NYTimes Endorses John Kerry

[DrFunkenstein]

Apologies if this is a dupe.

The search for a Democratic presidential nominee has been defined by an Anyone-but-Bush sentiment, an obsession with choosing the man who will run the best campaign. But in the end, the party needs to pick the person who is most qualified to be president. That's why this page endorses Senator John Kerry in Tuesday's primary.

Mr. Kerry, one of the Senate's experts in foreign affairs, exudes maturity and depth. He can discuss virtually any issue of security or international affairs with authority. What his critics see as an inability to take strong, clear positions seems to us to reflect his appreciation that life is not simple. He understands the nuances and shades of gray in both foreign and domestic policy.

If Mr. Kerry wins the nomination, the Bush administration will undoubtedly attempt to paint Mr. Kerry as a typical Massachusetts liberal, but his thinking defies such easy categorization. His positions come from mainstream American thought, centrism of the old school. He has always worried over budget deficits. His record on the environment is extremely strong. He is a gun owner and hunter who supports effective gun control laws, a combat veteran who, having seen a great deal of death, opposes capital punishment. A sense of balance comes through when he is talking.

While Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards have both demonstrated the physical and mental endurance that now seems a requisite for presidential candidates, Mr. Kerry has been the real comeback star this year. His early campaign was disastrous, and his slip from favorite to also-ran was so dramatic as to be embarrassing. But he pulled his organization together and handily won the early primaries. This was not the first time in his political career - or his life - that he has shown the toughness to keep going when things turn sour. That's a quality critical to a presidential nominee - and to a president.

The primary contest has now come down to two competing arguments. Mr. Kerry's supporters say Mr. Edwards suffers from a gravitas gap. Mr. Edwards's partisans say Mr. Kerry is on the wrong end of a charm chasm. The senator from Massachusetts seems to us to have warmed up a good deal since the campaign began. He can take the edge off his patrician aura, at least in part, by retelling the story of his Vietnam exploits and bringing back loyal blue-collar friends from the service to attest to his virtues as a leader.

Almost everyone who has been watching the Democratic campaign would love to merge Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards into one composite super-candidate, with Mr. Kerry's depth and Mr. Edwards's personal touch with the voters. In the television era, likability is extremely important. But this is a serious business, and Mr. Kerry, the more experienced and knowledgeable candidate, gets our endorsement.

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/clips/news_2004_0226a.html

[RetroLounge]

1. Well, the NYT is known for printing lies.

So why not?

[DrFunkenstein]

2. Are They Lying Here?

I don't see you making an argument, just vague slanders. Make a point.

[RetroLounge]

24. I prefer vague...

eom

[phillybri]

5. Brilliant response...Very well thought out...

:eyes:

[molly]

10. Lies? You support Howard Dean and you are concerned

with LIES? :eyes:

[DrFunkenstein]

18. This Is Not Very Helpful

Indiscriminately alienating all the Dean people over the statements of an inflammatory few doesn't really help us unite the Party.

[liberalnurse]

31. You know, that is so familiar anymore.

I feel like a segregated minority. Makes me want to fight for my DU civil rights. I'ts so un democratic.

[TeacherCreature]

32. too late

The ravings of inflamatory Kerry supporters isn't the problem with him. Kerry made enemies all on his own with his dirty campaign and his lack of conviction.

[RetroLounge]

25. I don't see you making an argument, just vague slanders.

Make a point.

[DrFunkenstein]

30. Can You Be More Specific?

What are you getting at?

[buckeye1]

13. Dean is a loser.

n/t.

[twilight]

15. no joke

Dean shot the wad and now :hurts: ... tough cookies Dean.

Glad to see Kerry get endorsed by the NY Times even though I still support Kucinich.

We must be rid of the evil parasites feeding off of this great nation of ours, UNDER GOD!



:dem: :kick:

[RetroLounge]

23. Thanks for that info. Very trenchant commentary.

[liberalnurse]

29. No, kerry is a miserable failure.

[revcarol]

3. Why am I not surprised.

The NYT, a FORMERLY GREAT paper
Totally ignores DK and AS
The mouthpiece of Chalabi

Periodically I get a call wanting me to subscribe. I tell the person why I won't, WITHOUT USING SWEARWORDS. This shows great restraint on my part.

