The Washington Post has been endorsing one presidential candidate or another for 36 years – until this year when they demurred. Speculation has abounded as to the reason, and WaPo staffers and journalists are apparently unhappy with the decision. Now, we know from whence this decision was handed down.
We’ve brought you the initial story earlier on Friday:
Previously on RedState: YUGE: WaPo Declares It Will Not Endorse a Presidential Candidate This Election
HOT TAKES: WaPo Staffers Throw Delicious Temper Tantrums After Announcement on Presidential Endorsements
Now we’ve learned that the decision to forgo an endorsement came from the top dog himself: WaPo owner Jeff Bezos.
Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos reportedly put the kibosh on the paper endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming election — leading to one editorial board member to quit and backlash from its left-leaning staff.
The Beltway broadsheet said Friday that it will not endorse either candidate, breaking 36 years of tradition, following a “tense” newsroom, according to NPR.
The newspaper then published an article written by two reporters saying that editorial page staffers had drafted an endorsement for the Democratic nominee Harris over former President Donald Trump.
Of course, given the editorial predilections of the Post, it would have been shocking had they endorsed anyone but Kamala Harris; we could scarcely expect them to endorse Donald Trump. But the decision by Bezos would appear to be part of an effort to make that paper more non-partisan.
“The decision not to publish was made by The Post’s owner — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos,” The Post reported, citing two sources briefed on the events.
Publisher Will Lewis, who was hired by Bezos in January, explained the decision in an online note to readers.
“The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement of a presidential candidate in this election. Nor in any future presidential election,” he wrote.
“We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates.”
It’s tempting to think that Bezos has screwed his courage to the sticking place in defying the Post’s mostly liberal subscribers, but the reality is that trying to move the paper towards a position that is, if not exactly neutral, then at least less partisan. But there may be a simpler reason for this. After all, an editorial decision in 2024 can be countermanded in 2025 – or in four years.
Could the reason for this non-endorsement be something as simple as Bezos not wanting to deal with the embarrassment of endorsing the worst presidential candidate in the history of the republic? Harris is part of an administration that saw runaway inflation, an economic train wreck, and a southern border thrown open to all and sundry; when asked about her plans to deal with all the trouble she and her erstwhile boss have wrought, her response is typically a variation of “But, Trump! He’s a Nazi! He’s a dictator!”
The only thing worse than an official endorsement of Kamala Harris, would be issuing such an endorsement – and then having her lose. And that loss looks more likely by the day.
I’d prefer to think this is a statement of principle by Bezos. Maybe he really does want to take the Post in a less partisan direction. And maybe he will; he would appear to have some immediate openings in the paper’s editorial staff. And, frankly, if that editorial staff isn’t happy with this decision, well, sorry folks, but Jeff Bezos is the guy signing the checks, so he gets to make the decisions.
It’s an interesting move. But in the end, the only person who knows why Jeff Bezos made this decision, is Jeff Bezos. The rest of us will have to wait and see what happens next.
