OPINION 4A T HE D AILY A STORIAN Founded in 1873 STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager CARL EARL, Systems Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015 ,W¶VDOOLQKRZ\RX¿QLVK By TIMOTHY EGAN New York Times News Service A s the world contemplates WKH GHÀDWHG IRRWEDOO VFDQGDO in Boston — ballghazi — please allow me one last moment of undiluted sports delirium. DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager I live in Se- attle, where this week the sky is always blue, trees are blos- soming early, all children are not only above average but get into the college of their choice, Timothy free. Egan t is common in the world of real estate and development to We are a require earnest money upfront to bid on a property. Putting FLW\ WUDQV¿[HG UKDSVRGLFDOO\ ÀRDWLQJ after the most are-you-kidding-me ex- money down establishes two things: the bidder is serious and perience my hometown has ever been through. KDVWKH¿QDQFLDOZKHUHZLWKDOWRSXOOLWRII To recap: With a little more than Among Astoria preservationists questions. They are what any three minutes to go in last Sunday’s there is strong belief that saving the prospective donor or investor NFC championship game, the Seattle Seahawks were trailing Green Bay 19 Merwyn Hotel, also known as the would ask of any such project. 7. At that point, according to the odds Waldorf, is essential to the cause Astoria has seen a number of to crunchers, the team had a 1 percent of historic preservation in Astoria. VLJQL¿FDQW UHVWRUDWLRQ SURMHFWV chance of winning — 1 percent! The The Waldorf has been empty for over the past 20 years. They each Seahawks promptly scored two touch- some two decades. The Astoria demonstrate a different model. downs in 44 seconds. They recovered onside kick, converted a two-point City Council in 2014 voted to raze But behind each of them has been an Hail Mary, won the coin toss to get the the building as a component of either a group of citizens who put EDOO¿UVWLQRYHUWLPHDQGVFRUHGWRSXW renewing the Astoria Public Library. their own resources and a decade them in the Super Bowl. Sports metaphors crowd the lan- At last Friday’s City Council of their lives into the project (the guage of politics, usually for the worse. goal-setting session, the doubts Liberty Theater) or a government John McCain’s pick of an uninformed that three councilors raised about (the Guy Boyington Building) or demagogue, Sarah Palin, was supposed demolishing the Waldorf have put an investor (the Coast Medical to be a “game changer.” Desperate cam- a different face on library renewal. Building) or a group of investors paigns look for a “knockout punch,” or make a “swing for the fences.” My fa- For the council and for (Hotel Elliott). Another model was vorite is President Obama’s description preservationists, there are some renewal of Clatsop Community of Joe Biden’s endorsement of gay mar- essential questions. College, which used an especially riage ahead of his boss — he “got out a little bit over his skis.” What does preserve the Waldorf GLYHUVHVHWRI¿QDQFLDOHOHPHQWV %XW EDFN WR WKH PLUDFOH ¿QLVK ODVW mean? Does it mean mothballing the The point is that successful Sunday, and the lesson beyond pro structure behind the facade? Does it preservation of a building demands football: It’s not about the miracle, it’s mean full-blown restoration? single-minded devotion over several DERXWWKH¿QLVK2EDPDKDVEHHQVOHHS- walking through the middle part of his If physical restoration is the goal, years, and it requires raising millions presidency. The brutal midterm electoral how much would that cost? of dollars. Without evidence of that crushing, with Republicans gaining their Who would lead the drive to level of commitment, the slogan largest House majority since Herbert Hoover, slapped him from his stupor. raise that money? And how much remains a pipe dream. No longer does he care about pleas- of their own money would the The other question for Waldorf ing the insiders, or playing nice with the preservationists commit to the enthusiasts is where does a opposition, or conforming to the expec- Waldorf project? hypothetical drive to preserve the tations of a lame duck. He said it’s the quarter of his presidency, “and Once restored, what would be Merwyn Hotel rank with two other fourth I’m going to play offense.” He’s decid- the rental structure per square foot? historic buildings – the drive to ed to be Russell Wilson after throwing What users could afford to pay that reclaim the Astoria Armory or the four interceptions. Many have written him off. The re- rent? Save the Performing Arts Center liably dyspeptic Charles Krauthammer These are not idle or academic campaign? said the epitaph of the Obama presiden- cy would be: “He couldn’t govern, but he sure knew how to campaign.” And yes, little of what Obama proposed in KLV6WDWHRIWKH8QLRQDGGUHVVZLOO¿QG its way out of the dead zone of Con- SAMANTHA MCLAREN, Circulation Manager At what cost? I Questions about preserving the Waldorf Hotel How pure must Rep. Herrera Beutler be? A Clark County Tea Party goes after congresswoman classic example of rigid and self-destructive partisanship is playing out in Southwest Washington, where a traditionally conservative Republican is threatened with censure for being something less than radically right wing. Third-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler