The State, based in Columbia SC, is a McClatchy newspaper. It is also very much Republican and conservative in its editorial outlook, having last endorsed a Democratic in 1976- coincidentally, Jimmy Carter carried SC that year.
At 5 PM this evening their presidential endorsement went live. It is titled Endorsement: Why conservatives have no option but to support Clinton.
The editorial begins by acknowledging the deep desire for change. Here is the very beginning
Columbia, SC
WE UNDERSTAND WHY so many South Carolinians are angry about a gridlocked federal government that is unable or unwilling to address the serious problems confronting our country.
This is followed by a number of example before stating
We get the temptation to seek radical change.
It then turns to Trump, talking about how in theory he could have been an intriguing possibility. But it notes
As with everyone who seeks public office, Mr. Trump’s background is subject to investigation and debate. Has he been as successful as he claims? If so, how did he build that success?
We’d prefer to spend most of this editorial analyzing such questions. But his story also includes a series of campaign promises that, if kept, would fundamentally change who we are as a nation.
It then goes through his statements from the Wall he wants to build, his willingness to torture, his attacks on the First Amendment, before noting
While he has changed some of those positions — especially the killing of terrorists’ relatives — it’s troubling he ever considered them.
After going on to more of Trump’s problematic statements, the paper concludes
Whatever intrigue his business resume generates is overshadowed by his character and personality. He is simply unfit for the presidency, or any public office.
That means we must rely on Hillary Clinton for any meaningful change in Washington politics.
Now stop for a minute. This is a conservative editorial board that is in favor of change, and for that it is insisting that we need Hillary Clinton.
It lists her strengths, and then — as to be expected from a conservative editorial board — lists the issues one can offer in opposition to her. They decide that she would be more careful handling classified materials than was shown in her private email server, and hope that she will end all doubt about conflicts of interest with the Clinton Foundation.
We then read this paragraph:
Still, compared with Mr. Trump’s alarming flaws, Mrs. Clinton is the obvious choice. She is far more informed about the problems confronting the country and has detailed plans for addressing them. She embraces the fundamental values that have guided America for centuries, and her temperament is better suited to answer the proverbial 3 a.m. call.
After reminding readers that this is the first Democratic endorsement since 1976, they add
Through the years, we evaluated nominees based on our support for reducing the national debt, strengthening national security and other conservative values. Those values compel us to endorse Mrs. Clinton this year.
To this they note both the massive amount of debt that Trump would add, as well as his ridiculous statements about national security, the later as compared to Clinton’s extensive experience, to which they add perhaps the most devastating line in the editorial, expressed in a genteel Southern fashion, which instead of block quoting I will simply place in bold:
We also doubt his ability to think rationally in a crisis.
OUCH!
Allow me to push fair use and quote the entire two concluding paragraphs before adding some observations:
If elected, Mrs. Clinton must hear the voters’ call for change. She and Congress — whether it’s controlled by Democrats or Republicans — must commit to compromise. While both sides bear responsibility for this, presidents are uniquely positioned to lead the effort.
In this era of voter discontent, Americans want change. But we must consider carefully what will change and who will lead it. Of the two candidates, the choice is clear. Mrs. Clinton’s experience, stability and knowledge make her more likely than Mr. Trump to effectively tackle the nation’s problems.
First, while this editorial will resonate among a fair number of South Carolinians, it still remains highly unlikely that Clinton could pull out the state, even with a massive turnout of the African-American vote. I would be shocked even to see a major surrogate much less the candidate go into the state. There is also no competitive Senate race to justify such a trip.
Second, note that the editorial frames its support of Clinton as it lays out in its title — as a choice real conservative must make.
The editorial board rightly points out that to move the country forward is going to require some degree of compromise, and that Presidents are uniquely positioned to address this. They could have reinforced this with the background of cooperation Clinton has done over the years with conservative Republicans, particularly in the US Senate, beginning as First Lady, and since both as a Senator and as Secretary of State.
Perhaps newspaper endorsements do not mean as much as they used to. Still, one of the positive things about this cycle is the large number of conservative editorial boards willing to at least to disavow the Republican nominee, and even more, as this board does, to cross party lines in the best interests of the nation.
I think kudoes are in order for this editorial.