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PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, NOVEMBER 25, 2016 KeizerOpinion KEIZERTIMES.COM Fasten your seat belts There are millions of Americans who voted for Donald J. Trump as their next president. So many decided that a change in direction on national policies was important that many blue states fl ipped over to become red states. This after a campaign in which the winning candidate did not lay out a specifi c agenda—just a lot of applause lines like building a wall along our border with Mexico, ban- ning immigration into the country by those of the Muslim faith amid many others. Now as president-elect, Trump is slowly forming his government. Those who voted for change are going to get more change than they probably hoped for. Trump has named Steve Bannon, former chief executive of Breitbart News— known for its alt-right, nationalist, anti-Semite views—as his chief po- litical strategist. Bannon’s appoint- ment has many on both the left and the right very concerned about how much infl uence he will have over Donald Trump’s thinking. Until Trump is actually in the Oval Offi ce will we not know what kind of president he will be. The awesome power of the offi ce has a way of moderating the presi- dent. Already Trump is backing away from some of his proposals that got him where he is today: he won’t pursue a prosecution of Hill- ary Clinton for her use of a private email server while Secretary of State or for any alleged improprieties at the Clinton Foundation. Parts of ‘the beautiful wall’ have receded into ‘some places a fence.’ Trump’s call for a repeal of the Af- fordability Care Act are now tem- pered with support of some of Obamacare’s most popular elements including children staying on their parent’s insurance until age 26 and the inability of companies to deny insurance to those with a pre-exist- ing condition. For every step forward there are two steps back. The spoils do go to the victor, but we’ve never had a victor like Donald Trump. His myriad of business interests include developments in many countries around the globe—coun- tries the Trump Administration will deal with on political, military and economic issues. Citizens should be concerned by the president-elect’s pronouncement about confl icts of interest. He said no one should be worried because voters knew about his business interests during the campaign and when they voted for him. Aside from confl icts of interest here in the United State and around the world, one should be concerned about his disdain for the press. The press and media have been attacked for its supposed bias with their campaign coverage; Trump calls the press—especially television and ca- ble news—dishonest liars. Trump has no taste for the press. Traditionally, there has been a press pool representative that follows the president wherever he goes. Trump doesn’t want that and will prob- ably be the least covered president in modern times. At a meeting with executives and news anchors this week, rather than learning how best to cover the Trump White House, the attendees were met with a dress- ing down. It was defi nitely not a friendly gathering. For those who voted for change in Washington, those supported Trump’s call to “drain the swamp” in the nation’s capital, they will get it. Bigly. Change is always hard for people to cope with. Some people will get a change they never wanted; oth- ers will get a change that goes too far. Whatever the Trump Era brings, buckle your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy fl ight. —LAZ editorial Christmas in Keizer Many homes are still enjoying Thanksgiving dinner leftovers and cleaning up after a house full of guests and now their attention turns to the Christmas season. Keizer does love Christmas and there are plenty of activities and events to help enjoy their favorite time of year. It all starts with the annual lighting of Keizer’s Christmas tree at Walery Plaza at the intersection of River Road and Cherry Ave. on Tuesday, Dec. 6. Two lucky kids will be chosen to help Santa Claus fl ip the switch. Later that week the fi rst Keizer Holiday Lights Parade will travel down River Road. Staged by the Keizer Chamber of Commerce, the parade takes over after the Festival of Lights Parade ended its 25-year run last year. It’s a big job to put on that parade and we’re fortunate to have oraniza- tions and volunteers who will keep a light parade in town. Speaking of lights, on Dec. 2 the Miracle of Christmas display starts in the Gubser neighborhood and runs through Dec. 26. There will be lots of chances for Keizer kids to see and talk to Santa Claus. He’ll be making appearances at the Volcano Stadium (via helicop- ter) on Dec. 3, he’ll be at breakfast at the Keizer Fire hall on Dec. 11, he’ll be giving candy canes with help from Marion County Fire District #1 in the Clear Lake/Forest Ridge area on Friday night, Dec. 16. Then, the Keizer Fire District will help Santa give out candy canes on Saturday, Dec. 17. Tis the season, and Keizer offers lots of ways to enjoy it. —LAZ Wheatland Publishing Corp. • 142 Chemawa Road N. • Keizer, Oregon 97303 phone: 503.390.1051 • web: www.keizertimes.com • email: kt@keizertimes.com SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGING EDITOR Eric A. Howald editor@keizertimes.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Derek Wiley news@keizertimes.com One year: $25 in Marion County, $33 outside Marion County, $45 outside Oregon PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY ADVERTISING Publication No: USPS 679-430 Paula Moseley advertising@keizertimes.com POSTMASTER Send address changes to: PRODUCTION MANAGER Andrew Jackson Keizertimes Circulation graphics@keizertimes.com 142 Chemawa Road N. LEGAL NOTICES Keizer, OR 97303 legals@keizertimes.com Lyndon Zaitz publisher@keizertimes.com BUSINESS MANAGER Laurie Painter billing@keizertimes.com Periodical postage paid at Salem, Oregon RECEPTION Lori Beyeler facebook.com/keizertimes By MICHAEL GERSON While the challenges of the GOP —its long-term demographic diffi - culties, its erratic leadership, the bitter struggle for its ideological soul—are obscured by victory, the problems of the Democratic Party are on full dis- play. Republicans suffer from heart dis- ease; Democrats have an ugly, gushing head wound. The losing party would be foolish to minimize the scale of its political failure. Hillary Clinton proved inca- pable of defeating a reality television host whom more than 60 percent of Americans viewed as unfi t to be presi- dent. It is perhaps the most humiliat- ing moment in the long history of Mr. Jefferson’s party. But the effect is more than reputational. The Democratic candidate and her team could not pro- tect America from a serious risk to its ideals and institutions by an untested and unstable novice who fl irted with authoritarianism and made enough gaffes on an average