The Philadelphia Inquirer, which has endorsed Republican candidates in the past, is taking a pass this year.
Of the 7 GOP candidates for Senate and 5 for governor, the paper went with “none of the above.” That’s partly because the GOP isn’t a pro-business party anymore, and partly because all 12 of them are cranks and nuts.
“With Pennsylvania voters headed to the polls Tuesday to choose the Republican and Democratic candidates for governor and U.S. Senate, it’s as if the primaries are occurring on two different planets,” their editorial begins (read the rest of it here).
The Senate seat, held by a retiring Republican, is a potential pickup for the Democrats. That seat, plus one more, potentially could break the filibuster and release a flood of legislation from Machin’s blockade, from voting rights to green energy to a federal abortion statute — if Democrats hold the seats they have (which isn’t assured). Alternatively, winning this seat could maintain the status quo if, say, the Democrats lose a seat in Georgia.
The GOP Senate field alienated the paper out of the gate. Here’s how: “When we sent a survey to Republican candidates in the Senate race to ascertain their positions on a range of issues, we learned that nearly everyone in the field felt our questions were biased and unfair.” It’s also worth noting that some Pennsylvania GOP candidates are banning reporters from their campaign events (read more about that here).
The Inquirer responded to this press blockade by quoting Thomas Jefferson, who said “truth is great and will prevail” unless “disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate.”
It would be hard, in any case, to endorse candidates detached from reality “on facts so basic that they could be used in a field sobriety test.” In the governor’s race, the Inquirer acknowledged that 3 of the 5 candidates are in touch with the fact that Joe Biden is the President of the United States. But the Inquirer put up another bridge, which none could cross: Defending abortion rights. The editorial board decided “we could not” support a candidate who would take those rights away at the state level, once the Supreme Court abolishes them at the federal level.
The Inquirer acknowledges its Democratic lean, but points out it has endorsed GOP candidates in the past despite disagreement on issues. What they’re saying this time is Republicans (1) are living on another planet, and (2) don’t respect what the newspaper views as fundamental rights.
They didn’t specifically mention the right to elect those in power, but that right underlies all others, and in Michigan, that state’s top election official warns us the future of democracy is on the line in 2022 elections (read that story here) — as clear a statement as you can get that Republicans can’t be trusted with that right, either.
But we already knew that.