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OPINION
East Oregonian
Thursday, May 19, 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
Record returns
can still improve
Oregonians voted yesterday — or compared to national ones is another
issue. We would argue a local city
at least the government counted our
councilor or judge will have a
votes yesterday.
greater effect on your life than most
Thanks to vote by mail, many of
us returned our ballot far in advance. presidents ever will.
But we digress. In this editorial,
It’s pretty fantastic that 96 percent
or so of those votes can therefore be we are supporting an open primary
system.
counted within 15 minutes of polls
It’s the best way to increase that
closing. That sure makes it nice
already solid voting rate. Better even
for journalists scrambling to make
than the motor voter law, which
deadline for the next day’s paper.
put ballots into the
But the real proof
hands of Oregonians
in the pudding is voter
they wanted
turnout, and Oregon
Unafiliated whether
them or not. The
did better than most
voters returned jury is still out on
this primary season.
About 1.2 million
that law was
their ballots at whether
Oregonians — 47
worth the time and
percent of registered
a clip of just effort. The 1.2 million
voters — took part.
cast could be a
18 percent. votes
Compare that to
record for an Oregon
Kentucky, which held
primary, but because
their primary election
of net migration,
on the same day and saw around 20
it doesn’t mean much. The same
percent of ballots returned.
percentage of voters are doing their
Here in Oregon, turnout varied
duty, and the same percentage are
dramatically depending on party
not.
afiliation, however. Registered
Oregon’s voting laws are,
Democrats returned their ballots
thankfully, created with the thought
at a 60 percent clip, while 55
of getting as many ballots to as
percent of Republicans did the
many people as possible. And also
same. Registered members of the
to give people the time to it a trip
Independent Party returned 32
to the courthouse into their busy
percent of their ballots. Unafiliated
lives. Or, if their lives are too busy
voters brought up the rear, however. or otherwise encumbered, they can
Of 526,348 Oregonians who are not drop their ballots in the mail from
afiliated with a political party, only
the convenience of their own front
94,412 returned their ballot — about door.
18 percent. Those are Kentucky
But in primary elections, the
numbers!
ability to choose which candidate
But can you blame unafiliated
you want to back this election in
voters? In a closed primary, they
each race — not requiring you
receive a pretty empty ballot. In
register before ballots are sent out
Umatilla County, the unafiliated
and then un-registering once you’ve
had an important say in nonpartisan
cast your vote — is another piece
city council elections, a circuit
of the electoral puzzle that Oregon
court judge race and on local bond
should be leading the nation in
and levy issues. But they had no
completing.
say on partisan races that get much
Opening the vote even more
more media attention: president, for
would siphon power from the
instance, governor and state senators parties, especially the big two,
and representatives.
and re-enfranchise a whole lot of
The importance of local races
would-be voters.
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.
OUR VIEW
If it weren’t so serious,
bathroom bills would be a joke
The Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader
T
he movement to ban students from
using restrooms that conform to
their gender identity is a solution
in search of a problem. There is no
evidence, no data that these young
people present a threat to their fellow
students or anyone else.
However, it’s a solution that can
cause lots of problems and a great deal
of pain.
Transgender people are much more
likely to be victims of sexual violence.
Forcing them to use restrooms set aside
for them or for those of the gender with
which they don’t identify is akin to
placing a target on their backs.
Henry Brousseau hated using the
unisex bathroom in his public high
school in Louisville before it adopted
a policy allowing students to use the
restroom of their gender identity. Born
a girl, he had identiied as a male for
three years when he spoke to a Kentucky
Senate panel last year.
“I was outing myself every time I had
to go in there,” he said. Using that unisex
bathroom put him in the crosshairs of
potential harassers, marking him as
something other than the “normal kid”
he wanted to be.
Henry’s concerns are at the heart of
the U.S. Justice Department’s battle with
North Carolina over HB2, the law just
passed in a special session to overrule
a fairness ordinance in Charlotte and
compel public schools to make students
use the bathrooms of the gender identity
assigned to them at birth.
The Justice Department sued
North Carolina, saying HB2 violates
civil rights. Friday, Justice joined the
Department of Education in a joint letter
to schools saying they must assure all
students, including transgender students,
“can attend school in an environment
free from discrimination based on sex.”
Implicit is that schools that violate this
principle risk losing federal funding.
This is not a departure from previous
federal guidance, nor is it new to many
schools. Atherton High in Louisville,
where Henry attended, adopted a
policy in 2014 allowing students to use
the bathroom of their gender identity.
Atherton principal Thomas Aberli
told the Louisville Courier-Journal
Friday that the new policy had been a
“non-issue.” “Students feel safe and that
we value the diversity in our school and
see it as a strength rather than divisive.”
Aberli acknowledged that changing
mindsets about gender identity can be
dificult but “as leaders we must do our
research” to understand the issue and the
impact of discrimination on students.
Not feeling accepted takes a
tremendous toll. Transgender kids
attempt and commit suicide at a greater
rate than their peers, and they miss
school more often.
If it weren’t so serious, these
bathroom bills would be ridiculous.
