U.S. News & World Report
Joe McQuaid wants New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to be president of the United States, perhaps to the astonishment of many pundits covering the 2016 campaign. Especially given the seemingly moribund state of his campaign, Christie should be ecstatic.
McQuaid is publisher of New Hampshire’s Union Leader, which in a small state still represents a pretty big voice when it comes to presidential primaries. New Hampshire’s is Feb. 9 and McQuaid, who serves as his paper’s one-person editorial board, just endorsed Christie.
Some scoff that McQuaid, a bedrock conservative with a good sense of humor, is being provocative for provocation’s sake. Christie is a political dead man walking, with social views and a personal style that rubs too many the wrong way.
But McQuaid thinks his background as a governor and a prosecutor make him the guy to endorse, especially since he’s dead set against first-term U.S. senators like Marco Rubio.
He’s resolved to oppose that political species due to his disdain toward President Obama. He dislikes him so much he keeps an Obama countdown clock in his office that ticks down how much time is left in his final term.
“It’s not the time for freshman U.S. senators,” he says. “We need somebody with more experience. We just got through seven years with somebody like that. And as smart and well-spoken as Rubio and Cruz are, they’re not ready. Lindsey Graham has more experience and a military background, and would have chosen him, but he has no shot.”
So he looked at governors with experience and decided on Christie. He earnestly believes he’s better to upend (outshout?) Donald Trump, whom he also doesn’t like, and the likely Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton.
He thinks both Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush are “solid guys” but opted for Christie. “Christie’s a colorful guy and, with Trump out there, you need somebody who would talk just as loud. I think he has something to say.”
Like all papers, The Union Leader has seen better days. Its daily circulation is now 40,000, down from 75,000. Sunday is now at 45,000 compared to 100,000 in the heyday of the late former publisher-owner William Loeb. A private nonprofit journalism school named after his widow, Nackey, is now the owner of the newspaper, one of at least three such ownership arrangements, including The Poynter Institute’s ownership of the Tampa Bay Times.
The paper does not have the political clout it once did. It’s smaller and, as he readily concedes, New Hampshire’s early primary also just doesn’t have the influence it once did. But in a crowded Republican field, it could make some sort of difference.
As for the dramatically changing media universe, his prescription is straightforward for those covering presidential politics:
“I would have them stay away from the goddamn polls and do real reporting,” McQuaid said. “It’s much easier to report on the horse race. And the mainstream media always promises no more horse race coverage, and then slips right back into it. You have to do more reporting and use all the Internet tools. You can use them to inform viewers and readers and podcast listeners.”
And there is also the obvious impact of changing cultural norms on civic engagement.
“It has declined,” he said. “I am stunned with how unaware people are with things, even about a page one city story. That wouldn’t have been the case 20 years ago. It’s a combination of things.”
“I don’t know which is the chicken and which is the egg. Papers have gotten smaller and other societal factors have gotten bigger and lessened interest in public affairs. We are surviving with our nonprofit ownership. But we are still having tough times selling advertising and subscriptions.”