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OPINION
East Oregonian
Thursday, May 5, 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
Attitude, outlook
deine judge race
tacks, Ballard said he will be fact-
Perhaps the East Oregonian
based and “no nonsense” on the
editorial board is not the best judge
bench, and will be a “predictable”
of judges. None of us has a law
ruler that will allow lawyers from
background and we can’t speak a
both sides to know what to expect.
lick of Latin.
Although mandatory minimums
But we imagine we have those
traits in common with many readers have greatly restricted judges in their
sentencing lexibility, Ballard said
and voters. And because the race
he will work to uphold gun rights
for Umatilla and Morrow County
where possible, help those who have
circuit judge is one of the May
made a one-time mistake get back
election’s most competitive and
to their lives, and punish those who
most important, it deserves some
have become a drain on society
comment and discussion.
and a threat to
John Ballard, a
safety.
Hermiston attorney
Ballard will be community
Lieuallen, on
specializing in
the other hand,
divorce cases,
predictably
said he will be
is taking on Jon
tough and terse. fair, unbiased and
Lieuallen, a
He
Pendleton-based
Lieuallen will be approachable.
said he will take the
attorney with a
more open and time to explain his
wider variety of
reasoning to both
law experience,
engaged.
the prosecutors and
but perhaps at less
the defense, and be
depth. Lieuallen
a transparent arbiter
was defeated by
Lynn Hampton after challenging the of each and every matter that comes
before him.
incumbent back in 2012.
And perhaps that is the main
The two candidates in this
difference. Ballard will be
election have tried to distinguish
predictably tough and terse. Defense
themselves in different ways. Both
attorneys could look to avoid his
spoke of the hard campaign slog of
courtroom if possible, and that can
trying to get voters if not interested
in the race, at least informed about it. have a debilitating effect on the
Ballard, at public events and with eficiency of our local circuit court.
Lieuallen will be more open and
the editorial board, has represented
engaged, but perhaps that will allow
himself as tough on crime,
attorneys to get away with a few
unconvinced of the value of drug
more of the “games” both candidates
court and probation and treatment
know get played in a courtroom.
efforts. He says there are too many
Your personal preference of
career criminals in our communities
who belong in jail for long stretches style is just as valuable as ours
to decide who to vote for. In our
and as judge he would be more
opinion, Lieuallen’s judicial style
apt to put them there. It’s a classic
is more practical and more useful
populist argument, and he will win
in the circuit court that operates
some votes that way.
in Umatilla and Morrow counties.
Lieuallen will win votes with a
different tactic, portraying himself as And Lieuallen’s work history is
a family man and community leader, without the questionable ethical
a hometown person with high ethics decisions that Ballard has made. In
our opinion, there is a greater chance
and morals. It, too, is a populist
Ballard’s style makes him a less
message.
effective judge who will be unable
Yet both arguments have little to
to take on the caseload necessary to
do with being a good judge.
keep our courts in order.
When it comes down to brass
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.
How GOP bigwigs made
their peace with Trump
W
ith Donald Trump heading
Committee members held a meeting in
toward what more and more
Hollywood, Florida. At that meeting,
Republicans believe will
member after member said that he or
be victory in the GOP primaries, an
she would support Trump if Trump is
increasing number of party igures —
the party’s nominee. Now, Republican
none fans of Trump originally — are
National Committee members
making their peace with the idea of
pledging to support the Republican
Trump as their nominee. Some are
nominee should be no surprise. But it
even working out an argument, at least
was an institutional conirmation that
Byron
in their own minds, that Trump has
the party will accept Trump.
York
a plausible chance to defeat Hillary
Perhaps most importantly, some
Comment
Clinton in a general election.
have begun to game out a Trump vs.
There have been brief establishment
Clinton general election contest. They
lirtations with Trump in the past. But those
know that dozens of polls have shown Clinton
lirtations ended when Trump said something
trouncing Trump, often by double digits.
outrageous or the campaign took some (brief)
But they were struck by a recent George
anti-Trump turn, most recently when Ted Cruz Washington University Battleground Poll that
won the Wisconsin primary on April 5. Now,
showed Clinton winning by just 3 points. It’s
with Trump’s ive-for-ive victories in the
just one poll, but for some it conirmed the
Northeast last Tuesday, some establishment
idea that there might be a different dynamic
members are doing more
at work in the race once
than lirting with the idea of
Trump becomes the
Trump. They’re accepting it.
nominee and the contest is
What follows won’t
simply Donald vs. Hillary.
include names, but is based
The ight will become more
on private conversations
even.
with several stalwart
“Trump does bring a
Republicans, including a
little magic to this in that he
former top party oficial,
could shufle the traditional
former members of Congress
battleground map,”
who have been active in
one former presidential
the campaign, a member of
campaign manager told me.
the party’s foreign-policy
“I haven’t seen any data on
establishment, two former
that, but I’m just getting
managers of GOP presidential campaigns,
a feeling that he’s going to put a couple of
and more. In addition, several other inluential Midwestern states in play.”
Republicans, like Sens. Bob Corker and John
“I saw Goeas’ poll this week,” the former
Cornyn, along with former House Speaker
manager continued, referring to Ed Goeas, the
John Boehner, have spoken out publicly in a
Republican author of the Battleground Poll.
somewhat Trump-friendly way recently.