represents the state’s 3rd Congressional District, encompassing counties along and near the lower Columbia River, including the district’s largest population center, Vancouver. Although it was somewhat reweighted to the Republican Party when Olympia was removed during the 2010 redistricting process, it is still a “swing” district. Within its boundaries are not only right-leaning Portland suburbs, but also loyal 'HPRFUDWLFVWURQJKROGVOLNH3DFL¿F County. It has elected Democrats to Congress in 32 of the past 40 years. Most politicians — and especially Republicans — would look at this and conclude it’s a good idea to take a balanced approach and cultivate a reputation for effective cooperation. In Herrera Beutler’s case, during the recently completed 113th Congress, this translated into voting for Democrat- favored positions 12 percent of the time, according to an analysis by the Washington Post. But this runs counter to organizational reality in Clark County. There, the most passionate activists who participate in the party’s central committee prefer zero cooperation with Democrats, and also a good deal less cooperation with even the GOP’s top-tier congressional leaders. Herrera Beutler is intelligent and personable, but certainly far to the right of many of her constituents, particularly on social issues. For example, she recently voted in lockstep with her party to reinstate deportation policies for undocumented immigrants — a position that would decimate the coastal economy if actually carried out, in addition to wrecking the lives of thousands of hard-working families. But for the most avid members of the GOP’s tea party wing, anything short of blowing up democracy as we know it is a form of betrayal — apostasy, to use a religious term for someone who strays from the faith. To these folks, Herrera Beutler’s work to keep the ports of Ilwaco and Chinook open to the Columbia River via federal dredging is a step on the road to socialism and/or national bankruptcy. Smart observers have noted that this move by the Clark County GOP is likely to strengthen Herrera Beutler’s mainstream popularity. Certainly, a young Hispanic woman who plays her cards right could have a bright future in statewide politics. This future depends on seeking additional — not fewer — ways to work across party lines. AP Photo/Elaine Thompson Seattle Seahawks’ players celebrate after overtime of the NFL football NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers Jan. 18 in Seattle. gress. Just 5 percent of his 2013 propos- held up the usual hate posters, one com- als became law — and that was before paring him to Hitler. But it did not es- Republicans gained the Senate. cape notice that his motorcade passed a The president’s proposals “are so Shell station selling regular gasoline for out of touch you have to ask if there’s $1.77 a gallon. To the west, in the Eastern Wash- any point to the speech,” said Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican ington district of Rep. Cathy McMor- ris Rodgers, people represented by this National Committee. But if you look beyond capital gas- robotically doctrinaire leader of the bags, and consider the big ideas in Republican House have signed up for Obama’s speech, you can see the inev- Obamacare coverage at a rate far beyond itability of his philosophy. His proposals the national average. To the east, Gov. John Kasich of — raising the minimum wage, paid ma- Ohio told a group of ternity leave, making col- Montana Republicans lege more affordable and Obama this week that they would the tax system more fair be crazy not to embrace — are popular across the has been the president’s program political divide. They’re health coverage for mainstream anywhere but sleepwalking of the poor. “I gotta tell you, the fundraisers that Reince turning down your mon- Priebus presides over. through ey back to Montana on an Obama has already the middle ideological basis, when changed health care in a people can lose their lives country that lags far be- part of his because they get no help, hind the rest of the world doesn’t make a lot of in access. He’s overseen presidency. sense to me,” he said, in an economic recovery remarks reported by the WKDWGH¿HGDOOWKHDSRFD- lyptic predictions of his enemies, and Great Falls Tribune. Nearly every proposal in the State of would be the envy of any European country — let alone one governed by the Union address polls with majority Mitt Romney, who’d be taking a victo- approval, nationwide. The great issue ry lap with the kind of numbers Obama of the early 21st century is how to el- evate a stagnant middle class. When 80 has generated on his watch. Consider Idaho, arguably the red- people hold the same amount of wealth dest state in the union, where Repub- as 3.6 billion of the world’s poorest, that licans control everything but a handful equation of inequality can catch the at- of latte stands. After much bluster and tention of even the most heartless. So, to the end game, in Idaho, Kan- protest, Idaho politicians caved and set up a state health care exchange under sas and beyond. “It’s amazing what Obamacare. To the surprise of the ex- you can bounce back from when you perts, Idahoans have embraced the pri- have to,” Obama said last Tuesday. vate coverage available under the Af- He was quoting from a Minneapolis fordable Care Act — “one of the most