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Los Angeles Times Endorses Barack Obama for President
LOS ANGELES
October 18, 2008 — Barack Obama
is the competent, confident
leader who represents the
aspirations of the nation.
It is inherent in the American
character to aspire to
greatness, so it can be
disorienting when the nation
stumbles or loses confidence in
bedrock principles or
institutions. That's where the
United States is as it prepares
to select a new president: We
have seen the government take a
stake in venerable private
financial houses; we have
witnessed eight years of
executive branch power grabs and
erosion of civil liberties; we
are still recovering from a
murderous attack by terrorists
on our own soil and still
struggling with how best to
prevent a recurrence.
The Los
Angeles Times without hesitation
endorses Barack Obama for president.
John McCain distinguished himself
through much of the Bush presidency
by speaking out against reckless and
self-defeating policies. He earned
The Times' respect, and our
endorsement in the California
Republican primary, for his
denunciation of torture, his
readiness to close the detention
center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and
his willingness to buck his party on
issues such as immigration reform.
But the man known for his sense of
honor and consistency has since
announced that he wouldn't vote for
his own immigration bill, and he
redefined "torture" in such a
disingenuous way as to nearly
embrace what he once abhorred.
Indeed, the presidential campaign has rendered McCain nearly unrecognizable. His selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate was, as a short-term political tactic, brilliant. It was also irresponsible, as Palin is the most unqualified vice presidential nominee of a major party in living memory. The decision calls into question just what kind of thinking -- if that's the appropriate word -- would drive the White House in a McCain presidency. Fortunately, the public has shown more discernment, and the early enthusiasm for Palin has given way to national ridicule of her candidacy and McCain's judgment. Obama's selection also was telling. He might have scored a steeper bump in the polls by making a more dramatic choice than the capable and experienced Joe Biden. But for all the excitement of his own candidacy, Obama has offered more competence than drama. He is no lone rider. He is a consensus-builder, a leader. As a constitutional scholar, he has articulated a respect for the rule of law and the limited power of the executive that make him the best hope of restoring balance and process to the Justice Department. He is a Democrat, leaning further left than right, and that should be reflected in his nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court. This is a good thing; the court operates best when it is ideologically balanced. With its present alignment at seven justices named by Republicans and two by Democrats, it is due for a tug from the left. We are not sanguine about Obama's economic policies. He speaks with populist sweep about taxing oil companies to give middle-class families rebates that of course they would welcome, but would be far too small to stimulate the economy. His ideas on taxation do not stray far from those put forward by Democrats over the last several decades. His response to the most recent, and drastic, fallout of the sub- prime mortgage meltdown has been appropriately cautious; this is uncharted territory, and Obama is not a master of economic theory or practice. And that's fine. Obama inspires confidence not so much in his grasp of Wall Street finance but in his acknowledgment of and comfort with his lack of expertise. He will not be one to forge far-reaching economic policy without sounding out the best thinkers and practitioners, and he has many at his disposal. He has won the backing of some on Wall Street not because he's one of them but because they recognize his talent for extracting from a broad range of proposals a coherent and workable program. On paper, McCain presents the type of economic program The Times has repeatedly backed: One that would ease the tax burden on business and other high earners most likely to invest in the economy and hire new workers. But he has been disturbingly unfocused in his response to the current financial situation, rushing to "suspend" his campaign and take action (although just what action never became clear). Having little to contribute, he instead chose to exploit the crisis. We may one day look back on this presidential campaign in wonder. We may marvel that Obama's critics called him an elitist, as if an Ivy League education were a source of embarrassment, and belittled his eloquence, as if a gift with words were suddenly a defect. In fact, Obama is educated and eloquent, sober and exciting, steady and mature. He represents the nation as it is, and as it aspires to be. |
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