Politicians whine that a bullying federal
government is trying to force its values
on states while state legislatures try to
force their values on their own cities.
And of course these laws are
unenforceable. Would a bathroom
monitor stand outside every door,
demanding a valid copy of a birth
certiicate or inspecting genitalia before
kids can enter? Or should students use
their cellphones to spy on their peers
inside stalls?
But neither human dignity nor
common sense is enough to stop
those who want to raise money or
bolster political careers by demonizing
transgender students who just want to be
themselves.
While Bill Clinton rolls,
George W. Bush unable,
unwilling to help GOP
B
up in arms about it. And a few days
ill Clinton has had his problems
later, Trump won the South Carolina
lately, but there’s no doubt the
primary.
former president is the best
It was a concise lesson in the
booster the Democratic Party has
ambiguities of George W. Bush’s
had since leaving ofice in January
legacy for Republicans.
2001. Even now, although he’s clearly
On the other hand, Bush could
slowing down, Clinton is the party’s
have helped his party by appearing at
most effective surrogate for wife
fundraisers and other events where an
Hillary.
Byron
ex-president — even an ex-president
Republicans haven’t had the same
York
with a troubling legacy — would still
luck. The only two-term GOP president
Comment
be a big draw. His refusal to do so has
in the last generation, George W. Bush,
left some resentments.
has stayed mostly out of politics in the
Katon Dawson, a former chairman of
seven years since he left the White House.
the South Carolina Republican party, has no
Bush’s absence has caused some hard
complaints about Bush’s treatment of the state
feeling among Republican politicos who wish
while in the White House. But afterward has
they had a popular ex-president to bring more
been a different story.
money and attention to GOP
“He was gracious to
candidates. On the other
South Carolina — eight
hand, they know Bush’s
visits, raised us money,
troubled time in ofice
wonderful access to the
permanently diminished
his post-presidential status.
White House,” said Dawson.
And now, to top it off, Bush,
“But then he went home and
along with his father, former
retired. We’ve asked him (to
President George H.W. Bush,
come), and the answer is no.
has taken the extraordinary
The irst time we saw him
step of refusing to endorse
was when he came to bail his
the presidential candidate of
brother Jeb out.”
his own party.
Now Bush is likely
In short, facing a dificult
to make relations with
general election campaign
Republicans around the
and in need of all the
country even more dificult
help it can get, the GOP’s
by refusing to support the
ex-president situation is a mess.
GOP nominee. Some anti-Trump conservatives
George W. Bush left ofice with a job
cheered the move, but state Republican parties
approval rating of just 28 percent after 9/11,
are coming around to the reality of a Trump
two wars, and an economic collapse. He has
nomination.
since regained much of his popularity with
But how could Bush support the candidate
Republicans. But even within his own party,
who slapped down his brother and trashed his
Bush’s status is shaky.
own White House record? That would be a
On Feb. 15, Bush broke his rule against
stretch even for a nimble politician.
campaigning to travel to South Carolina to
Still, the refusal to support Trump makes
appear at a rally on behalf of his brother Jeb.
Bush and his family look like they are putting
The Jeb Bush campaign was already in its inal personal interests over the party. And in the
days, and there was nothing W. could do to
end, some Republicans wonder whether that
save it. But W. still got a rousing reception.
might end up helping Trump.
Before the rally began, when the master of
“The ruling class, the establishment
ceremonies asked the crowd, “Are y’all ready
folks, the Nantucket-Kennebunkport-Lake
to see the president?” a huge roar went up.
Winnipesaukee crowd is opposed to Trump,”
They weren’t cheering for Jeb. The audience
said Curt Anderson, a top strategist for the
that W. attracted was by far the biggest of Jeb’s Bobby Jindal campaign who is not part of any
campaign.
campaign now. “Trump is from a lower caste,
But at a Republican debate just a couple of
he’s too loud at dinner parties. I would be
days earlier, Donald Trump, who has criticized
surprised to learn that their refusal to endorse is
George W. Bush’s presidency throughout the
based on ideological concerns of any kind.”
campaign, slammed the war in Iraq as “a big,
In the end, the Bush factor is too
fat mistake.” Then Trump went further to say
complicated to compute. A former president
that George W. Bush “lied” the nation into war. who is unpopular with many voters but
“They said there were weapons of mass
popular with donors; who is pulled in different
destruction, there were none,” Trump said.
directions by family and party loyalty; who
“And they knew there were none.”
shies away from politics while his Democratic
Jeb Bush stood haplessly by, unable to
counterpart still draws crowds and moves
defend either himself or his brother.
voters.
So were South Carolina Republicans
Some Republicans like to send around a
outraged by Trump — did they take offense
photo of a smiling Bush with the caption “Miss
on behalf of George W. Bush? Not really.
me yet?” The problem is, there’s no clear
Republicans I talked to at the W. rally were
answer.
evenly split on whether the war was a disaster,
■
and even though most didn’t agree with
Byron York is chief political correspondent
Trump’s assertion that Bush lied, they weren’t
for The Washington Examiner.
The refusal to
support Trump
makes Bush and
his family look
like they are
putting personal
interests over
the party.
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