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OPINION
East Oregonian
Thursday, December 29, 2016
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
OUR VIEW
Cracks showing
in one-party rule
Republicans dominated Oregon
Capitol.
He will be the first Republican
politics for much of our state’s
to serve on the State Land Board
history. That one-party rule was
since Secretary of State Norma
not good for Oregon, and neither is
the Democrats’ one-party rule that
Paulus left office in 1985. The Land
Board — comprising the governor,
persists today.
On Friday, that domination will be state treasurer and secretary of
state — oversees nearly 1.6 million
broken … a bit. Dennis Richardson
acres of land and related resources.
of Central Point in Southern Oregon
They include
will be sworn in as
farm and range
secretary of state,
lands in Eastern
the first Republican
Oregon, forests in
elected to statewide
Western Oregon,
office since Sen.
mineral rights and
Gordon Smith was
state-managed
elected in 1996 and
waterways.
2002.
A healthy
Among other
things, the Land
two-party system
helps ensure that
Board in 2017 will
a broad range
decide whether to
of interests are
proceed with the
represented in the
controversial sale
Oregon Capitol.
of the Elliott State
Discussion is deeper.
Forest.
Issues and candidates
Richardson
are vetted more
also will be good
closely, instead of
for the Oregon
being approved
Republican Party.
or denied simply
He demonstrated
because of one party’s
that voters
AP file photo
dominance.
will support
Dennis Richardson pumps his
After all, most
fist at an election night event mainstream
Oregonians occupy
at the Salem Convention Cen- Republicans who
are experienced
the broad center of
and well-qualified,
the political spectrum Swearing in
and Oregonians
and care little about
Dennis Richardson will be sworn will reject
party labels. That
in as secretary of state.
Democrats who
is why Richardson
are far left of
won at the November When: 11 a.m. Friday.
Where: State Senate Chambers,
the mainstream
election, although
Oregon Capitol, Salem.
Republican voters
Who: Former Secretary of State – Richardson’s
were outnumbered
Phil Keisling will open the cere- opponent in this
by Democrats and
mony. Oregon Rep. Greg Walden case, state Labor
Commissioner
non-affiliated voters. will speak. Oregon Supreme
Richardson vowed Court Justice David Brewer will Brad Avakian.
administer the oath of office.
It is worth
to run the Secretary
Attendance: The ceremony is
remembering that
of State’s Office in a
open to the public and will be
Richardson won
nonpartisan manner,
streamed online. The Richard-
election with the
and he appears to be
son campaign expects at least
600 people to attend.
support of at least
heeding that pledge.
two Democratic
He plans to keep
leaders — state
most of the agency
Sen. Betsy Johnson of Scappoose and
department heads. For the vacant
position of state elections director, he state Rep. Brad Witt of Clatskanie
— and he received every newspaper
is hiring Steve Trout, who held that
position for a while under Democratic endorsement.
Oregon’s Republican election
Secretary of State Kate Brown.
machinery deteriorated over the
Former Secretary of State Phil
years, because there were too
Keisling, who was the least-partisan
few viable statewide Republican
Democrat elected to the office
candidates to keep the campaign
in recent decades, will open
consultants in business. In contrast,
Richardson’s swearing-in on Friday.
Oregon is awash with Democratic
(Fellow Democrats scorned Keisling
for being even-handed in drawing the campaign consultants. Those trends
contributed to Oregon’s leftward
boundaries for legislative districts in
swing in state politics.
1991.)
Richardson’s victory gives hope
Even as Dennis Richardson
manages his office with a nonpartisan for a resurgence among Republicans.
But the party must field experienced,
hand, his conservative views and
well-qualified candidates who
rural perspective will influence
represent mainstream Oregon.
decision-making in the Oregon
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.
