The editorial board of The Chicago Tribune, the sixth largest newspaper in the United States based on circulation, earlier today published an editorial calling on the Commission on Presidential Debates to, “Let Libertarian Gary Johnson debate Clinton and Trump.”
The editorial begins:
“For many Americans, this presidential race is a train wreck in progress.
“CNN’s latest poll says Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are viewed unfavorably by a majority of voters. A majority! Clinton’s negative number is bad — 55 percent — but Trump’s is catastrophic: 70 percent have an unfavorable opinion of him. The Pew Research Center says 4 in 10 voters find it hard to choose; they think neither would make a good president.
“But if many Americans see their options as casting a hold-your-nose vote or staying home, others wonder about a third-party candidate. We saw that interest spike after a July 7 editorial exploring potential alternatives, as readers found their way to our website to learn about Gov. Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Jill Stein of the Green Party.
“By July 19 when Johnson, the leading third-party candidate, met with the Tribune Editorial Board, his CNN poll numbers had climbed to 13 percent. That visit, again, led to a bump in web traffic, social media “shares” and reader feedback. Voters want to know more.
and concludes:
“You’d think this race couldn’t get any more, um, interesting. It can if voters hear directly from Johnson on the debate stage. To make that happen, pollsters should recognize reality: 2016 is a year like no other for presidential politics.”
The full editorial can be read HERE.
The Chicago Tribune’s Statement of Principles includes the following:
“The Tribune believes in the traditional principles of limited government; maximum individual responsibility; and minimum restriction of personal liberty, opportunity and enterprise. It believes in free markets, free will and freedom of expression.
“These principles, while traditionally conservative, are guidelines and not reflexive dogmas. The facts and nuances of each issue, and not a forged set of ideological templates, dictate where the newspaper will stand. The Tribune is not blindly or uncritically partisan. No political party should take its support for granted.”
The full Statement of Principles can be read HERE.
WILL THE TRIBUNE ENDORSE GARY JOHNSON FOR PRESIDENT?
The Chicago Tribune endorsed the Progressive Party candidate, Theodore Roosevelt, over Republican President William Howard Taft in 1912. Is 104 years later time enough for a second “third” party endorsement?