The past eight years have been disastrous for America: witness the failed (or — if you are an optimist — failing) wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; the parallel rise in Iran’s regional influence; the unconstitutional domestic spying and other violations of civil liberties; the appointment of radical right-wingers to the federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court; the growing gap between the rich and the affluent and the rest of nation; the reckless economic policies that have led to the current economic meltdown; and an epidemic of congressional corruption.
It is impossible to emphasize the importance of redirecting America’s sorry course. The nation has lost its way.
For these reasons, the Phoenix endorses Democrats Barack Obama for president and Joe Biden for vice-president.
The idea of Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin in those jobs is simply too frightening to contemplate. The McCain and Palin candidacies are rooted in a Republican vision of America that is narrow, intolerant, and divisive. They promise to lead America deeper into even darker days.
The challenge facing the next president will be the greatest in recent memory: to restore the nation’s international standing while simultaneously rebuilding a shell-shocked economy. So great is the job ahead, it is difficult not to imagine that an Obama presidency at times might falter. But Obama’s energy, eloquence, intelligence, and temperament make him the candidate best equipped to inspire our nation and wrestle with the future.
Kerry for US Senate
Democrat John Kerry richly deserves to be returned to the United States Senate, where for nearly 24 years he has been fighting for a sane foreign policy and humane domestic programs. He has more than atoned for the sin of supporting President George W. Bush’s ill-conceived Iraq adventure by running for the White House in strong opposition to Bush’s policies — both foreign and domestic. Kerry, of course, lost that quest. But, in the process, he did far better than anyone had the right to believe he would. That the Democrats could begin this long and punishing campaign season with their heads held high is due in no small part to Kerry’s efforts.
Kerry’s opponent, Republican Jeff Beatty, is not ready for any prime-time spot — let alone the US Senate. Try as Beatty might to distance himself from the Bush-McCain agenda, he has only succeeded in digging himself deeper into the pit that the Republicans have dug for themselves and the nation.
The Phoenix urges a vote for Kerry.
Chang-Díaz for State Senate
If any voters in the Second Suffolk Senatorial District doubt that Dianne Wilkerson has had her day, her recent arrest by the FBI on charges of political corruption should make it clear that Wilkerson’s career is over.
This September, voters narrowly nominated social-policy expert Sonia Chang-Díaz for Wilkerson’s job. But Wilkerson, displaying arrogance all too typical of the once estimable state senator, chose to stage an insurgent write-in campaign. Once again, Wilkerson’s sense of propriety and proportion failed her — and her constituents.
A criminal charge is not a conviction, but even before Wilkerson was collared by the FBI, new questions arose about her integrity.
Vote for Chang-Díaz. She’s un-bought and un-bossed.
