The Charlotte Observer, North Carolina's largest newspaper, has endorsed Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for president.
Do the Democrats need a restoration of the past, or is it time for a change? We think it's time for a change. We recommend a vote for Barack Obama in Tuesday's primary.
The editorial is kind to Hillary, asserting she is ready on Day 1. But it also calls her out on her vote authorizing the use of force in dealing with Iraq. It also expresses concern over the racialization of the nomination process, her "exaggerations," her duplicity regarding Florida and Michigan, and her pandering (see: Gas tax holiday).
Now on Obama:
Experience is important, but it's no substitute for good judgment and the ability to assemble and wisely use capable advisers. George W. Bush had six years' experience as governor of a big, complex state, yet his administration has made some of the worst decisions in recent history.
Sen. Obama is a man of uncommon intelligence. He's a graduate of Columbia University with a law degree from Harvard, where he was editor of the law review. He bypassed lucrative job opportunities to become a community organizer with a church-based group seeking to improve living conditions in poor Chicago neighborhoods plagued with crime and joblessness.
In 2004, he became the third African American since Reconstruction to win a Senate seat. His record there is not extensive. It is impressive.
After a quick summary of major legislative successes and a note regarding the message his election would send to the world, the editorial adds a quick highlight of prominent North Carolinians who have endorsed Obama:
Many N.C. Democratic leaders recognize his strengths. State Treasurer Richard Moore and Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue, the party's leading candidates for governor, have endorsed him. So have U.S. Reps. David Price, Mel Watt and G.K. Butterfield as well as Harvey Gantt, a former Charlotte mayor; Jim Phillips Jr., a Greensboro lawyer who chairs the UNC Board of Governors; and state Senate majority leader Tony Rand of Fayetteville.
Newspaper endorsements don't carry a huge weight, but it's a nice boost right before the primary. Obama needs to rack up big numbers in Charlotte.
I canvassed in Charlotte yesterday and driving home passed two early polling locations, well after polls closed. Both had lines wrapped around the buildings (in North Carolina you can vote as long as you're in line by the time the polls close). I think we'll finally see another swing to Obama at the last minute in North Carolina.
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There is also an editorial in the Charlotte Observer today saying Jeremiah Wright is no Willie Horton, defending Obama on three key points.
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The local independent, Creative Loafing, has a scathing column this week by Nsenga Burton explaining why she switching her support from Clinton to Obama.
I have a problem with the way that she is running her campaign. She may as well be a man because there is nothing decidedly different about her approach to politics than any of the other candidates on either side of the aisle. In my naïve mind, I truly am seeking a female candidate who can win by doing something other than what men do. Hillary Clinton seemed to be that candidate initially, but she's obviously not that candidate now.
I am horrified that she has modeled her campaign after Bush's.
I suppose in the same way she forgot about not being under fire in Bosnia, she also forgot her tony lifestyle. She's earned millions, attended the most exclusive women's college in the United States and has served as a two-term first lady and senator. Throwing back shots in a Pennsylvania bar does not make you working-class.
Hillary Clinton may have won Pennsylvania, but she has lost a lot of female voters behind her questionable tactics.
Ouch.