NY Times Editorial Page Pulls Out All the Stops for Desperate Democrats (and only Democrats)
With Republicans aiming to take over the House and make gains in the
Senate, the Times clearly thinks there is much at stake in today's
elections. That's reflected in a beefed-up page of editorial
endorsements this morning. The paper's 2010 electoral endorsements
not only take in the usual metropolitan areas of New York State and
Connecticut (skipping New Jersey this year), but around the nation,
making endorsements in eight Senate seats, nine House seats, and eight
governors' offices.
So what's the partisan tally of the Times'
outside endorsements? No surprise: 23 Democrats, 2 independents (former
Republicans Charlie Crist for Senate in Florida and Lincoln Chafee for
Rhode Island governor), and zero Republicans. Some of the Times' more
prominent favorites: California Sen. Barbara Boxer and Nevada Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Compare that scatter-shot approach to Election Day 2008,
a presidential election year, when the Times (according to a
nytimes.com search) settled for endorsing candidates for president (Who?
You'll never guess), and for a few congressional races in New York
State, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
On Election Day 2006,
a mid-term election like the one today, the paper also confined itself
to New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut in its endorsements.
Clay Waters is director of Times Watch. You can follow him on Twitter.