OTHER VIEWS
The Trump matrix
A
nyone who tells you, with
its share of truer Trumpists. Stephen
perfect confidence, what a
Bannon is intent on remaking the
Trump administration will do
GOP along nationalist lines, Jared
is either bluffing or a fool. We have a
Kushner and Ivanka Trump seem eager
prospective Cabinet and a White House
for their paterfamilias to negotiate
staff, but we haven’t got the first idea
with Democrats, Peter Navarro is
how the two will fit together or how the
girding for a trade war with China.
man at the top will preside over it all.
And Trump’s foreign policy choices
What we can do is set up a matrix
— especially Rex Tillerson at State —
Ross
to help assess the Trump era as it
Douthat seem closer to full-Trumpist realpolitik
proceeds, in which each appointment
than to Reaganism-as-usual.
Comment
and development gets plotted along
On the governance axis, the
two axes. The first axis, the X-axis,
president-elect’s strong-arming of the
represents possibilities for Trumpist policy,
private sector, his media-bashing tweets and
the second, the Y-axis, scenarios for Donald
his feud with the intelligence community all
Trump’s approach to governance.
suggest an authoritarian timeline ahead.
The policy axis runs from full populism at
But anyone who fears incompetence more
one end to predictable conservative orthodoxy
than tyranny has plenty of evidence as well.
on the other. A full populist presidency would
Trump’s tweets might be a sign not of an
give us tariffs and trade
incipient autocrat but of an
wars, an infrastructure bill
unstable president who will
You could imagine a undermine himself at every
that would have Robert
Moses doing back flips, a
step. He has no cushion
totally incompetent
huge wall and E-Verify and
in popular opinion: If
untouched entitlements and
things go even somewhat
populism, in which
big tax cuts for the middle
badly, his political capital
Trump flies around the will go very fast indeed.
class. On foreign policy it
would be Henry Kissinger
has plenty of hacks,
country holding rallies He
meets Andrew Jackson:
wild cards and misfit toys
détente with Russia, no
while absolutely noth- occupying positions of real
nation-building anywhere,
responsibility — and his
ing in Washington
and a counterterrorism
White House has already
strategy that shoots, bombs
had its first sex scandal!
gets done.
and drones first and asks
Then, finally, there
questions later.
is the question of how
In an orthodox-conservative Trump
the axes interact. A populist-authoritarian
presidency, on the other hand, congressional
combination might seem natural, with
Republicans would run domestic policy and
Trump using high-profile deviations from
Trump would simply sign their legislation:
conservative orthodoxy to boost his popularity
A repeal of Obamacare without an obvious
even as he runs roughshod over republican
replacement, big tax cuts for the rich, and
norms.
the Medicare reform of Paul Ryan’s fondest
But you could also imagine an
dreams. On foreign policy, it would offer
authoritarian-orthodox conservative
hawkishness with a dose of idealistic rhetoric
combination, in which congressional
— meaning brinkmanship with Vladimir Putin Republicans accept the most imperial of
plus military escalation everywhere.
presidencies because it’s granting them tax
The second axis, the possibilities for
rates and entitlement reforms they have long
how Trump governs, runs from ruthless
desired.
authoritarianism at one end to utter chaos at
Or you could imagine a totally incompetent
the other. Under the authoritarian scenario,
populism, in which Trump flies around the
Trump would act on all his worst impulses
country holding rallies while absolutely
with malign efficiency. The media would be
nothing in Washington gets done ... or a
intimidated, Congress would be gelded, the
totally incompetent populism that ultimately
Trump family would enrich itself fantastically
empowers conventional conservatism, because
— and then, come a major terrorist attack,
Trump decides that governing isn’t worth it
Trump would jail or intern anyone he deemed
and just lets Paul Ryan run the country.
a domestic enemy.
As for what we should actually hope
At the other end of this axis, Trump and
for — well, the center of the matrix seems
his team would be too stumbling and hapless
like the sweet spot for the country: A Trump
to effectively oppress anyone, and the Trump
presidency that is competent-enough without
era would just be a rolling disaster — with the being dictatorial and that provides a populist
deep state in revolt, the media circling greedily corrective to conservatism without taking us
and any serious damage done by accident
all the way to mercantilism or a debt crisis.
rather than design.
