Deep in the reddest city in America in red, red Texas, the Houston Chronicle has endorsed Barack Obama for President. The Chronicle has not endorsed a Democrat since native son LBJ in 1964. Why?
Obama appears to possess the tools to confront our myriad and daunting problems. He's thoughtful and analytical. He has met his opponents' attacks with calm and reasoned responses. Viewers of the debates saw a poised, well-prepared plausible president with well-articulated positions on the bread-and-butter issues that poll after poll indicate are the true concerns of voters. While Arizona Sen. John McCain and his running mate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin have struck an increasingly personal and negative tone in their speeches, Obama has continued to talk about issues of substance.
The Chronicle goes on to cite his stances on Iraq and foreign policy in general as well as the superiority of his health plan as compared to McCain's.
And, in a pattern of other GOP-leaning newspaper endorsements of Obama, the Chronicle specifically cites the choice of Sarah Palin as a major reason to not support McCain.
Perhaps the worst mistake McCain made in his campaign for the White House was the choice of the inexperienced and inflammatory Palin as his vice-presidential running mate. Had he selected a moderate, experienced Republican lawmaker such as Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison with a strong appeal to independents, the Chronicle's choice for an endorsement would have been far more difficult.
Thanks again John for your maverick choices!
UPDATE: First time on rec list, thanks! Also, while I don't think this means we'll take Texas, it feeds into the media narrative of high profile Republican papers, especially one in the heart of Bushland, crossing over to Obama for thoughtful reasons.