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OPINION
East Oregonian
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
OTHER VIEWS
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Publisher
Managing Editor
JENNINE PERKINSON
TIM TRAINOR
Advertising Director
Opinion Page Editor
OUR VIEW
Two Republicans,
one opportunity
Two Republican candidates for
sure want someone who can swing
some elbows, cut some bloated
governor — Bud Pierce and Allen
departments and shake up Salem.
Alley — are facing off in the May
It’s dificult to picture Pierce in that
primary.
role.
Five names will actually appear
Alley is similar to Pierce in many
on the ballot for Republican voters,
regards, but he may have more
but the race will undoubtedly come
down to Pierce and Alley, who have political polish and the hard edge
both the funding and wherewithal to needed to step into what would be a
dificult situation.
win the nomination.
He is a latecomer to the campaign
It’s a solid 1-2 punch for a party
that hasn’t held the governor’s ofice and this election cycle has not
since 1987. (Incidentally, Republican reached out to Eastern Oregon as
much as he said he
governors led the
would like to. But
state for 42 of the
can bet if he
48 years before
If Oregon is to you
survives in May,
this recent 30-year
avoid the
he’ll be drumming
drought.)
votes in the
But only one
one-party rule up
reliably red side of
can survive to take
on Kate Brown in
that has plagued the state.
He, too, has
November, and
other states,
stayed away from
Republican voters
the unpopular issues
should consider the
Republicans
that have tripped
general election
need to prove up predecessors,
when voting in the
most notably Dennis
May primary.
they can win
Richardson who
If Oregon is to
every once in was in a seemingly
avoid the one-party
winnable race with
rule that has
awhile.
John Kitzhaber just
plagued other states,
two years ago.
Republicans need to
Alley told the
prove they can win
editorial board this week that he
every once in a while.
watched the Kitzhaber debacle and
Which potential Republican
resignation from afar and saw the
nominee has the best chance this
time around? We’ve spoken to both, state needed a change in party, a
change in culture and a change in
and are impressed with both.
leadership.
Pierce is the kind of Republican
He spoke mostly about Oregon’s
we’d have supported in the last few
poor education system — near the
elections, when the GOP let social
bottom for K-12 graduation rates
issues derail campaigns.
despite a recent overhaul of the
He doesn’t have time for
entire system — and the quickly
that kind of nonsense. He is a
rising costs of a college degree.
successful doctor and private
He’s got ways to ix it, and doesn’t
sector businessperson, with
believe another dump truck of
reasonable solutions to making
dollars is the answer.
state government more eficient
Perhaps it will not matter which
and customer friendly. He has taken
Republican wins in May.
a keen eye to rural issues and has
Perhaps Governor Kate Brown
pounded the pavement (and the
is untouchable in November —
wheat ields and the forests and the
deserts) of Eastern Oregon to secure especially in a liberal state where
Donald Trump may be on the
support and raise money. He may
ballot. Trump will cause 7 in 10
lack in pizazz, but he’s a well-
informed outsider with a reasonable Oregonians to vote against him, and
any Republican candidate is going to
approach to the big state issues
have to win back at least some of the
that Democrats have been unable
anti-Trump anger.
to tackle — PERS, a statewide
For Oregon’s sake, we hope
transportation package, Columbia
Republicans are able to claim
River Crossing and rural economic
statewide ofice soon. The irst
struggles.
step to doing so is ielding quality
Perhaps his nice guy image
candidates like Bud Pierce and Allen
carries with it some naiveté. And if
Alley and letting the best candidate
Republicans can somehow claim
advance into the second round.
the governor’s mansion — they
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board of Publisher
Kathryn Brown, Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, and Opinion Page Editor Tim Trainor.
Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
LETTERS POLICY
The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public
issues and public policies for publication in the newspaper and on our website.
The newspaper reserves the right to withhold letters that address concerns
about individual services and products or letters that infringe on the rights of
private citizens. Submitted letters must be signed by the author and include
the city of residence and a daytime phone number. The phone number will not
be published. Unsigned letters will not be published. Send letters to Managing
Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email
editor@eastoregonian.com.