[demnan]

4. The important issue is not whether they endorse him for

the nomination, as he's already won that. The important issue is whether they'll endorse him agaist Bush.

[buckeye1]

14. It would be really dumb...

to endorse him now and withdraw it later. Don't you think?

[Cuban_Liberal]

6. I don't think it's a dupe. I think it's a...

...'quintupe', or 'sextupe', at least. ;)

[seventhson]

7. Figures, at least One top manager there was Skull AND...

http://www.textfiles.com/survival/media.txt

Look for Amory Bradford on the list

The google him and Skull


from: Who Owns the Media

[molly]

8. Who cares?

[tryanhas]

9. Duh...

...they endorsed him days ago.

[Duder]

11. As Sam Smith has stated:

'This, remember, is the same paper that has not yet gotten around to apologizing for its role in deceiving us about WMDs or for its virulent anti-Muslim editorial policies. But that's part of the game. As long as you're precise on the little details you can misstate, lie, and exaggerate to your heart's content on any matter of substance. Thus you can give people a falsely favorable impression of John Kerry or create a Social Security crisis that isn't there and never have to say you're sorry.'

[DrFunkenstein]

17. And This Relates To The Endorsement How?

Are misstatements, lies, or exagerrations in the endorsement?

If you say that the U.S. government has killed millions of people, and Dennis Kucinich is part of the government, can you say Kucinich has helped kill millions of people?

Next time try an actual argument instead of just sliming the source.

[RetroLounge]

26. You're right. Even Faux news gets one right occasionally

:boring:

28. How I think it relates to the endorsement

It means Kerry has been endorsed by an enabler.

This doesn't necessarily mean anything regarding Kerry, although it would not be a surprise if some people thought it did.

Since the Times has a recent history of these misrepresentations, I would not be proud of an endorsement by the Times.

If I were Kerry, I'd take it of course.

[cosmicdot]

12. just wondering if the NYT operates like any other corporate structure

and, 'the word' came down from "the Board"


convenient, and interesting, that the Poppy's Carlyle Group is represented at that table ... Carlyle's presence is likely the most diverse the Board comes, as far as agendas, politics and socio-economic concerns go (IAW ... narrow)

... the Board with all the other Boards they carry with them has blessed the Democratic Party's course ...

If this had happened pre-corporate media, I would go 'yes!!' ... now, Media has lost accountability and trust ... and, invites caution ...

I really so much preferred the former conditions when I would go 'yes!!' ...

NY Times Board of Directors


Raul E. Cesan
Age:

55

Director Since:

1999

Principal Occupation:

Director of various corporations and consultant

Recent Business Experience:

President and Chief Operating Officer of Schering-Plough Corporation (from 1998 to 2001), Executive Vice President of Schering-Plough Corporation and President of Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals (from 1994 to 1998), President of Schering Laboratories (from 1992 to 1994), President of Schering-Plough International (from 1988 to 1992)


Other Directorships:

First Health Group Corp.


Committee Memberships:

Audit and Finance


William E. Kennard

Age:
46

Director Since:

2001


Principal Occupation:

Managing Director, The Carlyle Group

Recent Business Experience:

Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (from 1997 to 2001), General Counsel of the Federal Communications Commission (from 1993 to 1997)

Other Directorships:

Nextel Communications, Inc., Handspring, Inc. and DEX Media East, LLC


Committee Memberships:

Nominating & Governance (Chair), and Finance


Henry B. Schacht

Age:

68

Director Since:

1999


Principal Occupation:

Senior Advisor (from February 2003), Chairman (from 1996 to 1998 and from October 2000 to February 2003), Chief Executive Officer (from 1996 to 1997 and from October 2000 to January 2002), and Senior Advisor (from 1998 to 1999), Lucent Technologies Inc.


