GOP Senate candidate Mike McFadden got an early endorsement this week from the Forum newspaper chain. McFadden is challenging Democratic incumbent Sen. Al Franken.
The conservative-leaning Forum, based in Fargo, N.D., publishes papers in Fargo-Moorhead, Duluth, Red Wing, Worthington, Brainerd, Bemidji and other Minnesota cities.
Said the endorsement from the Forum’s management and editorial board:
“McFadden’s conservative recipe for Senate service comports well with the needs of Minnesota and the nation in the 21st century. His success in the private sector, while not necessarily a requirement for public office, is an impressive tool in his public policy kit. His dedication to education – including work in Minnesota to demonstrate what can be done if student-centered policies are implemented – can inform his Senate service.
McFadden also has a sensible view of government intervention in the marketplace, describing Franken’s approach as in sync with President Barack Obama’s “regressive regulation.”
The editorial adds:
“That’s not to say Franken has been wrong at every turn, as McFadden would have Minnesotans believe. If the challenger persists in that sort of hyperbole, his credibility will erode.”
Comments (8)
Labeling
Liberals are always quick to slap a label on those with whom they disagree. So now, in Mr. Kimball’s view, the Forum newspapers are “conservative.” I will wait with anticipation when he attaches a liberal label to the Star-Tribune when it endorses Franken and Dayton.
“Conservative-leaning”
Let’s be fair: Kimball did not say “conservative. Get over it.
Is “conservative-leaning” really a big, mean label? Is it inaccurate?
We have candidates on all sides that don’t indicate parties in their lawn signs these days.
We should now pretend that prevailing direction of newspapers are not what they are?
The endorsement is an advocacy piece without a big explanation how they came to that conclusion beyond ideological statements. I would never base my opinion purely upon unexplained endorsements.
That “Liberal” Strib?
The same Strib that in 2008 endorsed Norm Coleman for U.S. Senator over Al Franken? Matter of fact, nearly all of the papers in Minnesota that do endorsements chose Coleman over Franken.
The article linked in the right side of this page has the complete run-down.
Liberals are always quick to slap a label on those
“Liberals are always quick to slap a label on those with whom they disagree”
Well, John…let’s explore who else engages in labels, shall we?
“Star Tribune’s liberal columnist Jon Tevlin.”
“Perhaps listening to Tafoya and Giordano will give WCCO’s liberal listeners an understanding
of what it was like for non-liberals listening to Don Shelby and Jack Rice, both of whom swung from the left side of the plate.”
“Trust me on this one: MinnPost’s editorial views are solidly left wing.”
“Of course I am not a far-left liberal.
But I do see probable bias here. Are we sure we also have a proper balance of gays and straights; blacks, whites, Hispanics, and Asians; income achievers versus non-achievers”
” archliberal columnist Maureen Dowd”
“extreme liberal DFL gubernatorial hopeful Matt Entenza”
“Sadly, I think the only unknown about Emily’s
future will be with which left-wing organization or politician she ultimately will become associated”
“Michael and Tim are confusing the left-leaning newsroom of the local affiliate KMSP with Fox Network news. The channel 9 newsroom is properly left wing (whew) thanks to some former WCCO people who have had considerable influence on it. ”
“Let’s see: We have mainly taxpayer-funded University of Minnesota professor Larry Jacobs as one of PoliGraph’s overseers; the other is partially taxpayer-supported MPR whose idea of balance is to have Obama voter Tom Horner as its Republican commentator; the lead researcher is a contributor to liberal website MinnPost; and is funded by the Mondales. Moreover, it is patterned after the liberal St. Petersburg Times’ Politifact”
“The Star-Tribune and HHH/MPR were not the only liberal polling organizations that overstated Dayton’s total. The left’s polling gold standard, New York Times’ fivethirtyeight blogger Nate Silver”
“. I think what excites liberals like Doug Grow and Arne Carlson is that the governor has not yet gone off a deep end.”
” Sadly, it appears to be another case of a liberal magazine (Utne Reader) dispensing leafy vegetables to its audience of left-wing hardliners.”
“Or is it because liberals like Smith (a former StarTribune “reporter”) are just presumed to be free of interest conflicts?”
” MinnPost is a liberal website. Discrediting Republicans is its function. The site is in a battle to wrest the liberal audience away from MPR.”
” this issue is useful because it demonstrates the clear liberal bias of David Schultz, who local media routinely present as an objective source.”
“I find it interesting that MinnPost “journalist” David Brauer did not find room to mention the clear liberal bias of the Minnesota Independent”
That’s just from your first six pages…
Yup…those “liberals” and their labeling. Well, you’ve passed the initiation with flying colors, John, we’ll look forward to seeing you at our secret meetings. Newbies bring the desert, but feel free to steal it off some “producers’ windowsill…we’ll divvy it up to those we deem more worthy (takers)…you know how we liberals operate.. wink wink..
If The Shoe FIts . . .
It seems perfectly reasonable to believe that when the Forum argues that Mr. McFadden’s “conservative” positions are the principle reason to vote for him, that the Forum newspapers are in fact “conservative”.
I am always curious about why people/organizations who identity themselves as conservative, object when other people describe them as conservative.
‘Self hating
Conservatives’?
What would you expect
From the end of the earth destination. Move out to Minot NOW,
Cheap Editorial
That’s an advocacy piece, not an endorsement.
It ignores facts.
If divided government requires compromise, then we should look no farther to the GOP’s frequent stonewalling.
You can’t sensibly call out one side for failure to compromise,
when the other sits in the corner & pouts.
Let’s not forget the Affordable Care Act is pretty much the Republican version of the plan: Its dishonest to get the version the GOP wanted – and then complain that its inadequate for those very reasons.