Sunday, November 4, 2012

Daily Kos: NY Daily News Endorses Obama

From the archives.

The NYDN has endorsed Romney this time around.

A key point from this approving nod from the Daily Kos back in 2008:  "The NY Daily News is in a unique position to change some minds as its readership is widest in Brooklyn and Queens where more conservative folks (namely policemen, firefighters and blue collar workers) live."

In other words, this is the paper which targets the folks in New York who were hardest-hit by Sandy and remain hardest-hit by the Administration's feeble assistance efforts.

And yet there are those who feel Sandy was a gift to Obama.  Doesn't look like it's turning out that way.

--S.

NY Daily News Endorses Obama

I haven't seen this diaried yet so please excuse me if I'm duplicating someone else's work. Here in Brooklyn, I went to the deli this morning to see that the New York Daily News has endorsed Barack Obama for President.

Now this is not as surprising as say a NY Post endorsement of Obama and not as expected as a NY Times endorsement, it's good to see this tabloid with an economically populist message step up for change... and to put THE MAN on their front cover:

And above the DUI of New York's much-beloved Joba Chamberlain!? (snark)

-- money quotes from the NY Daily News endorsement below the fold --

The focus of the endorsementtakes me back to a key message at the Democratic convention: restoring America's at home and abroad.

Daily News endorses Obama for President: He has the promise to renew America at home and abroad 

The need for a fresh start in America has grown markedly in the two years of this presidential campaign, and became imperative as the crippled financial system punishes workers, families and retirees in the country.

The U.S. is in want of leadership that repairs a damaged economy, restores faith in government as an engine for the common good and returns competence to the White House after the spectacular failures of the Bush administration.

Barack Obama holds the greater promise of accomplishing the mission than does John McCain. The Daily News endorses the 47-year-old Democrat, the first black American to win a major party nomination, for President.

The paper has some concerns about the specifics of his plans but they "believe" in Obama. Indeed, the last third of this piece is dedicated to the NY Daily News's "hope". Who woulda thunk it?

Still, reservations persist about specifics of his proposals.

On the international front, Obama faces tough calls regarding the war in Iraq. When he visited the country in July, Sunni leaders pleaded with him to drop the thought of pulling out before they and Shiite chiefs had forged working political relationships.

The Sunnis were right, because bringing the troops home prematurely could well unleash an upsurge in violence with disastrous consequences. Among them: an opening for Iran to play a dominant role in Iraq, the alienation of Sunni-led countries in the Mideast and a dramatic loss of credibility in Afghanistan.

Obama would have to recognize that combat troops must stay in Iraq at appropriate levels until the situation is resolved.

Domestically, Obama would have to shift to some more effective approaches while trimming sails to match fiscal realities.

It's a solid idea to raise the low tax rates enjoyed by the wealthy, but it would be counterproductive to increase capital gains levies. The first would boost revenue and fairness; the second would crimp investment. 
Providing tax breaks to those at the low end is attractive, but Obama would achieve greater economic stimulus with aggressive spending on infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges and, especially, mass transit.

Enabling homeowners to get relief from mortgage debt in bankruptcy court, as Obama proposes, would further disrupt housing finance. But directing the government to buy up troubled mortgages would help stabilize housing prices and bail out families, not just Wall Street.

In sum, we are banking on practicality trumping political dogma in an Obama White House. The fantasy that the U.S. can move toward energy independence without fully committing to domestic drilling and nuclear power must be banished. The reality that America can't make strides toward universal health care without fiscal discipline elsewhere must sink in.

At this critical juncture, the nation must elect a President who will renew bipartisanship and hard-headed pragmatism to rescue America's standard of living, secure the country from global threats, whether of arms or of climate, and lay a foundation to meet 21st century challenges.

That is our hope for Barack Obama.

Hope. It's contagious.

For those of you who are interested, the Daily News is owned by Mort Zuckerman, the lovably crazy spitting fellow to John McLaughlin's right every Sunday morning. The NY Daily News is in a unique position to change some minds as its readership is widest in Brooklyn and Queens where more conservative folks (namely policemen, firefighters and blue collar workers) live.

-fink

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