Partisanship and the Register

It's no secret to those of us from Iowa that the Des Moines Register is one of the most liberally-biased newspapers in the nation. Considering its location (Iowa) it's also not hard to see how out of the mainstream the paper's opinions can be. I've gotten some emails from my brother-in-law about the paper's recent endorsements, and they seem to be telling.

First, the Register puts forth a very simple formula in endorsing candidates - endorse all Democrats, and the one Republican that voted against the war in Iraq. It's hard to actually read the article as its double standard alone is laughable. They claim their candidates are "non-partisan" and "independent thinkers." Of course, all of this is code for "liberal." I doubt they would endorse a Democratic candidate that voted out of step with their party nearly 40% of the time. But then again, that irony seems to be lost on the Register.

Finally, they (obviously) endorse Chet Culver for governor. They argue that one of his most endearing qualities is that of "big lug"-ness, or the fact that your wife calls you a "big lug" in a TV commercial. I'm afraid to say it, but the "lug" factor seems to be an impressive new low for the Register. In addition to that endorsement, the Register seems allergic to the idea that tax cuts are good for the economy, and two of the three "issues" that the Register deems that Jim Nussle "lost" to Culver in deal with Nussle's desire to lower taxes. What is it with liberals and liking taxes so much?

The point of this post is to point out how silly and partisan news agencies have become. The Register, like many liberal news outlets in the US, don't understand the average American's ability to see through the irony of their opinions. Claiming that Democrats are "non-partisan" is indeed partisan. Claiming that being a "big lug" is what Iowa needs in the governorship is equal to stating that "we just like Chet Culver, that's all." There is no need for the Register to endorse candidates at all, really, because we all know who they will endorse, and we all know why.

Endorsing a candidate by saying they are "non-partisan" when they are actually just liberal is actually quite partisan! If only they could figure that out...