Tuesday to sink a normal presidential campaign. Donald Trump was riding a modest electoral wave in certain parts of the country, but it was not large enough to overwhelm a reasonably capable Democratic candidate with a decent political strategy. Trump’s vote did not burst the levees; it barely lapped over the top of them in the industrial Mid- west. The “blue wall” was too low by just a foot or two. But why was the election even close enough for bad strategy in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, or utter incompetence by the FBI director, to matter? Trump obviously benefi ted from extreme polarization. The prop- osition “any- one but Hill- ary” was tested, with Repub- licans (and others) ulti- mately rallying to “anyone.” The Obama coalition—in- cluding young, minority and college- educated voters —did not turn out in suffi cient numbers. And an appeal to racial and ethnic resentment remains disturbingly potent in our politics— the continuing evidence of America’s original sin. But here is the largest, long-term Democratic challenge: It has become a provincial party. It is highly concen- trated in urban areas and clings to the coasts. But our constitutional system puts emphasis on holding geography, particularly in the House of Repre- sentatives and the Electoral College. It is diffi cult for Democrats to prevail from isolated islands of deep blue. In 2012, President Obama won the presi- dency with fewer than 700 counties out of more than 3,000 in America —a historical low. Clinton carried a little under 500—about 15 percent of the total. This is another way of saying that the Democratic candidate for presi- dent can’t prevail, at least at the mo- ment, when she receives less than 30 percent of the vote from the white, non-college educated Americans who live in the spaces between the cities. Most of these voters were not examin- ing public policy and calculating their interests, except in the vague sense that other views they don’t like sending American jobs abroad and don’t want anyone messing with their Social Security. They were convinced that Trump has their back. Democrats have become symbolically estranged from white, working-class America. What are the Democratic options moving forward? First, there is the Bernie Sanders option—the embrace of a leftist populism that amounts to democratic socialism. Second, there is the Joe Biden option, a liberalism that makes a sustained outreach to union members and other blue-collar work- ers while showing a Catholic religious sensibility on issues of social justice. Third, there is the option of doubling down on the proven Barack Obama option, which requires a candidate who can excite rather than sedate the Obama-era base. Democrats should not overlearn the lessons of a close election. Option No. 3 is the Democratic future on the presidential level. Clinton was correct to appeal to a slightly modifi ed version of the Obama coalition; she simply could not pull it off. Democrats will also need a dash of No. 2, including a more accommodating attitude toward religion and associational rights. There is a serious prospect, howev- er, that Democrats will choose No. 1. America would cease to have a center- left party and a center-right party. Both radicalized institutions would exagger- ate our national differences, becoming the political equivalent of the hard-left and hard-right media. And the cause of national unity would be damaged even further. (Washington Post Writers Group) Campaign promises already trashed Keizertimes EDITOR & PUBLISHER Democrats at a crossroads twitter.com/keizertimes Recognized economists, writing on the subject of the anticipated Trump presidency, predict a “short” four-year term that will be damaging to jobless and low-wage American workers. It is now predicted that the nation’s big corporations and Wall Street will retain the upper hand over struggling work- ers who helped to elect him in what’s recognized as a populist wave. For the purpose of clarity, let’s spend a moment looking at the defi ni- tion of populism. It is a political ide- ology that holds that virtuous citizens are mistreated by a circle of elites who can be overthrown if the people rec- ognize the danger and work together. Populism depicts elites as trampling the rights, values and voice of the “le- gitimate” people. No sober person of economic un- derstanding sees it likely or even plau- sible that Trump’s plan to repatriate huge corporate profi ts to the U.S. for infrastructure spending will succeed. In fact, what we know of the sketchy and abbreviated ideas from Trump during the many months he ran for the highest offi ce, we can expect a continuation of the status quo, re- maining pretty much the same or with little noticeable change. Economists of considerable reputation on prospects for changes to unemployment and joblessness numbers are amazed at the willingness of the American voters for what they have done to themselves. Global populism may be the wave of the future but it has taken a turn in America that will only end in more disappointments and disillusions among those who voted for Trump in hope of seeing factories and jobs re- turn to the midwest industrial states and most everywhere else in the U.S. Those with in- sight also be- lieve that even American in- vestors inside the country will proceed with extreme caution, under- standing that higher defi cits, resulting from the lower taxes Trump has prom- ised, will raise interest rates and infl a- tion and result in lower earnings and fewer job opportunities. Trump made rash promises by the dozens. He’s already said he’ll settle for a fence in some places with the border with Mexico, instead of a wall. He’ll only deport criminal im- migrants. He’ll gut the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), he said, but now says some provisions will stay. He prom- ised to “drain the swamp” in Washing- ton, D.C. but proceeded immediately after his election to choose entrenched gene h. mcintyre lobbyists, one of America’s most no- torious bigots and a racist, and mainly members of his own family, especially his young son-in-law, Jared Kushner, whose father and mentor was con- victed of crimes and spent years in prison. Then, too, full court nepotism and confl ict-of-interest will prevail as Kushner runs the White House while his wife, Ivanka, Donald’s daughter, runs the Trump business empire. Based on what’s known about Donald J. Trump to date, prospects on him further dividing our country ap- pear highly certain. He could sur- prise us by positive moves that settle the dust storm currently airborne. But he remains to date a self-centered in- dividual whose ego must be stroked constantly, his coffers must fi ll over with no end to the greed, while family and friends being loyal to him is more important than the welfare and very survival of our nation. (Gene H. McIntyre’s column ap- pears weekly in the Keizertimes.)
