Welp, not exactly a ringing endorsement but at least they were honest. Then again, what they said about the other guy was even worse, so there’s that.

In an endorsement published on Sunday, the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, endorsed President Trump’s re-election in an editorial titled With misgivings, vote Trump for president and Inslee for governor. The paper said it agrees with critics that Trump has faults, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve a second term.

This is as good a time as any to hammer home that point — particularly given that Trump detractors have slammed him over his faults ad nauseam from the nanosecond he announced his candidacy in June 2015 at a Trump Tower campaign rally.

So here’s the thing:

This should go without saying, but one doesn’t have to believe Donald Trump is without fault in order to vote for him. Nor does one need to look to Trump — or any president — for humility, moral guidance, or anything of the kind. Nope, all one needs to do is agree with Trump’s policies and positions more than the positions of Joe Biden. See how easy that is?

I realize that’s not a profound statement, but given the silliness about Trump’s “silliness” over the last four years, it continues to be a salient point to make — particularly to Never-Trump “conservatives,” many of whom would rather sit out the election — as they did in 2016 — than see Trump re-elected. This continues to puzzle me, given, oh, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court. But I digress.

Here’s how the paper began the editorial endorsement.

The Spokesman-Review has endorsed candidates for more than 70 years. Our endorsements reflect the publisher’s views and are made independently of news coverage.

Over the decades, publishers have shifted from solidly Republican to a more centrist, pragmatic and pro-business view, prioritizing candidates and policies that would best serve the Inland Northwest.

As both major political parties have retreated to extremes in recent years, finding such candidates has become increasingly difficult. This year’s gubernatorial and presidential races exemplify that challenge. There are no ideal candidates among the serious contenders.

Therefore, with significant misgivings on both counts, we recommend voters re-elect Washington’s Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee and Republican President Donald Trump.

After hammering Inslee for “spending more time running for president and railing against climate change than addressing homelessness, a far more critical concern to the state,” the editorial board endorsed Trump — in a blistering attack. I know, right? (Bolded font, mine.)

Donald Trump is a bully and a bigot. He is symptomatic of a widening partisan divide in the country. We recommend voting for him anyway because the policies that Joe Biden and his progressive supporters would impose on the nation would be worse.

The list of Trump’s offenses is long. He panders to racists and prevents sensible immigration reform in a nation built on immigrant labor and intellect. He tweets conspiracy theories. He’s cavalier about COVID-19 and has led poorly through the pandemic. He seeks to dismantle the Affordable Care Act without proposing a replacement. He denies climate change.

The economy and markets roared under Trump’s championship of market-based solutions and individualism. Unemployment among communities of color reached record lows. He reset trade and diplomatic relationships in America’s favor. He provided historically high support for traditionally Black colleges.

He rolled back extreme environmental regulations and led the way for U.S. energy independence. He backed federal sentencing reform to address inordinately high American incarceration rates. And he’s committed to supporting law and order in American cities.

Can you imagine what these guys would have said about Trump if they instead had endorsed Biden? Here’s a typical reaction on Twitter, compliments of the Seattle Times.

The Spokesman-Review's endorsement said the quiet part out loud, about the lengths Trump supporters will go to overlook the candidate's sins — and why, writes columnist Danny Westneat.https://t.co/T5gjF5uIUu

— The Seattle Times (@seattletimes) October 28, 2020

Speaking of “Sleepy Joe,” here’s what the Spokesman-Review said about him.

Biden might win on personality and comity, but his policies would strike at the economic well-being of the country. He favors massive growth in government and a historic increase in federal spending through green initiatives, free health services, free education and other ideas grounded in reliance on the state as savior rather than creating an environment in which individual liberty and hard work can thrive. Public employee unions would hold outsized power and demand greater spending.

To afford it all, Biden and a Democrat-controlled Congress would have to impose unprecedented tax increases or accept catastrophic deficit spending.

Taxes and spending likely would increase under Trump, too, but the nation stands a better chance of moderation and reform with him in the White House than it does with Biden pushed left by progressives intent on reshaping America to fit their fantastical vision.

I must say I laughed out loud when I read the close of the editorial, but again, you gotta hand to these guys for their brutal honesty, right? No? Anyway:

This is an election that pits a wretched human being whose policies and instincts for helping America thrive are generally correct against a doddering, doting uncle who would hand out gifts the nation can’t afford in order to win people’s love. Given that choice, economic policy and principle should prevail. Vote for Donald Trump.

Say what you want about the endorsement, but “doddering, doting uncle who would hand out gifts the nation can’t afford in order to win people’s love” is not only a perfect description of Joe Biden but a foundational tenet of today’s Democrat Party, as well. That said, I’ll take the “wretched human being” every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

To the Spokesman-Review’s point about pandering Joe doing whatever he has to do to “win people’s love,” in an article I wrote earlier today titled Biden, Sanders Tweet Pandering Messages About Walter Wallace Shooting; NYPD Sergeants Union Torches Them With FACTS, I reported about Biden being absolutely hammered by the NYPD Sergeants Union — along with his pal, Bernie Sanders — for his pandering tweet in the wake of the Walter Wallace shooting on Monday in Philadelphia. Shocked? Me, neither.