What Trump will change
— and what he won’t
D
3) Going off the rails in
onald Trump’s presidential
Wisconsin. The GOP primary in
campaign is in the middle of
Wisconsin was a potential turning
a much-discussed reworking.
point in the race. If Trump won,
There’s a lot of reworking to do. But
he would have done perhaps fatal
Trump, who now has the advice of
damage to the #NeverTrump effort,
several political professionals recently
which could have splintered and lost
brought into the campaign, faces a risk
momentum. But with two weeks
of doing too much. He has to walk a
before the vote, Trump made two
ine line to ix his problems without
Byron
enormous mistakes: 1) attacking Heidi
changing the essential character of
York
Cruz in a couple of late-night tweets,
a campaign style that made him the
Comment
and 2) revealing that he knew little or
front-runner in the Republican race.
nothing about Republican thinking on
A lot of the Trump comments that
abortion. Those mistakes, along with Trump’s
set off irestorms in the last nine months
attack on popular-with-Republicans Gov.
weren’t really big, lasting problems for the
Scott Walker, sank Trump in Wisconsin. And
campaign. A few examples: Trump’s diss of
they weren’t just controversial; they showed a
John McCain, his feud with Megyn Kelly, his
signiicant lapse in judgment on Trump’s part.
allegations concerning Mexican immigrant
Trump can blame aides for error No. 1, but
crime, his mocking a New York Times
the fact is, it was his decision. And errors Nos.
reporter’s disability, his claim that Muslims
2 and 3 came out of his own mouth. So how to
in the New York area celebrated Sept. 11, his
prevent such mistakes while keeping Trump’s
boast that he could shoot someone on Fifth
essential public character?
Avenue and his supporters would remain
Error No. 1, Trump is working on, with
loyal, his charge that George W. Bush lied
the hiring of Paul Manafort, Rick Wiley and
about the Iraq war — it’s a very long list.
others. It remains to be seen whether that is a
One could argue that they had a cumulative
success.
negative effect on Trump’s image, but one
Fixing error No. 3 would — or should —
could also argue that they were a net plus
be easy. Don’t attack your opponent’s wife,
in terms of cementing loyalty among his
stop tweeting late at night, and learn about
supporters.
basic Republican doctrine. Look for Trump to
The fact is, Trump’s supporters — and
actually accomplish those minimal goals.
he has more than any other Republican this
As the Trump team works on the inside,
cycle — are attracted to him because of his
there appears to be some confusion about what
shoot-from-the-hip style. Go to his rallies
Trump’s reworking will actually mean on the
around the country, and they’ll say they
outside.
support Trump because he tells it like it is —
Some commentators seem to believe a
that he says things they and others would like
to say but can’t. That’s a hugely valuable asset true Trump reworking would mean that he
no longer does things like, for example,
for Trump. If those supporters think Trump
calling Ted Cruz “Lyin’ Ted.” That’s not it.
is trimming his sails to win approval from
In fact, Trump hasn’t changed his stump
the Republican establishment, that would not
speech noticeably — just look at the speech
help.
he delivered Thursday night in Harrisburg,
At the same time, some Trump errors have
Pennsylvania. Pretty much the same as
done grave damage to his campaign. Each
always.
resulted from Trump’s own judgment, and
Manafort tried to explain the change in
preventing future repeats will require that
Trump not only listen to (good) advice but that a talk with Republican National Committee
members meeting Thursday in Hollywood,
he restrain his own impulses going forward.
Three of the mistakes that badly hurt Trump in Florida. “The part he’s been playing is
evolving,” Manafort said. Though he didn’t
the last few months:
say it outright, Manafort seemed to suggest
1) Early hubris. In late February, after
that Trump could sand down a few rough
victories in New Hampshire, South Carolina,
edges of his style and remain himself, while
Nevada, and predictions of a big night on
Hillary Clinton could not change the public’s
Super Tuesday, Trump thought he had won
view that she is dishonest and lacking in
the race. That led him to conclude he did not
character.
need to do the intensive, time-consuming,
“Clinton’s negatives are character
ground-level delegate-courting work that other
negatives,” Manafort said. “People don’t trust
campaigns had to do. The mistake had huge
her ... they think she’s a liar.”
consequences down the road.
“Trump’s negatives are negatives that deal
2) Duke/KKK. In a Feb. 28 television
with his personality,” Manafort continued.
appearance, Trump refused to disavow David
“Fixing personality negatives is a lot easier
Duke and the Ku Klux Klan. That single
than ixing character negatives ... You can’t
moment terriied many Republicans. They
change somebody’s character, but you can
have had the race card played against them
change the way a person presents himself.”
many, many times by Democrats — and
Manafort’s message — and he didn’t
now they’re looking at a nominee who won’t
elaborate — seemed to be that Trump would
condemn Duke and the KKK? Sensing
pull back on some excesses, and also appear
disaster ahead, some came together in what
in different contexts, like next week’s foreign-
would become the #NeverTrump movement.
policy address, while not changing Trump’s
They oppose Trump for many reasons, but
essential public style. The bottom line: Look
they were galvanized by the Duke/KKK
statement. And it didn’t matter that Trump had for Trump to change but not change.
