You might not have seen this one coming, based on their low-key coverage the past four years, but the New York Times is officially endorsing Democratic nominee Joe Biden for president.
“Mr. Biden knows that there are no easy answers. He has the experience, temperament and character to guide the nation through this valley into a brighter, more hopeful future,” the Times editorial board wrote. “He has our endorsement for the presidency.”
The editorial board came on strong with the sophisticated phrase “trifecta of crises” to describe the mess Biden potentially could inherit: the coronavirus pandemic, a shattered economy and civil unrest. The Times included in their statement what voters are facing.
“When they go to the polls this year, voters aren’t just choosing a leader. They’re deciding what America will be. They’re deciding whether they favor the rule of law, how the government will help them weather the greatest economic calamity in generations,” the statement declared, “whether they want government to enable everyone to have access to health care, whether they consider global warming a serious threat, whether they believe that racism should be treated as a public policy problem.”
Biden’s impressive achievements, according to the paper, included his “long and distinguished record of accomplishment” as senator and vice president, specifically crediting him for co-sponsoring the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and later brokering the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 following the Great Recession.
The Times stopped short of referring to Biden as the perfect candidate, implying he might be the better of two bad choices in their eyes. “But politics is not about perfection,” the endorsement concluded. “It is about the art of the possible and about encouraging America to embrace its better angels.”
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