Very surprising. And basically "checks and balances" is the only justification they could come up with. Yes, that's weak.

Brian A.
I'd rather be cycling.

What really bugs me about this isn't that they endorsed McCain (of COURSE they endorsed McCain). It's that they're so damn weasly about it.

If you support somebody, then by damn tell us why he's the better choice. Convince us.

Don't spend 10 grafs telling us "on the one hand" but "on the other hand" to come to the conclusion that both candidates are ok, Palin is scary, Obama has more leadership potential, but go ahead and vote for McCain cause we need divided government.

The KNS has a history of this kind of thing. The most famous was the editorial that was entirely about why Jim Andrews was better than Tim Hutchison but ended with "we endorse Hutchison." I believe to this day that one was originally written as an Andrews endorsement that they chickened out on at the last minute.

I can respect an honest defense of a opinion different from my own. I don't respect this pablum.

Oh, and be sure to vote in their frickin "so you agree" poll.

According to the Washington Post, "avoid divided government" has become a GOP talking point.

Now, how did they feel from January 2001 - January 2007?

A McCain administration will likely hold the reins more loosely, allowing greater accumulation of wealth and corporate risk-taking and investment.

And eight years of that has gotten us where exactly?

[McCain] is a man of deep character.

Deep character flaws maybe.

The News Sentinel has multiple personality disorder. Maybe we should call it the Knoxville News Sybil?

The KNS is so shortsignted. A little typical of the area. Victor Ashe, the Haslams, John Duncan, Lamar Alexander, even Randy Tyree, all "leaders" in East Tennessee providing not so good leadership.

They endorsed a straight Republican ticket for state and federal offices except for one Blue Dog DINO.

They had a chance to endorse a viable fresh face in Congress (Rob Russell) for the 1st district in which the incumbent was kicked out. They had a chance to endorse a qualified fresh face for State Senate with Ruppe in the 12th district where the incumbent Democrat stepped down, but went with the good old boy status quo. For president, they had a chance to endorse a fresh face representing a new generation of leadership, but instead went with the tired old good old boy crony politics of the status quo.

That's the way it's done in East Tennessee, so their headline is appropriate and accurate.

Newspapers keep complaining how they feel more and more irrelevant, and wondering why their readership and advertising revenues continue to decline.

This kind of stupid shit is exactly why.

Oh well. How 'bout them Vols? Oh, wait...

Even the Anchorage Daily News did not resort to a split ticket justification.

Brian A.
I'd rather be cycling.

I don't remember the KNS making this bogus "divided government" argument back in 2004, when they endorsed W's re-election at a time when the GOP controlled Congress.

~Russ

Interesting U.S. map showing newspaper endorsements.

Via Jack Lail.

Brian A.
I'd rather be cycling.

KNS is just doing what it gets asked to do by higher ups in the area. It's not an objective news organization and hasn't been for quite some time. It's a PR organization.

back when the repubs were in the majority and Karl Rove was talking about a permanent repub majority...
So their argument is utter nonsense...

It should also be noted that the Knoxville News Sentinel, in the same issue as the McCain endorsement, today renewed it's plea to the KNOXGOB powers that be to fire Phil Fulmer*.

Apparently, a failing football program is WAY more serious than a failing government, a failing economy, and a a failed foreign policy.

(*Adams: How much more evidence do athletic director Mike Hamilton and the UT power brokers need to make a coaching change?)

What exactly was the point of their whole "should we or shouldn't we" endorse drama? And can't we discount this endorsement because they're not even sure if endorsements matter anymore?

What exactly was the point of their whole "should we or shouldn't we" endorse drama?

The point shows an industry wide trend to substitute covering news coverage as news itself. It's both cheap and easy, two things that both publishers and reporters like.

That's why the MSM news swamps us with polling surveys. It's cheap and easy news.

Or writing opinion pieces about writing opinion pieces. Same thing.

The importance of maintaining the checks and balances of divided government is, in the end, the best argument for John McCain

Since so many of our conservative brethren are all about "strict constitutionalism" and all -- how about the importance of restoring the checks and balances written into the Constitution?

Where has the KNS been on the steady erosion of Congressional checks on presidential powers? Or is the standard, "Well, we're OK with the president having unlimited authority so long as that president is a Republican."

A vote for McCain is an endorsement of signing statements, warrantless wiretaps, pre-emptive warfare, and the whole Nixonian ideal of "if the [Republican] President does it, it's not illegal."

____________________________

the distance between black & white is much further than i would like until now i never noticed that fascism has many disguises -d. boon, 1981

Yeah, I agree that is a weak reason to endorse McCain. A divided government will only stagnate it. Gridlock will not accomplish anything and there are too many important issues that need work right away. I'm absolutely sick to death of republicans and it doesn't bother me at all to purge out every last one of them. We need fresh faces, people that are ready to roll up their sleeves and really fix things.