The money quote:
To the undecideds, we say we believe what’s best for America is a president who is bright, can listen, learn from mistakes of the past and lead us toward the change we need to make at home and abroad.
We believe the candidate to do that is Barack Obama.
http://www.naplesnews.com/...
To understand the significance of this, you have to know a little bit about Naples and Collier County. We have a 2-1 Republican registration edge (roughly 100K Republican, 50K Dem and 35K No Preference), that broke for Bush at the same rate in 2004 (65/34)(link).
The paper's Letters to the Editor page (at least a full broadsheet page a day) is generally quite conservative (though getting better lately). Cal Thomas and Thomas Sowell are weekly syndicated columnists. I was quite literally stunned when I opened the paper this morning to the headline: Editorial: Obama offers Americans what country needs now.
I urge you to read the entire editorial endorsement--it's really a thing of beauty (the surprising strength of their endorsement brought a tear to my eye). But there is one other interesting section that I can't resist passing along:
Then we look at the vice presidential nominees. While Senate veteran Joe Biden disappoints those who push Obama for change at every opportunity, McCain chose Sarah Palin to preside a heartbeat away.
A selection made by a maverick?
That, with McCain vowing "a new direction," was akin to praise for FEMA for a job well done on Hurricane Katrina.
That is our tipping point in this race. Forget what candidates say they will do if elected. The choice for vice president was their first clear indicator of how they will lead.
We can do better.
It is encouraging to see that thoughtful conservatives still exist in the world. We still have a long way to go here in SW FL to swing the tide fully in our direction, but this election is the start of an exciting movement in the right direction. Yes We Can!