa Dems love it because it is liberal, and Iowa independents ignore it because everyone acknowledges it is liberal.  So it's not a publication with any influence except maybe in a Democratic primary or if it endorses a Gooper.

    by DCCyclone on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 10:49:28 PM PDT

    •  The Register had a major impact on Edwards'

      campaign during the caucuses and propelled him to the Vice Presidency.  Indies represent the largest share of voters in the state (38%).  They read the paper and they find this endorsement informative.  It will add votes to our column.  No question about it.  The steam is fading from the Bush campaign.  Kerry had an outstanding week.  He starts this week where he should be:  in Florida for 2 days.  With Gore tomorrow I believe, and with Clinton on Monday.  That will propel him to the finish line in a state where the pro-Kerry energy is electric right now.  

      by khyber900 on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 11:20:02 PM PDT

•  Des Moines is very influential.

  Their endorsement of Edwards helped propel him to a strong 2nd.

  by Eternal Hope on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 10:28:21 PM PDT

•  You know

  a lot of people early on(including me) kept saying that kerry is no charismatic enough, that I don't see him as having the potential for greatness. For a long time I was ABB, but I saw something in the debates- when he said the greatest thing facing us was the threat of nuclear weapons out of the former soviet republics- I realized- this is a man with his eyes on the ball- is he elegant? no. does he need to be- no- what's great about this editorial is that I think it is the first to capture what the rest of the media is missing- this man has the character to become a great president- and I am by nature a cynic- but if Kerry plays to what is great about him I truly believe that he can do what bush failed to do- unite this country b/c Kerry gets it.

  by bruh1 on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 10:40:29 PM PDT

  •  You're right.

    I totally agree.  This is a good and decent man, and I think he would be an excellent President.

    Looking at it from a historical context, this country is really overdue for an excellent President.  Clinton was good.  Reagan *played* an excellent President.  But I think Kerry has what it takes to actually *be* an excellent President.

    by TooLittleSleep on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 10:49:30 PM PDT

•  cool deal!

  I was a bit worried about this one. Also, the Las Vegas Sun, the Bergen Record (Jersey City), the Newark Star Ledger, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and amazingly the Detroit News which has never endorsed a Democrat, have all now endorsed Kerry.

  The Detroit News endorsement isn't online yet.

  by GoKeever on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 10:41:37 PM PDT

•  shocker of the year!

  no, really!  

  i love the register but i can't say this is the year's biggest surprise. :P

  by mischief managed on Sun Oct 24, 2004 at 12:51:32 AM PDT

•  And in Eastern Iowa

  The Quad City Times, which endorsed Bush in 2000, came out this morning with a strong endorsement of...JOHN KERRY!

  Newspaper endorsements don't mean much to the truly decided voters.  But I do believe they can have influence over the wavering.  Particularly when the arguments are well-reasoned.

  I don't believe it's entirely a coincidence that the Des Moines Register backed Edwards, and the Quad City Times backed Kerry during the caucus, and the voters just magically backed them as well.

  It may be that voters just happened to see the same qualities that the editorial boards did back then, but I if that was the case then, I suspect it still is now.

  Sorry I can't post a link to the Times endorsement, haven't found it on their site yet, just read it in my morning paper.

  by SuperMom on Sun Oct 24, 2004 at 07:48:13 AM PDT