PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, NOVEMBER 6, 2015
KeizerOpinion
Pay attention to the
common man and woman
In his classic play, Death
of a Salesman, one of Ar-
thur Miller’s characters
said of protagonist Willie
Loman: “Attention must
be paid to this man.”
Years before that was
written American com-
poser Aaron Copeland
wrote a piece called Fanfare for the
Common Man.
Our government and big busi-
ness leaders would do well to heed
thost messages in today’s topsy tur-
vy world. Mulitple survey results
from across the spectrum of sources
show that the American household
is generally unsettled about the na-
tion, the world and their specifi c
situaiton.
There are people in the world
who accomplish great things in sci-
ence, business, politics and the arts.
They are heralded for their achieve-
ments—prizes, acclaim, money. We
hear about these men and women.
Successful people have worked
hard. They have experimented.
They have practiced. They have
failed many times. It is important
too for all of us to remember that
they put their pants on one leg at a
time just like the rest of us.
The single parent juggling full
time work and raising children,
often with modicum of assistance,
should also be applauded. Or, the
middle class couple striving to put
aside money for their kid’s educa-
tion while assuring their children
have educational and extra curricu-
lar opportunities. Or, the
small business owner who
must navigate the lo-
cal and federal rules that
regulate their operation,
while trying to make a
profi t.
Millions of American
families are doing the best
they can at creating and living their
life. It is safe to say that most peo-
ple want to do good—if not big—
things. Most will never compose a
symphony, but they can help their
children compose a school paper.
Six years after the Great Re-
cession (statiscially) ended, many
household budgets are still stretched.
Though infl ation is very low, there
is still underemployment, leaving
many to wonder what happened
to the American Dream they were
promised if they followed the rules
and worked hard. And yet they con-
tinue on with their lives, dutifully
paying taxes, obeying laws and rais-
ing our nation’s next generation.
Frustrated by both the overreach
and the gridlock of Washington,
Americans will lash out—thus the
staying power of presidential can-
didates like Donald Trump and Dr.
Ben Carson. If you politically cor-
ner Americans, they will swipe back
at the status quo every time.
Our leaders should understand
the fears of the people. That starts
with celebrating the lives and the
accomplishments of the common
man and woman.
—LAZ
KEIZERTIMES.COM
editorial
CNBC does the impossible,
unites crowded GOP fi eld
By DEBRA J.
SAUNDERS
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas,
had a standout moment
early in last week’s Repub-
lican debate when he went
after, not other Republicans,
but the CNBC moderators,
none of whom appeared to have “any
intention of voting in a Republican
primary.” CNBC’s Jim Cramer and
Rick Santelli later asked questions a
conservative would ask, but the event
began with questions from modera-
tors John Harwood, Becky Quick and
Carl Quintanilla that reinforced Re-
publicans’ belief that the network is in
the Democrats’ pocket.
Harwood launched the debate
with a gotcha question for billion-
aire Donald Trump. Personally, I like
gotcha questions—as long as they are
good gotcha questions that home in
on a candidate’s core contradictions.
Many of the CNBC gotcha questions,
however, were picked-over bones. Is
Trump for real? What about his cor-
porate bankruptcies? A good inter-
viewer addresses old questions with an
angle that invites a unique response.
There was a clear bias in the lan-
guage used by the CNBC Three.
When Quick asked a question about
the gender wage gap, she called it “our
cause.” When Harwood asked Trump
about deporting 11 million undocu-
mented immigrants, Harwood did not
refer to the fact that they are here il-
legally. Indeed, Harwood did not even
refer to their immigration status. He
simply noted Trump wanted to “send
11 million people out of the country.”
This was a Republican primary de-
bate, and maybe the folks at CNBC
haven’t noticed, but Republican voters
care about distinctions as to whether
someone is in the country legally or
not.
Panelists asked the kind of guilt-
by-association questions they rarely,
if ever, ask Democrats. Quick asked
former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly
Fiorina about former HP board mem-
ber Tom Perkins—who backed the
HP board’s fi ring of Fiorina, but now
supports her candidacy. Perkins, quoth
Quick, “said a lot of very questionable
things ... I think his quote was that
‘If you pay zero dollars in taxes, you
should get zero votes. If you pay a mil-
lion dollars, you should get a million
votes.’ Is this the type of person you
want defending you?”
