The New York Times endorses Hillary Clinton for President

New York, Sep 25 The New York Times on Saturday endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and called upon Americans to vote for her decades of professional experience as a public servant, her programmes and her ideas.

The editorial, published in the daily's online edition and to appear in the print edition on Sunday, called Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump "the worst nominee put forward by a major party in modern American history", EFE news reported.

Clinton, on the other hand, demonstrates the "intellect, experience, toughness and courage" required in a Commander-in-Chief, the paper said.

The text of the editorial, which The Times said precedes another later piece devoted exclusively to Trump and what it views as his shortcomings, explains why one of the most influential US newspapers has renewed the support it already provided to Clinton during the primaries.

Clinton "has a record of service and a raft of pragmatic ideas", whereas Trump "discloses nothing concrete about himself or his plans while promising the moon and offering the stars on layaway". EFE news quoted the paper as saying.

Over her 40 years of public service, the daily added, Clinton has shown herself to be "one of the most tenacious politicians of her generation, whose willingness to study and correct course is rare in an age of unyielding partisanship".

The piece recalled her activities as first lady, her eight years in the Senate and her four years as Secretary of State, and it emphasised her "detailed proposals on crime, policing and race relations, debt-free college and small-business incentives, climate change and affordable broadband", noting that it would be up to Congress to pass laws implementing any or all of these.

The Times said that people should not vote for Clinton just because she's not Trump, emphasising that the former first lady is the most capable candidate and the one who has the "capacity to rise" to the "challenges this country faces".

In the primaries, the daily backed Clinton for the Democrats and Ohio Governor John Kasich for the Republicans, EFE news reported.

The New York Times has endorsed an uninterrupted string of Democratic nominees in the presidential elections since 1956, when it threw its support to the re-election of Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, who won another four-year term and whom it had also backed for President when he ran for a first term in 1952.

IANS