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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 2016)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Saturday, December 24, 2016 Good news, great joy A t that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others — the armies of heaven — praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” — Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. Luke 2:1-20 (New Living Translation) A fter Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. Matthew 2:1-12 (New Living Translation) OTHER VIEWS Lessons learned from two battle strategies 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 Office Manager MIKE JENSEN Production Manager EO MEDIA GROUP East Oregonian • The Daily Astorian • Capital Press • Hermiston Herald Blue Mountain Eagle • Wallowa County Chieftain • Chinook Observer • Coast River Business Journal Oregon Coast Today • Coast Weekend • Seaside Signal • Cannon Beach Gazette Eastern Oregon Real Estate Guide • Eastern Oregon Marketplace • Coast Marketplace OnlyAg.com • FarmSeller.com • Seaside-Sun.com • NorthwestOpinions.com • DiscoverOurCoast.com Merry Christmas to our readers It’s been an interesting year for we report and analyze the news. We hope to challenge you in the news media to say the least. new year on this page with alternate To say the most, it’s been a year that has shaken the opinions to the ones very foundation of hear every It’s a big task you journalism, which is day. We also hope the foundation the to articulate the to do good East Oregonian was opinions you hold journalism, and dear in a way that built on. you understand It didn’t happen be a good news helps the issues of the day. all at once, of course. consumer, in a And we hope to hear The slow erosion of you in letters trust in the media changing world. from to the editor to share has been sliding for your perspective. years as U.S. citizens On the news find themselves pages, we’re always looking for with a dizzying array of options ways to better explain life and issues and see contradictions among them. in Eastern Oregon. Our reporters and Any miscalculated figure or missed editors are eager to prove this paper angle on the part of a journalist can become proof of malfeasance. And if is worth the investment of your money, but also your time. We hope all journalism is just a random grab that every new edition that hits your of information rewritten through a doorstep is full of information useful biased lens, why not subscribe only to your life presented in a way that to the reporting and analysis that shows we have your best interests in affirms what you already believe? mind. If you’re taking the time to read It’s a big task. And we know the this on Christmas weekend, we thank you. We are glad to know you world is changing. We hope today’s edition is one of care about what’s going on in your hundreds of small gifts you receive city, your county, your country and your world. And we’re glad you give from us this year, and thank you for us the chance each day to prove that investing in what we do. Merry Christmas. we have you, the reader, in mind as 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 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. P resident Barack Obama and power. While Democrats continue Gov. Pat McCrory of North to play by more genteel rules, Carolina don’t agree on many Republicans have subscribed to the policy questions. But they have found Capone school of politics (as Sean themselves facing a similar political Connery fans can recite): “They pull a situation this year. And their very knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of different reactions capture the deep — yours to the hospital, you send one of and alarming — differences between his to the morgue.” our two political parties right now. In several states, Republicans have David Both Obama and McCrory Leonhardt changed laws to reduce Democratic essentially had their accomplishments voter turnout. After Obama’s election, Comment on the ballot. McCrory, a Republican, Mitch McConnell rallied Senate was running for re-election. Obama Republicans to oppose his policies — wasn’t, but his chosen successor was running even if Republicans agreed with them! — to against a candidate who had personally make Obama a failed president. This year, demeaned him and promised to repeal his Republicans refused to fill a Supreme Court agenda. vacancy. As you’d expect, Obama and McCrory Calling out this behavior is difficult for each campaigned hard. There, however, the anybody who’s not a partisan Democrat, similarities stopped. The because doing so makes you differences have played out sound like a partisan. We in three acts. in the media, for example, In the first act, before have sometimes framed the Election Day, Obama was events in North Carolina faced with evidence that as a case of “partisan Russia was trying to help polarization.” That’s akin to reporting Saddam Hussein’s Donald Trump win. Obama erred on the side of nonpartisan caution, opting not to announce invasion of Kuwait under a headline of “Tensions Between Iraq, Kuwait Escalate.” the CIA findings on Russia’s motives. He It’s ... not false. was willing to use the presidential bully Hard as it is, no one should be putting a pulpit to criticize Trump, but not the levers of presidential power to disadvantage him. thumb on the scale to pretend the Republicans’ McCrory went so far using his levers anti-democratic behavior is normal. I agree that a federal appeals court unanimously with Republicans on some issues, like the slapped him back. It threw out legislation he value of competition in education and the had signed to restrict voting access, saying benefits of two-parent families. But I won’t it targeted African-Americans with “almost cheer any ill-gotten gains on those issues. surgical precision” and “discriminatory The most important thing now would be intent.” Still, McCrory and his allies managed for sober Republicans to stand up to their to take steps to make voting harder for many party’s radicalization, even if it meant leaving Democrats. the party. Absent that, the big decisions fall to The mischief didn’t keep him from losing Democrats. narrowly, and in the second act, McCrory They need to understand that their initially refused to accept the outcome. He opponents are changing the rules — and invented stories of “massive voter fraud” and often benefiting. No, Democrats should not spent weeks refusing to concede. simply mimic the cynicism. For both moral Meanwhile, Obama — despite Russia’s and political reasons, they should defend interference and Hillary’s Clinton’s popular- small-d democratic values, which are, after all, vote win — immediately congratulated Trump American values. But the party does need to get tougher. and announced “we are now all rooting for his In Congress, the Democrats’ threshold success.” for working with Republicans should be The third act is happening now. Obama higher than in the Bush years. The alternative has instructed his staff to help Trump’s staff. would signal to voters, wrongly, that the GOP McCrory has signed two bills that strip his was the less partisan party, because it could successor, Roy Cooper, of some powers. pass bipartisan bills. Around the country, The justification — a much smaller, long-ago power grab by state Democrats — is Democrats should fight every restriction of voting rights and build grass-roots laughable. The Charlotte Observer called the organizations in all 50 states focused on changes breathtaking and arrogant. The News little-guy economic arguments. Dreaming & Observer, of Raleigh, compared them to a wishfully of demographic destiny won’t cut it. coup. Anybody tempted to fantasize about In sum: McCrory tried to change the inevitable Democratic victories should think election’s rules to help himself; pretended ahead to 2020 — when the McCrory playbook he did not lose afterward; and is ultimately may well be used not just in a state election overturning some of the election’s but a national one. consequences. ■ If he were merely a rogue politician, this David Leonhardt is the managing editor of story would be a local one. But too many The Upshot for the New York Times, a website Republicans elsewhere have begun to ignore that focuses on politics, policy, and economics. political traditions, and even laws, to exert The third act is happening now.
