Kerry's Milwaukee Editorial Board Meeting May Be Moot

By: Joe Strupp John Kerry is scheduled to meet with the editorial board of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this afternoon in an attempt to win its endorsement in this key swing state. But should he even bother showing up?

Some editorial board members say Kerry's appearance may be moot, as the board is likely to not endorse anyone for president, a move it also made in 2000 and one that has sparked at least some angst among staffers this year.

"We didn't endorse in 2000 and we think we are going to continue that policy this year," said Ricardo Pimentel, editorial page editor and one of eight editorial board members. "We are still talking about what we are going to do."

The potential non-endorsement almost caused Kerry to back out of today's meeting, Pimental said. "They were saying it was a harder sell to the campaign to have him meet with us" without the chance for an endorsement in the race, he added. "There was some back and forth. The campaign knows what we are mulling and they said they wished we would endorse someone."

Meanwhile, the possibility of a second straight non-endorsement in a presidential race has some staffers upset, according to sources. One editorial board member told E&P the board was told by Pimentel that the paper likely would not endorse anyone for president, without giving the board a chance to discuss it.

"I don't think anyone on the board was satisfied with that," the board member said, requesting anonymity. "It was given to us that this is the way it would be."

Others said the plan being discussed would be for the paper to run "dueling" editorials or columns "essentially making the case for both candidates." One newsroom staffer who did not want to be named called this "disgraceful," adding, "we should have the courage of our conviction to support somebody."

Publisher Keith Spore, who is retiring at the end of 2004, would not comment on the situation, saying only "those are issues to be determined." When asked when the paper would decide on any endorsement approach, he added, "I wouldn't share it with you."

Pimental, a former columnist at The Arizona Republic who joined the Journal Sentinel four moths ago, said the paper convinced Kerry's people to keep their meeting with the paper today by agreeing to possibly run a Q&A with the candidate. "We still have to write editorials off issues that are pertinent to the campaign," Pimentel said. "We will still get utility out of it. I also think they are viewing it as a possibility of convincing us to endorse."

Pimental would not comment on any scenario for the paper's presidential endorsement options but stressed that he would make the final determination. "I am ultimately responsible for what the editorial board does," he said. "I think we are going to do something in keeping with what we did in 2000, but we are still talking about it. There would be a variety of reasons why we would do it, but I would be more prepared to talk about it once we do it."

Editor Martin Kaiser, who is on the editorial board, did not return calls seeking comment, and none of the other editorial board members would comment on the issue. Said board member Barbara Dembski: "I would rather not say anything about this."