But this is Donald Trump we’re talking
Trump’s transition can be charted along
about, so a happy medium seems unlikely.
both axes. On policy, much of his Cabinet
Along one axis or the other, bet on the
falls closer to the conventional conservative
extremes.
end, with appointees like Tom Price and Betsy
■
DeVos, who would be at home in a Ted Cruz
Ross Douthat, the previous senior editor at
or Marco Rubio or even Jeb! administration.
The Atlantic, joined The New York Times as an
On the other hand, his inner circle will have Op-Ed columnist in 2009.
YOUR VIEWS
Work isn’t over after votes
are counted
Since the presidential campaign and
election, things are different across the
country and here in Umatilla County.
There is a silence between neighbors, a
quiet uncertainty and anxiety within our
communities — and a reluctance to interact
on expectations, desires, and fears for the
next four years.
The election was unlike anything we
have ever experienced in recent history.
It was so divisive. Dialogue enabled
intolerance of differences to openly threaten
people who “are not like us.” It was different
here as well. I have never seen such a lack
of bumper stickers and yard signs on either
side. Unfortunately, some of those that did
appear were very disrespectful, reflecting the
nature of the campaign.
We vote our values. While I deeply
believe we all share many more values
than those that separate us, the choices we
make also divide us. Words matter, and
actions matter more. The fears that we see
are more than normal post-election fears.
They are guttural fears for what might
happen to our country and citizens over the
next several years. The choices now being
made for top Administrative positions are
symbolic and telling.
Whoever we voted for, it is our
responsibility as citizens to keep the
integrity and respect of our great nation. We
must pay attention. We must stay involved.
We need to hold all our elected officials
to this degree of integrity, and not just lay
back and watch what happens. There is too
much at stake for our communities, our
children, and our nation.
Jeff Blackwood
Pendleton
Perfect time to invest in culture
As a very eventful 2016 draws to
a close, I encourage members of our
community to consider culture — and the
Oregon Cultural Trust — for their end-of-
year giving.
During times of great change, culture
helps keep us centered. Regardless of what
is happening in the world, we have our
culture — our music, our books and our
heritage — to bring us together.
Here in Oregon, we also have the
unique opportunity to receive a tax credit
when we support culture. Just make
a donation to one of 1,400+ qualified
cultural groups across the state, like our
very own Happy Canyon, then match it
with a gift to the Cultural Trust. Come tax
time, you will receive a tax credit for your
CONTACT YOUR SENATORS
donation to the Cultural Trust.
You double the impact of your donation
for free. This is uniquely Oregon, no other
state in the union rewards its citizens for
investing in culture!
This year, donations to the Cultural Trust
had a direct impact on our community’s
livability and economy. A total of 149
grants totaling $2.9 million were awarded
to Oregon’s cultural nonprofits, including
$8,584 to the Eastern Oregon Regional
Arts Council; $12,143 to the Grande Ronde
Symphony Association; $9,067 to the
Union County Cultural Coalition; $7.035
to the Wallowa County Cultural Coalition;
$14,562 to the Umatilla County Cultural
Coalition; and $6,623 to the Confederated
Tribes of Umatilla.
The Cultural Trust envisions an Oregon
that champions and invests in creative
expression and cultural exchange, driving
innovation and opportunity for all. Our
mission is to lead Oregon in cultivating,
growing and valuing culture as an integral
part of communities.
Please help us protect Oregon’s famous
quality of life by supporting local cultural
groups and the Oregon Cultural Trust. Our
cultures make Oregon strong.
Charles F. Sams III
Oregon Cultural Trust board member
Pendleton
Ron Wyden
Washington office:
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande office:
541-962-7691
Jeff Merkley
Washington office:
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton office:
541-278-1129
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
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vidual services and products or letters that
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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.