In the home of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormon church, the local newspaper has just announced its endorsement of Barack Obama.
On Saturday, The Salt Lake Tribune officially endorsed Brack Obama.
Over the 22 months since announcing his improbable candidacy, Obama has transcended his image as a mere political and racial phenomenon. Though blessed with uncommon skills as a writer and orator, he was mistakenly thought to possess too little political experience, too little backbone, and too little evidence of the tangible, and intangible, qualities we ascribe to the best of our leaders.
Not surprisingly, it appears the Romney factor may have some lingering impact on Utahans' perceptions of McCain
John McCain, meanwhile, crushed Mitt Romney to gain his party's nomination, but then blundered badly by not bringing the business-savvy Romney onto the ticket. Romney would have shored up McCain's poor grasp of economic policy.
The largest issue for the Salt Lake Tribune however, seems to be the V.P. selection.
Then, out of nowhere, and without proper vetting, the impetuous McCain picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. She quickly proved grievously underequipped to step into the presidency should McCain, at 72 and with a history of health problems, die in office. More than any single factor, McCain's bad judgment in choosing the inarticulate, insular and ethically challenged Palin disqualifies him for the presidency.
And to their credit, they see Obama for his strengths, not just as the lesser of two evils.
Still, we have compelling reasons for endorsing Obama on his merits alone. Under the most intense scrutiny and attacks from both parties, Obama has shown the temperament, judgment, intellect and political acumen that are essential in a president that would lead the United States out of the crises created by President Bush, a complicit Congress and our own apathy.
The endorsement goes on to compare and contrast the two candidates and their approaches to taxes, their healthcare plans (or in McCain's case, his lack of a plan), and their attitudes on the Iraq war.
Interestingly, the comments at the bottom of the page are nearly all supportive of this decision. Utah is still the reddest state in the country, but it's good to see this trend spreading.