So How Much Is a Newspaper Endorsement Worth?
Once upon a time, a long time ago and far, far away, the endorsement of a state biggest newspaper could give a candidate running in a presidential primary or caucus a boost. But those were the days when the newspaper was the main source of information for most of the people who would be voting. These days, in a 24x7 media universe, when the information just never stops coming, a newspaper endorsement and $1.50 will get you a small cup of coffee.
But in Iowa this kind of endorsement might still be able to give a candidate a last minute lift, as NPR's Don Gonyea explains on Morning Edition. For Sen. Hillary Clinton, whose campaign has been a bit wobbly lately, getting the endorsement from the Des Moines Register was a much needed morale boost if nothing else. The paper's editorial board said that she (and Sen. John McCain on the Republican side) are the "most competent and ready to lead." Her main opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, however, liked what the Register had to say about him too. So his campaign borrowed a trick from movie producers whose films may not get a completely positive review — they snipped out the parts they liked and focused on them.
As for McCain, who is fourth or fifth in most polls in Iowa, the paper likes the way he has "stuck to his beliefs in the face of opposition from other elected leaders and the public." But as Don Gonyea says this endorsement probably won't help McCain so much, but it is a slap at Mitt Romney, and to a lesser degree Mike Huckabee, the two current frontrunners. In essence, the paper's editorial board is saying that it doesn't believe that Romney and Huckabee are ready for prime time.
The caucuses themselves are just a couple of weeks away. If you still not certain just what a caucus is, or how it works, then take NPR political editor Ken Rudin's interesting, and fun, video tour of Iowa caucus history.
10:08 AM ET | 12-17-2007 | permalink
