Virginia Politics-More on Endorsements

I posted my rant about this here. That was followed by this post from Emeril, who also thought the endorsements carry little weight but are fun to analyze.

Today Chad posted this, linking to a article in The Washingtonian. The article by Harry Jaffe is here.

• In this tight race, every newspaper endorsement counts. A good case can be made that the Virginia governor’s race is a referendum on the clout of newspaper coverage and editorial endorsements.

Jaffe contends they carry some weight, but I still think they are over rated just like union endorsements. When you read this article you will notice it is not the endorsement that matters it is the positive or negative bview the paper has put on each candidate.

• According to a report by the Center for Media and Public Affairs, a Washington think tank, Virginia’s three major dailies have published more “positive” opinion pieces about Kaine than about Kilgore.

  For example, the Washington Post has written 58-percent positive takes on Kaine compared with 9 percent for Kilgore. The Roanoke Times’s comparison is 46 percent for Kaine, 7 percent for Kilgore

The bias this election is clear. What about good ole Larry Sabato?

• University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato is not surprised at the editorial leanings of the state’s major papers. “If the newspaper editorial writers were voting,” says Sabato, “Kaine would win in a landslide.” But “I don’t think they have much clout. If it’s an extremely close race, they might.” Sabato says newspaper opinion columns show their true impact on television.“They are great fodder for Kaine’s spots,” he says. “That’s their usefulness.” Kaine’s campaign has filled the airwaves with quotes from newspaper articles that make him look good and criticize his opponent. Meanwhile, Kaine makes sure to stop into every newspaper, large or small, as he tours the state, hoping to get editorial backing. “Who reads editorials?” asks Diana Owen, associate professor of political science at Georgetown University. “The campaigns have been so nasty; the effect of the media is to turn off voters.”

Interesting indeed! I still believe people read the endoesments, but do not carry them to the polls. Newspapers carry bad news...not good news, and most people see that clearly.