Obama for president

Vote for ‘that one.’ Also, approve pot reform.
By EDITORIAL  |  November 6, 2008

081031_editorial_main

The past eight years have been disastrous for America: witness the failed (or — if you are an optimist — failing) wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; the parallel rise in Iran’s regional influence; the unconstitutional domestic spying and other violations of civil liberties; the appointment of radical right-wingers to the federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court; the growing gap between the rich and the affluent and the rest of nation; the reckless economic policies that have led to the current economic meltdown; and an epidemic of congressional corruption.

It is impossible to emphasize the importance of redirecting America’s sorry course. The nation has lost its way.

For these reasons, the Phoenix endorses Democrats Barack Obama for president and Joe Biden for vice-president.

The idea of Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin in those jobs is simply too frightening to contemplate. The McCain and Palin candidacies are rooted in a Republican vision of America that is narrow, intolerant, and divisive. They promise to lead America deeper into even darker days.

The challenge facing the next president will be the greatest in recent memory: to restore the nation’s international standing while simultaneously rebuilding a shell-shocked economy. So great is the job ahead, it is difficult not to imagine that an Obama presidency at times might falter. But Obama’s energy, eloquence, intelligence, and temperament make him the candidate best equipped to inspire our nation and wrestle with the future.

Kerry for US Senate
Democrat John Kerry richly deserves to be returned to the United States Senate, where for nearly 24 years he has been fighting for a sane foreign policy and humane domestic programs. He has more than atoned for the sin of supporting President George W. Bush’s ill-conceived Iraq adventure by running for the White House in strong opposition to Bush’s policies — both foreign and domestic. Kerry, of course, lost that quest. But, in the process, he did far better than anyone had the right to believe he would. That the Democrats could begin this long and punishing campaign season with their heads held high is due in no small part to Kerry’s efforts.

Kerry’s opponent, Republican Jeff Beatty, is not ready for any prime-time spot — let alone the US Senate. Try as Beatty might to distance himself from the Bush-McCain agenda, he has only succeeded in digging himself deeper into the pit that the Republicans have dug for themselves and the nation.

The Phoenix urges a vote for Kerry.

Chang-Díaz for State Senate
If any voters in the Second Suffolk Senatorial District doubt that Dianne Wilkerson has had her day, her recent arrest by the FBI on charges of political corruption should make it clear that Wilkerson’s career is over.

This September, voters narrowly nominated social-policy expert Sonia Chang-Díaz for Wilkerson’s job. But Wilkerson, displaying arrogance all too typical of the once estimable state senator, chose to stage an insurgent write-in campaign. Once again, Wilkerson’s sense of propriety and proportion failed her — and her constituents.

A criminal charge is not a conviction, but even before Wilkerson was collared by the FBI, new questions arose about her integrity.

Vote for Chang-Díaz. She’s un-bought and un-bossed.

1  |  2  |   next >
Related: A Statesman Too Late?, Senate shuffle, Women on the verge, More more >
  Topics: The Editorial Page , Barack Obama, Dianne Wilkerson, JOE BIDEN,  More more >
| More


Most Popular
ARTICLES BY EDITORIAL
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   MERCY AND SAL DIMASI  |  March 13, 2013
    When it comes to showing a modicum of mercy to some of those convicted of federal crimes, Barack Obama is shaping up to have the worst track record of any president in recent memory.
  •   NEXT, MARRIAGE EQUALITY  |  March 05, 2013
    On March 27 and 28, the US Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in two cases that could essentially put America on the road to full marriage equality.
  •   THUS SPAKE MARKEY  |  February 26, 2013
    Last week, Congressman Ed Markey inadvertently injected some daring political thinking and a touch of historical imagination into the race to fill the US Senate seat vacated by John Kerry's appointment as secretary of state.
  •   DRONES: 10 THOUGHTS  |  February 20, 2013
    Foreign drone attacks are almost (but not quite yet) as American as apple pie.
  •   MISSION CREEP: THE 'LONG WAR' ON AL QAEDA TERRORISTS  |  February 13, 2013
    America is a prisoner of the War on Terror, which military and diplomatic policy makers once called the Long War.

 See all articles by: EDITORIAL