If the above questions are fair game
because there is guilt by as-
sociation, I have a request
for the MSNBC modera-
tors of the next Democratic
debate on Nov. 6: Please ask
Hillary Rodham Clinton
what she thinks about her
new best friend on Twitter
Kim Kardashian baring her behind all
over the Internet.
In that vein, Quintanilla asked re-
tired neurosurgeon Ben Carson how
he could serve on the board of Cost-
co, when “a marketing study called
the warehouse retailer the No. 1 gay-
friendly brand in America, partly be-
cause of its domestic partner benefi ts.”
Carson countered that it is wrong to
assume that someone who opposes
same-sex marriage is a homophobe.
CNBC had signaled the third Re-
publican primary debate would be
about “job growth, taxes, technology,
retirement and the health of our na-
tional economy.” I expected ques-
tions on the sharing economy. Uber
did come up once, when CNBC’s
Sharon Epperson asked Fiorina if she
thought Washington should mandate
employer-sponsored retirement plans
for small businesses—even Uber driv-
ers: “Should the federal government
play a larger role in helping to set up
retirement plans for these workers?” It
would appear Epperson never heard of
individual retirement accounts.
Quick fell down in the preparation
department. Thus Trump was able to
deny that he ever called Florida Sen.
Marco Rubio the “personal senator”
of Facebook founder Mark Zucker-
berg because of his support for H-1B
visas. Quick apologized when Trump
denied the statement—even though it
came from his own website. If Quick
had been prepared, she would have
had a marvelous opportunity to ques-
tion Trump on how familiar he is, or
is not, with his position papers. There
was no such follow-up.
Having spent time in pressrooms
at national conventions and politi-
cal debates, I know how my profes-
sion unapologetically lists to the left.
Everyone in the business knows this
is a liberal bastion. But when Rubio
asserts the media are the Democrats’
“ultimate superPAC” and Cruz sends
out fundraising appeals as he declares
“war on the liberal media,” then my
colleagues point at CNBC as a stand-
out malefactor. If only ...
guest
column
(Creators Syndicate)
Keizertimes
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Oregon’s veterans continue to serve
By CAMERON SMITH
Veterans’ Day is one day to honor
the service and sacrifi ce of all who
have raised their right hand, worn the
uniform, defended our freedom, and
stood guard over our peace.
Across our 70 year history, the Or-
egon Department of Veterans’ Affairs
has witnessed generations of service
members returning home and then
using their hard-earned leadership
skills and experience to signifi cantly
contribute to our communities.
What many citizens may not know
is that one out of every 12 Oregonians
is a veteran. While our veterans gain
great strength from their service, it
is not surprising that many can face
challenges as they reintegrate home.
For those impacted by their service,
we must understand their tenacious
spirit and resiliency. They deserve
nothing less than the best in care, re-
sources and support.
There is never a doubt, though,
that our learned resilience, ideali110
stic pride, and unwavering dedication
to our families, community and each
other is stronger because we served in
uniform.
Take the recent examples of young
returning veterans from Oregon like
Alek Skarlatos and Chris Mintz. Alek
captured international headlines for
thwarting a terrorist attack while
travelling in France after his deploy-
ment in Afghanistan with the Oregon
Army Nation-
al Guard.
S i m i l a r l y,
Chris Mintz,
an Army veter-
an, also chose
to run to-
ward chaos on
the Umpqua
Community
College cam-
pus to help
protect
fel-
low students.
He was shot
Cameron Smith
multiple times
and thankfully
continues to recover for his young
family and community.
These stories have made the na-
tional news, but our local veterans’
community is fi lled with everyday ex-
amples of inspiring continued service.
Bill Griffi th is a former Navy Corps-
man who served in Vietnam and is
continuing to serve his fellow veterans
as an award-winning volunteer Long
Term Care Ombudsman. He was re-
cently recognized for his advocacy for
our aging veterans at the Oregon Vet-
erans’ Home in The Dalles and other
skilled nursing facilities, receiving the
Governor’s Volunteer Award in Octo-
ber.
A recent appointment to ODVA’s
Advisory Committee, Kim Douthit, is
a Coast Guard veteran and continues
to serve student veterans in her role
as a veterans’ coordinator at Portland
Community College. She is a leader
for both our fastest growing demo-
graphic, women veterans, and for all
veterans across Oregon.
While our focus is on our veterans,
we also must remember the service
and sacrifi ce of our military and vet-
eran families. Judi Van Cleave of Port-
land was elected as the National Presi-
dent of Gold Star Wives of America.
