As tough as the times are, the selection of a new president is easy. After nearly two years of a grueling and ugly campaign, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois has proved that he is the right choice to be the 44th president of the United States.
The NYT has finally posted their endorsement.As expected they made the right choice and certainly their choice of Obama is no surprise. However the editorial is nonetheless of note, some excerpts after the fold.
Frankly, this isn't what I was expecting. I thought we'd see something a little grander that perhaps aspires to stand out among the crowded stack of endorsements Obama has received. Instead NYT took a much more practical approach. They go down the list issue by issue, briefly explaining why Obama is better than Bush/McCain and how McCain is not change. They make the case that no matter which Joe you are, unless you're Joe Millionaire, you're better off with our team in the WH.
Better for Joe the Plumber, better for Joe the Family Man
Mr. Obama is clear that the nation’s tax structure must be changed to make it fairer. That means the well-off Americans who have benefited disproportionately from Mr. Bush’s tax cuts will have to pay some more. Working Americans, who have seen their standard of living fall and their children’s options narrow, will benefit. Mr. Obama wants to raise the minimum wage and tie it to inflation, restore a climate in which workers are able to organize unions if they wish and expand educational opportunities.
Better for Joe the Soldier, Safer for Joe the American
Mr. Obama was an early and thoughtful opponent of the war in Iraq, and he has presented a military and diplomatic plan for withdrawing American forces. Mr. Obama also has correctly warned that until the Pentagon starts pulling troops out of Iraq, there will not be enough troops to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
Mr. McCain, like Mr. Bush, has only belatedly focused on Afghanistan’s dangerous unraveling and the threat that neighboring Pakistan may quickly follow.
Better for Joe and Jane the citizens
The next president will have the chance to appoint one or more justices to a Supreme Court that is on the brink of being dominated by a radical right wing. Mr. Obama may appoint less liberal judges than some of his followers might like, but Mr. McCain is certain to pick rigid ideologues. He has said he would never appoint a judge who believes in women’s reproductive rights.
Better than W. the failure and better than McCain the same
[McCain] surrendered his standing as an independent thinker in his rush to embrace Mr. Bush’s misbegotten tax policies and to abandon his leadership position on climate change and immigration reform.
So read the article, and get back to work.