Expected Virginian-Pilot endorsements: Webb & Drake

This morning’s Pilot editorial explains how they make endorsements:

We treat an endorsement like a hiring process: We study a candidate’s background and job performance; check references and public records; and conduct an extensive interview. The close questioning in these interviews gives us a chance to get to know the candidates in a way voters can’t.

I think that last sentence is a little presumptuous but OK. In any event, I expect the Pilot to endorse Jim Webb for Senate. Here’s the giveaway for me:

Incumbent Sen. George Allen never responded to our many invitations for an interview. James Webb, his Democratic challenger, was interviewed three times.

I can’t imagine why Allen would ignore the Pilot. (Well, I can, but that’s a story for another day.) Perhaps he was not considering Southside Hampton Roads to be the battleground for him that it has turned out to be. (M-D shows Webb leading here.)

As for the endorsement of Thelma Drake over Phil Kellam, take a look at what the Pilot says about its biases:

We value the experience of incumbents. But we will endorse a challenger who can make a persuasive case for replacing the incumbent.

A challenger has two questions to answer: why the other guy should be fired and why the challenger should be hired. I believe Kellam has made the case for the first but not the second. He’s got two weeks to convince the voters, but I hardly think that is enough time to convince the Pilot.

As for the value of the Pilot endorsement, let me just say that it has no bearing on my vote. And I’m not sure that it should have any bearing on anyone’s vote. The day is long gone when the only people with access to the candidates is the newspaper. Today, we all have access. The candidates appear at venues where we have a chance to meet them and ask them questions. Most of us have access to the internet and candidates’ websites. There is enough information out there (although I have to admit that this election season I have gotten almost NO mail from the candidates, which is odd) to make an informed decision.

I do agree with the end of the editorial:

The test of a good endorsement is not whether the candidate wins but whether it helps you think about the choices. What’s important is not whether you agree or disagree with our choice, but whether we have given you a reason to vote on Election Day.

In the end, that’s the only endorsement that counts.

Yes. Please exercise your right to vote on November 7.

Technorati Tags: Jim Webb, George Allen, Phil Kellam, Thelma Drake