Endorsement Race 2016

We endorse Trump for president in the belief he can bring about fundamental change — not alone, but in partnership with his party and a coalition of others drawn from every walk of life who think we can do better than what government has offered under eight years of President Obama.

This is far from a blanket endorsement of the Republican Party but recognition Trump will need help and will benefit from counsel and partnership with others who share his core values.

No one will suggest Trump is without flaws and a personal history that is best left in the past. Coarse and even crude behavior on one’s record is nothing to be proud of or to put forward as a model for young people. But these matters do not rise to the point of disqualifying him in a race against a candidate who has done so much over the last 30 years to abuse the public’s trust.

It might seem unlikely, but Trump — a candidate who brags of his wealth — has done much more than his opponent to identify with the needs and interests of people who are struggling and striving for something better for their lives and their children’s lives.

Many recognize his business successes far outweigh his failures, and he could use his knowledge and insights to accelerate our historically slow recovery from the recession.

Among Trump’s welcome strategies would be a focus on lower taxes to spur investment and growth. A byproduct of this approach is his interest in repealing the estate tax that Clinton wants to raise. Throughout rural America, farm families understand how this would help them pass land from one generation to the next.

Trump also is enlightened about the Obama-Clinton war on coal and the need to balance climate change concerns with an energy policy that is not devastating to both industry and consumers, especially those in the Midwest. He promotes secure borders and more-equitable trade policies as a way to boost the economy at home and strengthen our hand in international affairs.

The GOP nominee also understands the first step in addressing the ills of the inner cities is to acknowledge we have a problem. He correctly points out policies promoted by Obama and supported by Clinton have failed these neighborhoods where violent crime, poor educational outcomes, and limited jobs and economic activity have conspired to perpetrate racial disparities.

Donald Trump became relevant due to the glaring failings of an entrenched governing bureaucracy defined by Obama and Clinton. A vote for Trump is a vote to change this dynamic and to cast our lot with a movement that is bigger than Trump alone.

The fact Trump led in some polls in mid-September testifies both to the message he offered and to the weakness of Clinton as a candidate, but the Republican candidate has been unable to be reined in. Supporters might slough off some of his early pronouncements about Mexicans and women as early campaign faux pas, letting Trump be Trump, but he has not taken the cure.

Many of his fellow Republicans were waiting for the day when he pivoted to become presidential, when he mastered the issues so well he not only had the desire for change on his side but could elucidate the reasons for such change. To date, it seems a lost cause. And now, after his crude remarks from 11 years ago were aired, still more Republicans have abandoned him, from former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Arizona Sen. John McCain to Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, who never endorsed him and has suggested he step down in favor of vice presidential nominee Mike Pence.

Meanwhile, Trump continues to excoriate fellow GOPers, the very people he would need if he is elected, if they don't say nice things about him. He doesn't espouse the attributes of limited government this page has long believed in. His policy statements are gassy and have no substance. He appears unmoved that entitlement reform is necessary. He wants a $10 minimum wage. His pro-life stance may only be a feint. He has previously advocated for universal — total government-run — health care.

We are shocked and saddened the man so many looking for change believed could help "make America great again" continues to be demeaning in his rhetoric, largely unrepentant in his deeds and not genuinely conservative in his principles.

That said, we respect the new or inactive voters Trump has drawn into the electorate, their appreciation of his no-holds-barred stances, their righteous fear of a more liberal Supreme Court and the desire to vote for any Republican over Clinton. We would not tell you nay.

We continue to believe the Republican Party offers the best hope for the country and are supporting Republicans throughout the ballot, as has been the tradition for this page (with the exception of 2012 when it endorsed libertarian Gary Johnson for president).

We could never endorse Clinton, do not choose to recommend a third-party candidate and never would advise anyone not to vote.

However, because Trump doesn't espouse the traditional conservative values of this page, we cannot endorse him.

Without Trump, they'll again go into the background of our politics.

A FiveThirtyEight.com analysis of polling data shows Clinton up by 4 points in Florida, 7 points in Pennsylvania and 2 points in Ohio. She is also beating Trump in North Carolina (3 points); Michigan (9 points); Colorado (7 points) and Wisconsin (8 points). Arizona and Georgia are the outliers, with Clinton and Trump tied in the first and the GOP nominee up by 4 points in the second.

Since 1988, the presidential candidate who has won two of three states - Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida – has claimed victory in the election.

Just the opposite. The great majority of original reporting is still done by the traditional print media. That is even more true at the state level and completely true at the local level. If you want to know what is going on in little town USA, read their paper.