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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 28, 2016)
Page 6 December 28, 2016 Your Carpet Best Cleaning Choice O PINION Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $45.00 A small distance/travel charge may be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area Pre-Spray Traffic Areas (Includes: 1 small Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area (Hallway Extra) Stairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services) : $25.00 Area/Oriental Rugs: $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool) : $40.00 Minimum Heavily Soiled Area: Additional $10.00 each area (Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $69.00 Loveseat: $49.00 Sectional: $109 - $139 Chair or Recliner: $25 - $49 Throw Pillows (With Other Services) : $5.00 ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning • Deodorizing & Pet Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection • Minor Water Damage Services SEE CURRENT FLYER FOR ADDITIONAL PRICES & SERVICES Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949 Foreign Influence and the Integrity of Our Democracy A duty and obligation to investigate M arC h. M orial In 1840, President Martin Van Buren was fighting for re-election. He ultimately lost his presidential bid to a war hero, William Henry Harrison, who easily won over the widely unpopular Van Buren, nicknamed, “Van Ruin,” for pre- siding over the nation during an economic depression. The presidential campaign of 1840 was heavy on image, and light on substance, painting Van Buren as an elitist and Harrison as an everyday man. Harrison—ac- cused of being helped by British bankers during his campaign— won the Electoral College vote and an extremely close popular vote. In 1888, Grover Cleveland was favored to win his presiden- tial re-election campaign, but ultimately lost the presidency because he appeared partial and by subservient to British interests. The voters turned against him and his perceived British sympa- thies. While he managed to win the popular vote, he lost the Electoral College vote, and, hence, the pres- idency. If the past is prologue, history suggests that Americans resent the in- terference of foreign gov- ernments and interests in our presidential elections. As ev- idence of Russian tampering via cyber-attacks and hacking contin- ues to mount, and President-elect Trump has tapped Rex Tillerson as his Secretary of State—who Trump described as doing “mas- sive deals in Russia” and was awarded the “Order of Friend- ship” by Vladimir Putin—it is the duty and obligation of our Con- gress to thoroughly investigate whether or not Russia has inter- fered with our election process to tip the scale for a Trump win and, in the process, undermine and sow distrust in our democracy and its institutions. President Obama has ordered a full intelligence review of the alleged Russian hack into the Democratic National Committee and other Republican sources to be completed before inaugura- tion day. In a break with Trump, the top two Republicans in Con- gress have lent their support to a bipartisan congressional effort to investigate the alleged Russian cyber-attacks. Calling any breach of American cyber-security mea- sures “disturbing,” Sen. Mitch McConnell added that, “the Rus- sians do not wish us well…It de- fies belief that somehow Republi- cans in the Senate are reluctant to either review Russian hacking, or ignore them.” Trump and his associates have dismissed the allegations of Rus- sian interference, painting them as “ridiculous,” and “another excuse.” Trump has—quite char- acteristically—explained away the legitimate concerns of our institutions, political leaders, the press and the people by blaming the Democrats for disseminat- ing conspiracy theories because “they suffered one of the greatest defeats in the history of politics in this country,” to conceding that if there was any interference or hacking, “they have no idea if it’s Russia, or China, or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed someplace,” he said in a tele- vised interview. Trump, and I’m sure many of his supporters, see the inves- tigation into possible Russian meddling in the 2016 presiden- tial election as an attempt to— yet again—delegitimize his re- cent win. But the president-elect would do better to understand that to not thoroughly inves- tigate these allegations would leave a permanent stain on his administration, his tenure and his motives. To not look into these allegations seriously would fur- ther erode public trust in the al- ready embattled mechanics of our democracy. If domestic voter suppression sits on one side of the coin, the unwanted influence of a foreign power in American elections sits on the other. Rather than enrich us, and our system of representative government, both serve to undermine true democ- racy. Marc H. Morial is president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League.
