Who's for Whom

Except for the most predictably partisan of U.S. newspapers, publishers in 1960 seemed to be having a harder time than usual in declaring their choices in 1960. Nixon inevitably won the most editorial support, though Kennedy was doing better than Adlai Stevenson in 1956. One remarkable phenomenon, on either side, was the qualified enthusiasm. Papers that chose Nixon often did so out of dedi cation to conservative domestic policies more than to any heartwarming tributes to Nixon himself. Kennedy enthusiasts were just as apt to temper their praise with good words for Nixon's policies and his experience. A sampling:

P: The prestigious New York Times, which has not endorsed a Democrat since 1944, when it recommended a fourth term for Franklin Roosevelt after opposing him for Terms II and III, came out for Kennedy in a limp and stodgy statement: "In the field of foreign policy . . . despite their sharp dispute over Quemoy and Matsu, the two candidates are in substantial agreement . . . But Senator Kennedy's approach . . . except for his momentary blunder suggesting intervention in Cuba . . . seems to us to be more reasoned, less emotional, more flexible, less doctrinaire, more imaginative, less negative." On domestic policy a Democratic President will have greater influence over an almost certainly Democratic Congress. "We believe that with the prestige of an election victory, Mr. Kennedy could override reactionary Southern opposition within his own party and consolidate an effective majority behind a constructive program . . . The Democratic Party's platform goes far beyond the Republican platform in making promises of large spending. Yet it calls at this time for 'no increase in present tax rates.' This is not a reassuring prospect, since it involves the hazards of inflation ... In this election, as in all elections, there are points of strength and points of weakness on both sides ... On balance our choice is Mr. Kennedy."

P: "It is no secret," wrote the liberal Democratic New York Post, that before the Los Angeles convention it "advocated the nomination of Adlai Stevenson. [But] in a world that so often seems to be living on borrowed time, we cannot afford the luxury of a great national mistake, nor insist on perfection in the candidate we support . . . We are for Kennedy."

P: For the first time since it backed Woodrow Wilson in 1916, the independent Denver Post endorsed a Democratic candidate for President. "Of the two men, only Senator Kennedy has recognized the critical position in which the United States now stands in the race for supremacy with the Soviet Union. Only Senator Kennedy has summoned the nation to make the total commitment to victory."

P: The San Francisco Chronicle, which lists itself as independent Republican and backed Eisenhower in both 1952 and 1956, argued that in foreign affairs Vice President Nixon's ability "has been demonstrated beyond partisan doubt." Kennedy, the Chronicle went on, "has filled the domestic sky with shimmering promises which could not conceivably be performed without seriously unbalancing the budget."

P: Some of the biggest Negro newspapers lined up behind Kennedy. Manhattan's weekly Amsterdam News argued for his record -- e.g., his votes for a $1.25-an-hour minimum wage, federal aid to education --and his support of the Supreme Court decision on desegregation of schools; "Lodge's doubletalk about a Negro in the Cabinet is enough for us to choose Senator Lyndon Johnson." Pontificated the Chicago Defender in a front-page editorial: "The election of John F. Kennedy to the presidency Nov. 8 is one of the few single events that can alter the mood and course of the explosive international dialogue and redress the inequalities of our social order."

P: The independent-Democratic Hartford Times, which supported Eisenhower in both his campaigns, came out for Kennedy, who "has leveled with the American people." Nixon, said the Times, "with more shrewdness than deeply rooted conviction, has aligned himself with all shades of political thought--from left to right."

P: Deciding to support Richard Nixon, said the Boston Herald, which supported Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956, "has not been easy. Two years ago we urged Mr. Kennedy for re-election as Senator. He has many attractive qualities. But Mr. Nixon outweighs him in experience, sensitivity for official relationships, concern for the freedom of choice of the individual, conservatism in fiscal matters and sound basing in economics and foreign affairs."

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