Recent Business Experience:

Managing Director and Senior Advisor, E.M. Warburg, Pincus & Co., L.L.C., from 1999 (currently on unpaid leave); Chairman, Avaya Inc. (September 2000 to October 2000); Chairman (from 1977 to 1995) and Chief Executive Officer (from 1973 to 1994), Cummins Engine Company, Inc.


Other Directorships:

Alcoa Inc. (Aluminum Company of America), Johnson & Johnson and Lucent Technologies Inc.


Committee Memberships:

Audit, Finance and Compensation


Donald M. Stewart

Age:

64

Director Since:

1986


Principal Occupation:

President and Chief Executive Officer, The Chicago Community Trust (from 2000)


Recent Business Experience:

Senior Program Officer and Special Advisor to the President, Carnegie Corporation of New York (from 1999 to 2000); President of The College Board (association of high schools and colleges, sponsor of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and other academic activities) (from 1987 to 1999)


Other Directorships:

Principal Financial Group (Bankers Life of Iowa Insurance Company) and Campbell Soup Company


Committee Memberships:

Compensation, Foundation, and Nominating & Governance

John F. Akers

Age:

68


Director Since:

1985


Principal Occupation:

Director of various corporations


Recent Business Experience:

Chairman (from 1986 to 1993), Director (from 1983 to 1993), Chief Executive Officer (from 1985 to 1993), and President (from 1983 to 1989), International Business Machines Corporation


Other Directorships:

PepsiCo, Inc., Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., Hallmark Cards, Inc., and W.R. Grace & Co.


Committee Memberships:

Finance (Chair), Compensation, and Nominating & Governance



Brenda C. Barnes

Age:

49


Director Since:

1998


Principal Occupation:

Director of various corporations


Recent Business Experience:

Interim President and Chief Operating Officer, Starwood Hotels & Resorts (from November 1999 to March 2000); President and Chief Executive Officer (from 1996 to 1997) and Chief Operating Officer (from 1993 to 1996), Pepsi-Cola North America; President (1992), Pepsi-Cola South


Other Directorships:

Sears, Roebuck and Co., Avon Products, Inc., PepsiAmericas, Inc., Staples, Inc., LucasArts Entertainment Company L.L.C. and LucasDigital Ltd.


Committee Memberships:

Compensation (Chair) and Finance



Jacqueline H. Dryfoos

Age:

59


Director Since:

2000


Principal Occupation:

Psychotherapist


Recent Business Experience:

Private Practice (from 1981)




Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy (from 1986 to 2000)


Committee Memberships:

Foundation (Chair) and Finance




Michael Golden

Age:

53


Director Since:

1997


Principal Occupation:

Vice Chairman and Senior Vice President of the Company
(from 1997)


Recent Business Experience:

Vice President, Operations Development, of the Company (from 1996 to 1997); Executive Vice President, NYT Sports/Leisure Magazines, and Vice President and Publisher, Tennis magazine (from 1995 to 1996) and Executive Vice President and General Manager (from 1994 to 1995) and Senior Vice President and General Manager (from 1993 to 1994), NYT Women’s Magazines


Committee Memberships:

Foundation



Russell T. Lewis

Age:

55


Director Since:

1997


Principal Occupation:

President (from 1996) and Chief Executive Officer (from 1997) of the Company


Recent Business Experience:

Chief Operating Officer of the Company (from 1996 to 1997), President and General Manager (from 1993 to 1996), Deputy General Manager (from 1991 to 1993), Senior Vice President, Production (from 1988 to 1991) and Senior Vice President, Circulation (from 1984 to 1988), The New York Times



David E. Liddle

Age:

58


Director Since:

2000


Principal Occupation:

Partner, U.S. Venture Partners (from 2000)


Recent Business Experience:

Chairman (1999), President (from 1992 to 1999) and Co-Founder of Interval Research Corporation; Vice President, Personal Systems, International Business Machines Corporation (1991); President and Chief Executive Officer, Metaphor Computer Systems (from 1982 to 1991)


Committee Memberships:

Audit and Compensation




Ellen R. Marram

Age:

