February 28, 2008
NY Times's Clinton Endorsement Almost Went to Obama
The 20-member New York Times editorial board nearly endorsed Barack Obama for president, but ultimately Times chairman and publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. pushed through a Clinton endorsement, anonymous sources have told The New Republic. The behind-the-scenes article echoes conjecture from New York Magazine that Sulzberger’s BFF gym buddy Steven Rattner, a major Clinton donor and former Times reporter, may have been the deciding factor.
An unnamed Times staffer regrets the error: “We're on the wrong side of history.” (Wouldn’t be the first time.) And editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal admits, “It was a really hard one, no question about it. We talked about this within our board for hours. It was a very lively, interesting discussion.”
The editorial endorsing Clinton was published much earlier in the primary season than usual, and stands in contrast to the overwhelming number of editorial pages endorsing Obama, including the New York Times Company-owned Boston Globe and the four biggest dailies in Texas, where Clinton’s presidential fate will hang in the balance next Tuesday.
According to TNR’s sources, Obama received a “lukewarm reception” when he first met with the paper's editorial board last spring, but his second visit in November went much better, though Sulzberger began the meeting with a characteristically awkward aside: “I heard you flopped last time.” And it’s unclear whether Obama had enough pillows for his comfort during the meeting.
Photo: BHowdy.
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Pinch is such an idiot. If he weren't born into the position, the paper would still be "of record."
This is hardly surprising given the campaign coverage in the Times and the anti-Clinton and pro-Obama tilt among the paper's columnists.
Endorsing the "wrong" candidate is hardly the worst way to be "on the wrong side of history".
Pinch should hang it up. He's running that organization into the ground.
What is he doing in that photo? Invisible cats cradle? Summoning the demons? Some sort of pantomime suspender wizardry?
Whaddaya.... It's a hip-hop gesture.
Whatever. This is a great way to hedge their bets.
If Clinton was winning we never would have heard of this story.
Haha
I thought he was playing the world smallest (and most invisible) harp or maybe some sort of magical orb???
If you wanted to dress as an asshole for Halloween, that would be the perfect outfit.
Sulzberger’s Magic Orb
Phineas Gage, nail on the head.
Terrible haircut, blue shirt w/ white collar, suspenders. It's straight out of Central Casting.
Perhaps young Mr. Sulzberger should look into another profession; he's not doing a very good job at this one. If he were a mere employee, he would have been fired a long time ago.
"Phineas Gage, nail on the head."
You should have said nail IN the head.
hahahahahahaahahhah
you can asskiss whoever you want for the nomination on your paper. it's your paper, old man. whoever wins is a different story.
let it be obama.
The NY Times endorsement is the kiss of death. How many of their endorsed candidates win? I would think a very small %
Does anyone outside of Park Slope and The Yupper West Side still give a fuck about The New York Times?
Glad to hear that Obama behaved classily in the face of Pinch's complete lack of grace and manners. That speaks well of him.
...because phineas gage had a rairoad spike blown into his head accidentaly and was a case study for brain damage and the effects legions have on certain functions on the brain for generations of neurologists.
lesions