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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 2016)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Wednesday, October 12, 2016 OTHER VIEWS Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN Publisher DANIEL WATTENBURGER Managing Editor TIM TRAINOR Opinion Page Editor MARISSA WILLIAMS Regional Advertising Director MARCY ROSENBERG Circulation Manager JANNA HEIMGARTNER Business Ofice Manager MIKE JENSEN Production Manager OUR VIEW Richardson for Secretary of State It is likely that Democrats will — Cover Oregon and the Columbia continue to dominate Oregon politics River Crossing come to mind — having a Secretary of State in charge after the results of November’s of the audits division that was at election are tabulated. some level not in lockstep with the Governor Kate Brown is likely governor’s ofice would have been to win her irst election for the helpful for taxpayers. top seat in state government. The Perhaps those Senate and House are debacles may well favored to remain in It is important have debacled, Democratic control. and hundreds of If that’s the case that voters millions of tax — with one party ind a way to dollars would still having its hands on been lushed almost all the levers provide a check have down the toilet. But of power — then it is on Democratic with a member of important that voters an opposite party ind a way to provide Party power as Secretary of some check on that State, Oregonians power. Voters can in Oregon. would have had a do that by electing more thorough and Republican Dennis transparent accounting of why the Richardson for Secretary of State. mistakes happened and responsible Richardson, you may remember, decision-makers held accountable. was defeated by soon-to-be- That would give Oregonians more disgraced Gov. John Kitzhaber in conidence that similar mistakes 2014. He has spent a decade in the Oregon legislature, rising to speaker wouldn’t happen again. Richardson’s main competitor, pro tem and a powerful co-chair Democrat Brad Avakian, is looking of the joint Ways and Means to use the position as a stepping Committee. stone to higher statewide ofice. He Richardson has a history of straightforward conservative votes, a would look to expand the ofice of Secretary of State, and would likely willingness to engage a Democratic be to the left of the governor’s ofice majority and conduct a statewide on many issues. While that may be campaign in opposition to them. delightful for some parts of Oregon, As Secretary of State, Richardson it doesn’t sound so good out here on would be able to concentrate solely the wide prairies. on the iscal impacts of legislative Because he would be in charge of decisions, support reorganization the audits division and be one of the of poor-performing state ofices few Republicans within the upper and increase transparency and echelon of state government, we accountability. support Richardson for Secretary of In regards to major state State. government failures in recent years 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. YOUR VIEWS Trump an embarrassment to men everywhere EOTEC deserves criticism, should be able to accept it On behalf of mature men everywhere — and by “mature men,” I mean those of us who have learned that masculine strength must be tempered with empathy if it is to protect and serve the common good — I would like to apologize to all women for letting Donald Trump masquerade as one of us. During Sunday’s town hall debate, Trump dismissed the vile words he spoke in that leaked “Access Hollywood” tape as “just locker room talk,” implying that all post-pubescent heterosexual men talk that way with each other behind closed doors, and we all feel that way about the women around us, and we would all just grab them by the genitals if we thought we could get away with it. Mature men do not, and would not, talk or act this way. But I understand now that women may never feel completely safe around us men, because you can never be totally sure whether they are mature men or developmentally-stunted predators like Trump. And that grieves me. To my fellow men — mature men — I would just like to point out that Trump is delecting criticism of his puerile, indefensible behavior by attempting to pass himself off as the avatar of red-blooded American masculinity. This cannot go unchallenged, for it is a grave insult to our collective manhood. Men can and should be better than this. We cannot allow him to represent us in any public capacity, let alone the highest ofice in the land. I urge you to vote accordingly. To Trump himself, I say: If you think you’re such a tough guy with such great stamina, then pick the time and place, you son of a Klansman. I’m calling you out under the Marquess of Queensberry Rules. Let’s see whether you can box for your honor half as well as you can “wrestle” for spectacle. If your doctor says you’re too old and frail, then I will settle for ighting any of your equally disreputable sons. I just get irritated when the East Oregonian lets George Anderson attack people on their opinions of EOTEC. This man has such thin skin he needs to take off his suit coat, roll up his sleeves and get out into the sunlight and help his skin get thicker. George is the self-appointed attack dog for the EOTEC board. Rick Rohde has his right to voice his opinion. Although I agree about the EOTEC need and hope it prospers, I disagree with George’s statements. You see, we have had the land in Hermiston on Airport Road for decades due to land swap deals from public entity to public entity. There was no intention to ind an alternative in Milton-Freewater or another location. The $8 million is a phony number used and has no merit, due to the fact that the land already set aside would be used eventually as intended. We would not have lost the fairgrounds at all, just a lot of the public’s conidence, and trust, coming from the end result of this project EOTEC was brought in without a lot of foresight. You see, the fairgrounds were supposed to get done irst, but it was decided by a few and not the rest of us, the many, to build EOTEC irst. You see, George, since numerous taxpayer funding grants were received, Mr. Rohde as a taxpayer should be able to voice