■
disavowed earlier and would do so again; in
Byron York is chief political correspondent
a general election, the Sunday show moment
for The Washington Examiner.
will live on in web videos and attack ads.
YOUR VIEWS
Hatcheries successful,
should be supported
Over the years I have heard
people complain that “nonproit
conservation organizations are an
industry unto themselves.” After
reading your April 21 article on
the lawsuit initiated by the Wild
Fish Conservancy, I believe these
accusations may have validity.
I too would like to see the
Columbia River full of wild ish.
But unfortunately the habitat
suitable for their survival in historic
numbers no longer exists. But we
still want to eat salmon and health
oficials tell us we should eat ish
for better health. Hatcheries still
are our best answer and most
hatcheries are working on those
problems actually having an
adverse affect on wild ish.
As to the hatchery ish
competing for resources, the Wild
Fish Conservancy may have a
point. But, if the carrying capacity
of the main stem of the Columbia
is a concern, I believe the historic
millions of downstream smolts
would indicate that this should not
be a concern. As a biologist I was
taught that salmon were some of
the most adaptable species on the
face of the earth.
This adaptability was the result
of many thousands of generations
spawning with straying ish. As a
isheries major we were taught that,
if a ish mated with a stray and the
offspring survived to subsequently
mate, that was a good thing. We
were also taught, if a ish mated
with a stray and the offspring died,
that was also a good thing. In view
of this, a case could be made that
preserving speciic genetics in a
changing environment might not
be the best science. Think climate
change.
In the natural life cycle of
salmon there are two major weak
links. In the wild, only a few of the
salmon’s eggs are fertilized, hatch
and become able to survive on their
own. Probably less than 10 percent.
Hatcheries usually have a record
of more than 90 percent. The other
weak link is on their return to
the Columbia and their place of
origin. Recent research has shown
that an unaccounted 45 percent
of the ish entering the mouth of
the river never reach Bonneville.
This record includes wild as well
as hatchery ish. In the Columbia
River seals and sea lions number
in the thousands. Historically there
were very few seals or sea lions
in the Columbia. Most thinking
people would conclude that the
seals and sea lions ate them. What
do we hear from the Wild Fish
Conservancy about this? Nothing.
Carlisle Harrison
Hermiston
Drugs harm Oregon,
not bloated budgets
In recent days we have
heard TV ads for Allen Alley
for governor and how he’ll cut
wasteful spending. I’ve got news
for Mr. Alley: His friends at
Cascade Policy Institute made sure
when they got Ballot Measure 5
passed that there would not be
any money for wasteful spending.
And just to insure that there wasn’t
any money for anything, let alone
wasteful spending, his friend Bill
Sizemore got Ballot Measure
50 passed. Now we don’t have
the money necessary to patch
streets, buy new police and ire
equipment or upgrade the sewer
and wastewater plant.
Mr. Alley, I have no idea where
you got the idea that Oregon had
money for wasteful spending, but
it doesn’t. Instead of hollering
about wasteful spending, why not
holler about the problems we are
having with gangs and drugs and
get Ballot Measure 50 repealed so
that we could put some money into
drug and gang enforcement and for
infrastructure upgrades? Ridding
Oregon of drugs and gangs
will bring business and so will
upgrading outdated infrastructure.
That’a where your priorities should
be, Mr. Alley, not cutting the
budget more.
Barbara Wright, Pendleton
Primmer for council
I am writing this letter today to
urge you to cast your vote to elect
Dale Primmer to represent Ward
3 as city councilor in Pendleton. I
have known Dale for roughly eight
years, getting to know him as an
active participant in his children’s
activities. Dale is a devoted dad,
husband, homeowner and active
volunteer in our community.
Because of his employment
with Umatilla County as director
of the community justice system,
Dale has a working knowledge of
budgets — both in good economic
times and bad. He listens to other
ideas and evaluates the best way to
proceed, always keeping in mind
the good of the entire community.
Our next city council will face
some dificult decisions, but I am
sure that given Dale’s common
sense approach and willingness to
work with others to reach equitable
solutions, he is the best suited for
election to represent Ward 3.
Susan Wood, Pendleton