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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2020)
A4 THE ASTORIAN • TuESdAy, OcTObER 6, 2020 OPINION editor@dailyastorian.com KARI BORGEN Publisher DERRICK DePLEDGE Editor Founded in 1873 JEREMY FELDMAN circulation Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN Production Manager CARL EARL Systems Manager OUR VIEW Bonamici, Merkley for Congress M any Americans view Con- gress solely through a partisan political lens, which is why the legislative branch of our government is often the least popular. But Congress is the branch closest to the people, with the power to craft laws, direct federal spending and hold the president accountable. Like with our presidential endorse- ment, we take a more regional approach to evaluating candidates for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. While it is nice when our repre- sentatives play a part in national pol- itics, we prefer when they focus on being effective for the North Coast and for Oregon. U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, a Democrat, serves the 1st Congressional District. U.S. House We endorse U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici in the 1st Congressional District. The Democrat won a special elec- tion in 2012 and spent her first sev- eral years in Washington, D.C., in the minority until Democrats took back the House after the 2018 elections. “I have taken to Congress the approach that I used in the state Leg- islature, which is to build relation- ships and find common ground,” she said. Her policy work centers on edu- cation, child care, trade and the envi- ronment, including issues critical to the coast, such as research into ocean acidification and harmful algal blooms. She has called for a more cohesive national strategy to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, par- ticularly on the obstacles for small business. Bonamici is the chairwoman of the House Education and Labor Committee’s subcommittee on civil rights and human services, which has jurisdiction over equal employ- ment opportunities and work incen- tive programs. The congresswoman is also the co-chair of the House Oceans Caucus and serves on the House Select Committee on the Cli- mate Crisis. On national concerns, we agreed with Bonamici’s vote to impeach President Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress for pressuring Ukraine to open an investigation into former Vice Presi- dent Joe Biden. Bonamici was also among the lawmakers to forcefully speak out against federal immigration arrests at courthouses in Oregon, which can have a corrosive influence on the integrity of our courts. We would like to see Bonamici take a more active role in policy dis- cussions on the North Coast that have federal components, such as prepar- ing for a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami, improving mental health and substance abuse treatment and expanding child care options. Bonamici recently joined U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden in a letter to the U.S. postmaster about the inade- quate condition of the Warrenton post office and the potential of moving the post office to a new location. The congresswoman also stepped up and urged the Oregon Health Authority and Pacific Seafood to pro- vide more information and answer community concerns about a corona- virus outbreak among workers at the Warrenton plant. Bonamici has leverage that some of our local and state elected officials do not. She should use it more often. Chris Christensen, who describes himself as a small-business owner, entrepreneur and artist, is the Repub- lican candidate. With no prior government experi- ence, he has campaigned on themes of law order and gun rights and has been critical of anti-fascist protesters and the movement to defund police. On his Facebook page, Chris- tensen praises Trump and appears to share many of the grievances of the far right. He has also posted a video endorsement from Roger Stone, a political consultant whose prison sen- Don Ryan/AP Photo U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, serves Oregon. tence for lying to Congress and wit- ness tampering related to WikiLeaks and Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election was commuted by the president. U.S. Senate We endorse U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley. Elected in 2008, the Democrat is among the most liberal in the Sen- ate and has become a national voice for progressives, even flirting with a presidential campaign. A relentless critic of President Trump — he voted to convict the president of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — the sen- ator engages in the kind of hand- to-hand political combat on social media and cable television that fuels our nation’s hyperpartisan climate. We appreciate that Democrats need to take a stand against Trump — and we agree with Merkley more often than not — but the sen- ator represents all of Oregon. DHM Research, a Portland-based polling firm, puts support for Trump in Ore- gon at 39%, the same as it was in 2016, so we question whether all the harsh words about the president have made much of a difference in public opinion at home. Individual senators have consid- erable power, even when, like Merk- ley, they are in the minority. Merkley also serves on the Senate Appropria- tions Committee, an influential perch with control over federal money. The senator is the ranking member on the subcommittee that oversees spending on agriculture, rural development, the Food and Drug Administration and related agencies. We see Merkley at his most valu- able when he uses his power and influence for Oregon, securing fed- eral money to help combat the