“Look, Trump hasn’t even started to take out
Each says different things, but overall,
Hillary yet. He hasn’t even begun taking it to
there is one reason for the change in attitude:
her, and when he does, it’s a two-prong thing.
voters. In this case, 10,056,690 Republican
One, it unites the party like no other thing, and
primary votes for Trump (so far) have a way
two, it will start to damage her. Look at what
of changing a politician’s mind.
he’s done to Lyin’ Ted and Little Marco and
The GOP politicos carefully count
Low Energy Jeb.”
delegates — some the old-fashioned way, on a
Maybe the insiders are deluding
legal pad, instead of using the various delegate themselves. The RealClearPolitics compilation
calculators on the web — and now believe
of general election head-to-head polls is a
Trump will win at least the 1,237 required
long list of blue numbers favoring Clinton.
to clinch the Republican nomination on the
But the fact is, some inluential Republicans
irst ballot. Most began to feel that way after
are beginning to question the assumption that
Trump won New York with 60.5 percent of the Trump is guaranteed to lose big.
vote, not only stopping the momentum Cruz
That’s the kind of change that decisive
had gained in Wisconsin but also punching a
primary victories produce.
hole in the idea of a Trump “ceiling.”
“The memories of Trump’s last outrageous
“They are recognizing that the voters
statements have faded a little bit and he’s won
are speaking,” said one GOP veteran of his
big,” said another insider.
establishment colleagues.
None of this means party insiders are
Because of that, the insiders dismiss
enthusiastic about Trump. As one less
continuing efforts to stop Trump as too little,
optimistic type told me, they are trying to
too late. In hindsight, they now say that was
igure out whether to try to help Trump in a
true all along. The millions spent on ads
general election race or sit out the campaign
against Trump in Florida? Too late. National
in a deep funk. But the bottom line is, they
Review’s “Against Trump” broadside? Too
can read election results. They realize the
late. #NeverTrump? Too late. For whatever
voters are telling them something. And they
reason, the GOP politicos have concluded,
are moving toward accepting Trump as their
anti-Trump forces in the party were always
nominee. “If anything,” said another insider,
behind the times, to Trump’s beneit.
“it may be happening faster than you think.”
The insiders also know other Republicans
■
think the same thing. They took notice
Byron York is chief political correspondent
recently when Republican National
for The Washington Examiner.
10 million
primary votes
for Trump
have a way
of changing a
politician’s mind.
YOUR VIEWS
Republican drought
must end in Oregon
A recent East Oregonian
editorial described the
circumstance of Oregon’s
governing leadership remaining
within one party as a 30-year
drought.
In an area such as this,
mentioning drought is very apt to
draw attention; and, in the context
of an election season, it is pretty
sure to stir up the base.
Oregon’s last Republican
governor, Vic Atiyeh, was
gutsy enough to face a problem
head-on. When the state faced
a budget shortfall, he persuaded
the legislature to consider a 10
percent state income tax surcharge.
It was passed and enacted with a
minimum of bloodshed.
A few years later, in retaliation
for that dastardly act, some
remaining hard-shelled Reaganites
managed to banish local control
of school funding and install
control in Salem. Thus began the
downward spiral of Oregon’s K-12
education results. At about that
same time the “kicker” rebate was
dreamed up and, sadly, enshrined
in our state constitution.
If Republicans were to nominate
someone with the integrity and
good sense of a Vic Atiyeh, this
drought might end.
Harvey Foreman
Pendleton
Clinton’s experience,
skills set her apart
It is time to return our ballots
and make a decision about our next
president. We Democrats have a
choice between two candidates.
In many respects, they’re not too
far apart on the issues, health care,
minimum wage, job creation or the
environment. Their differences are
mostly in the details.
However, when it comes to who
is better qualiied and prepared to
make the decisions that presidents
must make every day, there is a big
difference. Bernie Sanders is illed
with good ideas, but without the
skills needed to accomplish them.
Hillary Clinton not only has the
ideas, but the necessary experience,
skills and integrity to accomplish
these goals.
One of the great honors of my
life was serving as a delegate for
Hillary at the 2008 Democratic
National Convention. She was
the right choice in 2008, and she
is the right choice now. I urge all
Oregonians to cast their votes
for Hillary Clinton for our next
president.
And get those ballots turned in
by May 17.
have always known Greg to be a
good listener, fair-minded, and just.
We believe he will make an
excellent Morrow County judge/
commissioner. He has irsthand
knowledge of how Morrow County
government works and is well
placed to implement new policies
with the future county government
system.
Please join us in voting for Greg
Sweek, on the May ballot, for our
next Morrow County judge.
Jack Lorts, former mayor
Fossil
Athena-Weston School District
received a matching grant in the
amount of $4 million from the
state.
In order for our communities
to receive the grant we must vote
yeson a $4 million bond. If we do
not pass our bond the matching
grant from the state will be given to
Sweek for Morrow
County Judge
We have known Greg Sweek for
many years through his work with
Morrow County government. We
Raymond and Carol Michael
Boardman
Vote yes on Athena-
Weston school bond
another school district.
We have a unique opportunity
for our communities to improve
safety and security for our students
and staff, replace much needed
roofs, school buses, tennis courts
and add air conditioning to the
Athena Elementary School and
high school gym. This is just a
small list of items that will be done
with the matching grant and the
passing of the bond.
We currently have a bond that
will mature in June 2016. Our
current rate per $1,000 of assessed
property value is $1.01. If we pass
the bond the levy rate will increase
44 cents and will mature in 10
years. Most schools in our area
have much higher levy rates per
thousand and their bonds mature in
20 years.
I am proud to be a Tigerscot and
I am voting yes for our schools.
Please join me in voting yes on
May 17.
Paula L. Reich
Athena