56


Director Since:

1998


Principal Occupation:

Managing Director, North Castle Partners, LLC (from 2000)


Recent Business Experience:

President and Chief Executive Officer of efdex, Inc. (the Electronic Food & Drink Exchange) (from 1999 to 2000); President (from 1993 to 1998) and Chief Executive Officer (from 1997 to 1998), Tropicana Beverage Group, and Executive Vice President, The Seagram Company Ltd. and Joseph E. Seagram & Sons Inc. (from 1993 to 1998); Senior Vice President, Nabisco Foods Group, and President and Chief Executive Officer, Nabisco Biscuit Company (from 1988 to 1993)


Other Directorships:

Eli Lilly and Company, Ford Motor Company


Committee Memberships:

Audit (Chair), Foundation, and Nominating & Governance



Arthur Sulzberger, Jr.

Age:

51


Director Since:

Principal Occupation:

1997

Chairman of the Company (from 1997) and Publisher, The New York Times (from 1992)


Recent Business Experience:

Deputy Publisher (from 1988 to 1992) and Assistant Publisher (from 1987 to 1988), The New York Times


Committee Memberships:

Foundation



Cathy J. Sulzberger


Age:

53


Director Since:

2002


Principal Occupation:

Partner, LHIW Real Estate Development Partnership (from 1988)


Recent Business Experience:

Director, The Chattanooga Times (from 1996 to 1999); Consumer Affairs Consultant, Consumer Relations and Information Development, National Association of Retail Druggists (from 1980 to 1988)


Committee Memberships:

Finance


http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/71691/000104746903007552/a2100209zdef14a.htm#classa

[DrFunkenstein]

16. I Notice Alot Of People Attacking The Times, Not What They Say

That's, like, a logical fallacy and stuff.

Which has become par for the course around here.

[cryofan]

19. FUCK the Times

Poisoned well, etc....

[DrFunkenstein]

20. The Danger of Paper Cuts Is Too High

It's not like I don't think of the old grey lady in that way, but it's just not worth it.

[Iverson]

21. Now we know the new boundary of permissible liberalism.

The NYT has spoken. Anything to the left of John Kerry is now officially off the map.

[FrenchieCat]

22. The last two paragraphs of the NYT endorsement

here:
The primary contest has now come down to two competing arguments. Mr. Kerry's supporters say Mr. Edwards suffers from a gravitas gap. Mr. Edwards's partisans say Mr. Kerry is on the wrong end of a charm chasm. The senator from Massachusetts seems to us to have warmed up a good deal since the campaign began. He can take the edge off his patrician aura, at least in part, by retelling the story of his Vietnam exploits and bringing back loyal blue-collar friends from the service to attest to his virtues as a leader.

Almost everyone who has been watching the Democratic campaign would love to merge Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards into one composite super-candidate, with Mr. Kerry's depth and Mr. Edwards's personal touch with the voters. In the television era, likability is extremely important. But this is a serious business, and Mr. Kerry, the more experienced and knowledgeable candidate, gets our endorsement.

Prompted me to write a letter to the NYT concerning their endorsement:

Dear New York Times,

I agree with your endorsement of Senator John Kerry as our best current candidate, but I am puzzled by the last two paragraphs of your commentary. It appears that The New York Times wishes for the morphing of Edwards and Kerry, thereby giving us an infinitely better candidate, one with gravitas and charisma. We had such a candidate: General Wes Clark came into the race because many voters did not see a “full” candidate on the stump early on. General Clark was drafted specifically because he encompassed all of the other candidates’ positive qualities.

General Clark is Southern, photogenic, charming, a decorated Vietnam veteran, and an expert in foreign policy and national security. His opposition to the war on Iraq was reasoned, well articulated, and consistent. Clark is gravitas personified and that scares the begeezus out of the Republicans. In addition, Clark appealed to men and women from all parties, expressed a positive message, and was able to call the Bush Administration out effectively on many serious issues. His record of commanding the only NATO war without any casualties should have trumped candidates with voting records that are coming back to haunt them.