coro- navirus pandemic and devastating wildfires, improve highways, bridges and rural airports and provide grants for economic development and envi- ronmental restoration. At a virtual town hall with Clatsop County constituents over the sum- mer, the senator correctly framed the challenge of our times: “This is like living through a novel, an apoca- lyptic novel or movie, with the pan- demic, with the implosion, with the much-needed conversation about dis- crimination and public safety quality. “But let’s use this to know that we have an opportunity that comes from these conversations in this moment to develop a better system, better laws.” Jo Rae Perkins, who lives in Albany and has worked in real estate and finance, lost Republican primary campaigns for Senate and House before winning the May primary to face Merkley. Perkins earned national attention for her support of QAnon, a baseless conspiracy theory that places Trump at the heart of a global fight against satanic forces, pedophilia and child trafficking. Savvy Republicans may not want to squander money or an up-and-coming political prospect on a losing bid against Merkley, but can- didates like Perkins do real damage to the GOP’s brand down ballot. The party of Mark Hatfield and Tom McCall deserves better. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Pause to reflect Responsible F I or those who missed it, I would encourage you to read and digest Sher- iff Matt Phillips’ guest column on Sept. 17, “We have more in common than believed.” His explanation of Black Lives Mat- ter gave me pause to reflect, and hopefully will tickle the conscience of us all. ED JOHNSON Astoria Engaged leader T om Brownson is an engaged leader who works for the greater good. As I have had the privilege of working with all sorts of people on different elected boards, I would put Tom in the category of people who are good to work with. I believe he is unencumbered by any ideological bias or ulterior motives, and is genuinely motivated by making a positive difference in the world around him. His opponent is running based on con- cerns he has with the representation on the Astoria City Council. I could agree with some of those concerns, but would not find fault in Brownson in those regards. Tom is part of the solution. It is good to have a choice in any elec- tion. I really believe that. I hope your choice is to vote for Brownson to represent Ward 2 on the City Council. DIRK ROHNE Astoria understand that the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District board has made a motion to pursue the purchase of Broad- way Middle School, even though taxpay- ers voted “no” in November 2018. That vote stands until such time that this matter goes before the taxpayers for another vote. In the meantime, the board and all of its members will be held responsible for any monies withdrawn from the tax base for the purpose of purchasing Broadway Middle School. MARTI WAJC Seaside Free and fair E veryone wants their vote to count. We believe in free and fair elections. In Oregon, we have used mail-in ballots for years with no problems. Mail-in ballots have made it eas- ier for more of us to participate in our elections. Mail-in ballots also make our elections more secure, because there is a paper trail, a record of each person’s vote. The Russians can’t hack into mail-in ballots. But President Donald Trump and the current Republican administration are trying to scare us with ridiculous, false claims about mail-in ballots, even saying they want to get rid of the ballots. Debbie Boothe-Schmidt’s Republican opponent has not disputed these false claims. The head of her party, President Trump, wants to throw out our bal- lots and refuses to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election. Debbie’s Republican opponent has said nothing to tell us she disagrees, let alone is appalled by this. My vote via a mail-in ballot goes to Boothe-Schmidt. And I’m using our U.S. postal system to mail in my ballot. RUSS MEAD Seaside C’mon am an unaffiliated voter, not of the Independent Party, but have been the recipient of campaign mailers from Deb- bie Boothe-Schmidt and Suzanne Weber asking for my vote. Debbie clearly states that she is a Dem- ocrat, but Suzanne is reluctant to describe herself as a Republican. Why is that? Does she realize that House District 32 is traditionally a largely Democratic enclave, so doesn’t want prospective voters to tie her to the GOP? C’mon, Weber. Stand on your princi- ples. And stop using unflattering photos of Debbie on your mailers. It’s the type of cheap politics that has become so com- mon in today’s discourse. Please vote Boothe-Schmidt. She has I integrity and will stand by her principles. ROBERT POTTER Astoria My support N ow is the time to vote for our com- munity of House District 32, and not for just a rubber-stamp Portland politician. Suzanne Weber has my support, and my vote, because she will always stand up for the North Coast. I am a proud member of United Steel- workers Local 1097, and have worked in the paper sector for over 28 years. I am also the president of the Astoria chap- ter (North Coast Labor Federation) of the AFL-CIO. In this role, I have worked with Debbie Boothe-Schmidt, and know her roots run deep in our community and that she works hard for the labor movement. However, I don’t believe it is her time. Portland politicians are pushing good manufacturing jobs like mine out of state. At this time, we need a representative who will fight for the North Coast way of life, and has a proven track record like Suzanne. As the mayor of Tillamook, Suzanne has kept true to our North Coast values, while still helping the community grow. This is why I will be voting for Weber this November. MIKE SMITH Knappa