woman, invited to the speech, but it successful enrollments of any state,” as sounded like a motto for his last two \HDUVLQRI¿FH Kaiser Health News reported. The president is playing for a lega- Obama was in Boise Wednesday, speaking to a crowd of more than 6,000 cy. He won’t get much of it this year, or people at an event where all tickets even next. But eventually, if Obama’s were gone within an hour. “Now there ¿QLVK PDWFKHV WKH ÀRXULVK RI WKH ODVW are 10 black people in Idaho,” was one two months, the United States will re- of the tweets from Boise. The president semble the country he envisioned last was fully energized, jocular, primed for Tuesday night. Long odds make for DVWURQJ¿QLVK$KDQGIXORISURWHVWHUV better endings. Son held at gunpoint after library visit 7KH RI¿FHU JDYH KLV method of the stop is the name, then asked my son problem. to “give him a call the next Why was a gun drawn ¿UVW" :K\ ZDV KH QRW LP- aturday evening, I got a call day.” My son continued: mediately told why he was that no parent wants to get. “I got up slowly, and con- being detained? Why not It was my son calling from college tinued to walk back to my DVNIRU,'¿UVW" — he’s a third-year student at Yale. room. I was scared. My legs What if my son had pan- He had been accosted by a campus were shaking slightly. After icked under the stress, hav- ing never had a gun pointed DIHZPRUHSDFHVWKHRI¿FHU SROLFHRI¿FHUDWJXQSRLQW at him before, and made said, ‘Hey, my man. Can you Charles This is how my son remembers it: ZKDWWKHRI¿FHUFRQVLGHUHG step off to the side?’ I did.” Blow He left for the library around 5:45 a “suspicious” movement? 7KH RI¿FHU DVNHG KLP p.m. to check the status of a book he to turn around so he could Had I come close to losing had requested. The book hadn’t arrived see the back of his jacket. He asked him? Triggers cannot be unpulled. Bul- yet, but since he was there he put in a re- KLVQDPHDJDLQWKHQ¿QDOO\DVNHGWR lets cannot be called back. quest for some multimedia equipment see my son’s ID. My son produced his My son was unarmed, possessed no plunder, obeyed all instructions, an- for a project he was working on. school ID from his wallet. Then he left to walk back to his 7KH RI¿FHU DVNHG PRUH TXHVWLRQV swered all questions, did not attempt to GRUP URRP +H VD\V KH VDZ DQ RI¿- and my son answered. All the while the ÀHHRUUHVLVWLQDQ\ZD\ This is the scenario I have always cer “jogging” toward RI¿FHUZDVUHOD\LQJWKLV the entrance of anoth- information to someone dreaded: my son at the wrong end of a There is no gun barrel, face down on the concrete. er building across the over his radio. I had always dreaded the moment that grounds from the build- My son heard amount of ing he’d just left. someone on the radio we would share stories about encoun- Then this: respectability VD\ EDFN WR WKH RI¿FHU ters with the police in which our lives “I did not pay him “something to the effect hung in the balance, intergenerational that can any mind, and continued of: ‘Keep him there until stories of joining the inglorious “club.” When that moment came, I was to walk back towards get this sorted out.’” bend a gun’s we my room. I looked be- 7KHRI¿FHUWROGP\VRQ exceedingly happy I had talked to him hind me, and noticed that an incident report about how to conduct himself if a situ- barrel. WKDW WKH SROLFH RI¿FHU ZRXOGEH¿OHGDQGWKHQ ation like this ever occurred. Yet I was brewing with sadness and anger that he was following me. He he walked away. spoke into his shoulder-mounted radio $ IHPDOH RI¿FHU DSSURDFKHG 0\ had to use that advice. I am reminded of what I have al- and said, ‘I got him.’ VRQUHFDOOHG³,WROGKHUWKDWDQRI¿FHU “I faced forward again, presuming had just stopped me and pointed his gun ways known, but what some would WKDWWKHRI¿FHUZDVQRWWDONLQJWRPH, at me, and that I wanted to know what choose to deny: that there is no way to then heard him say, ‘Hey, turn around!’ this was all about.” She explained stu- work your way out — earn your way — which I did. dents had called about a burglary sus- out — of this sort of crisis. In these mo- ments, what you’ve done matters less ³7KH RI¿FHU UDLVHG KLV JXQ DW PH SHFWZKR¿WP\VRQ¶VGHVFULSWLRQ and told me to get on the ground. That suspect was apparently later than how you look. There is no amount of respectability “At this point, I stopped looking di- arrested in the area. UHFWO\DWWKHRI¿FHUDQGORRNHGGRZQ When I spoke to my son, he was that can bend a gun’s barrel. All of our boys are bound together. towards the pavement. I dropped to my shaken up. I, however, was fuming. The dean of Yale College and the NQHHV¿UVWZLWKP\KDQGVUDLVHGWKHQ Now, don’t get me wrong: If indeed laid down on my stomach. my son matched the description of a campus police chief have apologized ³7KH RI¿FHU DVNHG PH ZKDW P\ suspect, I would have had no problem and promised an internal investigation, name was. I gave him my name. with him being questioned appropriate- and I appreciate that. But the scars can- ³7KHRI¿FHUDVNHGPHZKDWVFKRRO, ly. School is his community, his home not be unmade. My son will always went to. I told him Yale University. away from home, and he would have carry the memory of the day he left his ³$WWKLVSRLQWWKHRI¿FHUWROGPHWR appreciated reasonable efforts to keep FROOHJHOLEUDU\DQGDQRI¿FHUWUDLQHGD get up.” it safe. The stop is not the problem; the gun on him. By CHARLES M. BLOW New York Times News Service S