It also should be noted that Clark raised some $20 million in just five months, won the Oklahoma primary, and came in second in several races. Compare those achievements with Howard Dean's: campaigned two years, raised about $40 million, and won nothing.

The New York Times rarely did justice to Wes Clark in the articles written about him, starting with the infamous war flip/flop "gotcha" by Adam Nargouney on the day Clark announced his candidacy. Your slanted media coverage of Clark makes it hard for me now to read your wish list at the end of the Kerry endorsement.

It seems that the national media is promoting John Edwards as the vice presidential candidate. Why, may I ask? What does Edwards have besides the free and uncritical attention the media has lavished on him? "Sweet-talking youth and charismatic charm," you say? To me, that's forced and phony. The two accents and the two Americas from the son of a mill worker are tiresome. In fact, Edwards is what many are calling a Made-by-TV candidate. If you haven’t noticed, Edwards is not all that charismatic on second look. Do America a favor, and please stop pushing Edwards. It only makes him less appealing.

Even with the media whirlwind blowing Edwards in front of every camera available, his showing has been mediocre, at best. Compare Clark's performance, despite the national media's barely mentioning him (which is why he had to spend so much on paid media, later a criticism leveled against him on how he ran his campaign). One has to wonder, what could have been. What if CNN, ABC, CBS and the rest would have bothered to mention Clark during the daily campaign recaps, when he was statistically even with Howard Dean at the top of the polls (during the media driven Dean love-fest).

In my honest analysis, I find that the “heavy medal” ticket of John Kerry and Wes Clark would be far more effective against an incumbent "wartime" President. The Republican criticisms that Kerry is soft on defense due to some votes against weapon systems would be taken right off the table with Clark at Kerry’s side. Criticism of what Kerry did soon after the Vietnam War would also become a non-issue with a Kerry-Clark ticket.

Furthermore, Clark can still do what Edwards is lauded for: attract Southern voters (doable with decent media coverage, which was denied to him during the Tennessee and Virginia primaries). Clark is also attractive to Southwest voters, who are likely to be very important this election year. He came in first in Oklahoma, and second in Arizona, New Mexico, and North Dakota, in part due to the Indian vote that went for Clark. He also can do what Edwards cannot--secure those Veterans who are on the fence for Kerry. Add Republicans who would cross over and vote for a Democrat during the general election to get rid of Bush, unlike Edwards’ Republican voters who crossed over during the primaries out of mischief (confirmed via exit poll analysis).

How could General Wesley K. Clark--an American hero, who through his 34-year military career received numerous honors and awards, including the Presidential Medal of Honor, and who saved hundreds of thousands of people through his brilliant diplomatic skills--be less appealing than a first-term senator, former personal injury lawyer whose one stump speech was stolen from the old “Two New Yorks” speech of another? And do we really need two candidates who both voted for the Iraq war, for No Child Left Behind, for the Patriot Act, and against the $87 billion supplemental Iraq package? Will the double echo of voting for most of Bush’s policies really gain the Democratic ticket votes? I doubt it.

As vice president, Wesley Clark would establish a new standard of excellence and honesty. What if something should happen to President Kerry? I believe that Gen. Clark, whose unquestionable integrity, commitment and broad experience dealing with world leaders and the day-to-day needs of the men and women in service to our country, could ably take the helm.

What will it take for an honest analysis of this political race from anywhere in the mainstream media these days?

Been waiting and still waiting.

New site to help Democrats in various congressional 2004 races. Still under some construction. Pledges accepted.
http://www.wesclarkdemocrats.com/

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

27. 100% unsurprised.

[DrFunkenstein]

34. Fantastic Avatar!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

35. ...met the greeeeeeatest earthquake ever known...

Hiiiiiigh on the rapids..."



"Chaka, no!"

[DrFunkenstein]

36. I May Be Revealing Too Much, But...

The Sleestak seriously scared the hell out of me. I realize that they had to possibly be the slowest moving bad guys on TV, but the sound they made can still send chills up my spine.

[mountainvue]

33. I knew there was a reason

I loved the New York Times.