Where's the beef for the Ledger?

by: Thurman Hart

Sun Nov 02, 2008 at 01:07:12 PM EST

Would you turn down free tickets to the seventh game of the World Series or a Bruce Springsteen concert because you heard it might be crowded? How about skipping a great sale because you know other shoppers will show up?

Actually, I'd take a pass on all of those.  You get a better view of the game on TV.  The last time I went to a concert I almost threw down with a security guard who kept blocking my view of the stage.  And I do the majority of my non-grocery shopping online.  I hate crowds.

But I plan to vote on Tuesday, if for no other reason than to vote against Mayor Healy's principled power grab.  There's also an unopposed county office on the ballot.  I'll write myself in because I hate gimme elections.  Two good reasons for me.

But all of that is just a sideline to the main feature of the S-L post - their strange "recap" of endorsements.  Make the jump.

? Barack Obama won our endorsement because he offers the best hope for allowing America o fulfill the promise of its ideals.

? Frank Lautenberg is our choice for U.S. Senate. While the incumbent Democrat's effort to articulate a vision for the future fails to inspire, he more often than not comes down on the right side of issues.

? There are few competitive congressional races in New Jersey. The main exception is in the 7th District, and there we selected Republican Leonard Lance over Democrat Linda Stender. This is a race in which both candidates are well-qualified, but in the final analysis, it was Lance's long-standing reputation as a fiscal watchdog and as a lawmaker who votes his conscience -- not his party's line -- that tipped the endorsement to him.

Most of the other congressional races are shoe-ins for the incumbents.

We believe that Democrats Rush Holt, Bill Pascrell, Donald Payne and Frank Pallone deserve to be returned to office based on their records of having served the state's residents well. For the same reasons, we also endorse Republicans Rodney Frelinghuysen and Chris Smith.

Perhaps this is what we can expect from the S-L now that it has cut back on its newsroom.  But, from my count, our "statewide" newspaper only endorses in seven of thirteen districts.  I'm guessing this has to do with "circulation areas".  But it looks like a serious ball-drop on the "public service" thing.  If you don't give people throughout the state a reason to look at your paper - they won't.

Okay, let's say that explains ignoring the re-election campaigns of Rob Andrews, Frank LoBiondo, Scott Garrett, and Steve Rothman, as well as the Alder v. Myers showdown.  What about Albio Sires?  The majority of his district is within Hudson County, and that is certainly S-L territory. (And, by the way, the Jersey Journal endorsed for the Bayonne mayoral race, but not the Congressional race.)

What do you say?  Is the S-L just phoning it in on political coverage or are they cutting coverage for areas where they don't circulate and slapping Sires?