Her late husband was a disabled Ko-
rean War veteran. Judi’s signifi cant ser-
vice for two decades with Gold Star
Wives of America continues to honor
our fallen and their families.
Across our team at the Oregon De-
partment of Veterans’ Affairs, many of
us are veterans and family members,
and we continue to be inspired by
our current service members, veterans
and their families. We are honored and
privileged to serve them – not just
on Veterans’ Day, but throughout the
year. It is their individual stories that
make up the incredible fabric of our
community.
No matter the branch of service,
no matter the era, no matter who we
are, or where we live; we stand proud-
ly together. We are Oregon veterans.
By E.J. DIONNE JR.
Maybe our defi nition of the Re-
publican presidential contest is a little
off.
It’s often cast, accurately enough,
as a choice between “outsiders” and
“insiders.” But another party division
may be more profound -- between
Republicans who still view the coun-
try’s future hopefully, and those deeply
gloomy about its prospects.
The pessimism within signifi cant
sectors of the GOP is more than the
unhappiness partisans typically feel
when the other side is in power. It’s
rooted in a belief that things have fun-
damentally changed in America, and
there is an ominous possibility they
just can’t be put right again.
This is one of the big contrasts be-
tween the two parties: Democrats are
more bullish on the future.
Hillary Clinton has a big lead in
the national polls because Democrats
broadly favor continuity, with some
tweaks. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
offers a tough critique of inequality
and the outsized power of the rich. But
he and his supporters are comfortable
with the country’s cultural direction
and have enough faith in government
to believe it can engineer the reforms
that economic fairness requires.
These thoughts are provoked by
an evening spent watching last week’s
GOP presidential debate with a group
of Republicans pulled together here
for me by Sarah Stewart, a New
Hampshire political consultant.
They were anything but pitchfork-
bearing rebels, and many of them are
involved with local government. There
was not a Donald Trump or Ben Car-
son supporter in the lot, although Jon
DiPietro, a libertarian-leaning busi-
nessman, said he gets Trump’s appeal
and could imagine voting for him.
The consensus was that the stron-
gest performance came from New
Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, not Marco
Rubio, the man lifted high by the very
media he and the others enjoyed at-
tacking during the event. Rubio
gained ground with some in the group,
but Newton Kershaw III, a success-
ful developer,
said the young
Florida sena-
tor still hadn’t
persuaded him
that he had the
experience to
be president.
Rubio, Ker-
shaw said, looked “rehearsed and stud-
ied.”
Gary Lambert, a former state sena-
tor who chairs Sen. Lindsey Graham’s
campaign here, spoke for the group
in praising Christie for having some
of the evening’s best moments. Lam-
bert also offered his take on Carson’s
appeal: “He remains so calm. I could
never do that.” Ohio Gov. John Kasich
and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz also got some
nods of approval.
But the most instructive part of the
evening came toward the end when
Ross Terrio, a Manchester school
board member, took the conversation
to a different place, describing his re-
sponse to President Obama’s time in
offi ce. “I have gotten so pessimistic,” he
said. “I used to be such an optimistic
person. Maybe Obama just sucked the
life out of me.” Terrio, who works as
a pharmacist, has no complaints about
his personal situation but wonders
how his neighbors with much more
constrained incomes can make it.
DiPietro shared Terrio’s worries
that the country’s problems might be
beyond our ability to solve, especially
if Democrats win the White House
again.
Others in the group pronounced
themselves more hopeful, Pappas, per-
haps, most of all. She highlighted her
faith that the inventiveness and entre-
preneurial spirit of the next generation
would pull the country through.
But that this argument about the
country’s long-term viability could
break out among these thoughtful
citizens -- they in no way fi t the ste-
reotypes we liberals sometimes hang
on conservatives -- speaks to a central
reality of our politics: Many Repub-
licans see government itself as almost
irreparably broken.
This is why there’s cheering on the
right for the obstructionism of groups
such as the House Freedom Caucus.
Throwing sand in the gears of the ma-
chine is an honorable pursuit if you
believe the machine is headed entirely
in the wrong direction. It’s also why
Trump and Carson will not be easily
pushed aside.
guest
column
(Cameron Smith served three
tours in Iraq as a U.S. Marine captain
and is the director of the Oregon De-
partment of Veterans’ Affairs.)
The real GOP divide
other
views
(Washington Post Writers Group)