his opinion. Not just your opinion. EOTEC was poorly designed, poorly implemented by the board, and did not give the proper oversight that they should have diligently done when mostly with taxpayer money (state grants, city tax money, county tax money, and motel owners’ tax money) was used. The Frew management company was mismanaging the project and was not truthful to the board and taxpayers on several instances. They should have been ired from the project — but no, they kept them on for this last phase. So again, George is defending lack of oversight, mismanagement and a deadline that is over a year late. Nice! Goes to show you that cronyism is still alive and well. Dave Wahler La Grande Perry W. Hawkins Hermiston Trump bounces back in debate S T. LOUIS — You can make audience. a good argument that Donald To what end? After the debate, I asked Trump spokesman Jason Miller Trump won the second whether the women’s presence had presidential debate with Hillary any effect in the room. Clinton. You could also argue that no “Who knows?” Miller answered. one won. But it’s probably beyond “Then why do it?” dispute that Trump’s performance will “Because Juanita Broaddrick and shut down Republican defections from Kathleen Willey and the other woman his struggling campaign, at least for Byron had their voices stomped out for far now. York too long,” Miller answered. “Hillary Say you were a Republican Comment Clinton has been a part of that. So has lawmaker contemplating breaking the media. What we’re simply doing with Trump. You didn’t do it Saturday, is giving them the opportunity to have their when several GOP oficials jumped, because you wanted to see how Trump would do in the story told.” When the sex portion of the show was debate Sunday night. Now you’ve seen it — a inally over, the debate moved on to Clinton’s more aggressive, hard-hitting and focused emails, and then to what used to be known as effort than Trump’s losing performance in actual issues: Obamacare, Debate One — and you’re Trump’s call for a temporary probably not going to ban on immigration from abandon Trump now. some terrorist-affected Contrary to expectations, countries, Syria, political the debate did not begin transparency, taxes. with a punch-in-the-gut Trump didn’t display question about Trump’s any more policy depth than lewd video. Instead, he has in the past — it is an audience member astonishing, for example, approached the issue in the that he seems to have softest, most indirect way, learned nothing more about asking both Trump and a replacement for Obamacare since the GOP Clinton whether they feel they are “modeling primaries. But overall, he effectively used appropriate and positive behavior for today’s each issue to slam Clinton and the Obama youth?” administration, arguing that he would be able Neither candidate actually answered the to get things done where they failed. Clinton question, but Trump did a far better job than was on the defensive for much of the debate’s Clinton of pivoting to issues — the issues he last hour. wanted to talk about, including Obamacare, The bottom line was that Trump terrorism and the trade deicit. In the irst weathered the sex portion of the debate — a debate Sept. 26, Trump didn’t seem to know development which would have seemed like what a pivot was. The second debate marked a miracle just 36 hours earlier — and showed the moment he learned that basic debate strength in the policy sections. Beforehand, maneuver. many observers would have predicted Clinton After the opening, co-moderator Anderson would crush Trump in both. Cooper administered the punch-in-the-gut Then Trump scored well on Obamacare, video question. “You bragged that you have and then on taxes, and then did OK on sexually assaulted women,” Cooper said to foreign policy. Finally, he scored well at the Trump. “Do you understand that?” end with an actual compliment of Clinton’s Trump dismissed the video repeatedly as tenaciousness. “locker room talk,” apologizing and saying And so Trump won, perhaps, or certainly he was embarrassed by it. And then Trump didn’t lose. pivoted again, this time suggesting the video What does that mean? Well, if a campaign was a minor issue compared to the threat has one foot in the grave, simply not dying is posed by Islamic State. a big win. Clinton had her say, arguing that the video But if Trump thinks the debate will push was not an aberration but the essence of Trump. “I think it’s clear to anyone who heard the lewd tape problem into the past, he’ll soon ind that’s not the case. And of course, it that it represents exactly who he is,” she any new revelations — and there were lots of said. rumors on Sunday — could start the whole With both sides having spoken, was the Republican panic-and-bolt cycle again, with Trump video portion of the debate over? Not more GOP lawmakers heading for the exits. at all. The other moderator, Martha Raddatz, But that’s for the days ahead. The took her turn at the question, and that’s when bottom line Sunday is that Trump was in an Trump brought up the Bill Clinton women. enormously dificult and pressure-illed spot. Shortly before the debate began, Juanita If he lost badly to Clinton, the signiicant but Broaddrick, Kathleen Willey and Paula Jones manageable number of Republican defections were escorted by Trump aides into the hall. from his campaign might have turned into They took prominent seats in the Trump a stampede. Instead, Trump held things section, but they were well out of Hillary together. Clinton’s line of sight. If Clinton had to rely No, that’s not expanding the Trump only on what she could see, she wouldn’t have electorate. It’s not converting independent known they were there. voters. But for a man with his back against the Which raises a question: What was the wall, Sunday night’s debate was a welcome point? Before the debate, a number of Trump change in fortune. supporters, like Newt Gingrich, thought ■ bringing in the Bill Clinton victims was a Byron York is chief political correspondent dumb idea. But Trump not only met with for The Washington Examiner. them before the debate, he posted them in the Trump effectively used each issue to slam Clinton and the Obama administration. 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.
