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OPINION
East Oregonian
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
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
Afghanistan
forever
Everyone knows the mighty
is eerily similar to his predecessors.
It’s the Obama plan really, with an
militaries that have fallen in
additional 4,000 troops. Few on
Afghanistan: Alexander the Great,
the ground expect that to make any
the British during their “sun never
difference.
sets” era, the Soviets when they
So the takeaway from Trump’s
were gobbling up every other
speech is that this country will
country in the vicinity to join the
have troops in
USSR.
None of those
long
No country has Afghanistan
into the future.
have warred in the
America
country as long
warred as long Remember,
has troops not
as the Americans,
in Afghanistan just in Iraq, but in
however, who have
Japan and
now been battling
as America has. Germany,
The Philippines. It
in Afghanistan for
has for decades and
16 years. More
has no plans to change the status
than 2,300 American soldiers have
quo.
died in the fight. And the monetary
Perhaps this perpetual overseas
cost is approaching $1 trillion — an
deployment is in America’s best
estimate by the Center for Strategic
interest, and perhaps it is in the
and International Studies pegs it at
world’s best interest, too. Perhaps it
$841 billion and climbing. It is our
is just a modern form of colonialism.
country’s longest war.
(And there’s no reason it can’t be
Donald Trump is the third
both.)
president to oversee operations
Our worldwide police role is an
there. This was America’s War after
9/11. Then it was George W. Bush’s expensive endeavor, though. It’s
something Trump’s “America First”
War, then Obama’s War and now it
campaign targeted, though in his
is Trump’s War.
first major policy pronouncement
President Trump made his
has made little change. Afghanistan
Afghanistan policy the center of
remains a quagmire.
his first primetime address to the
At the same time, the U.S. does
American people. Though the man
not currently employ an Afghanistan
campaigned against Bush’s ill-fated
ambassador. John Bass was
foreign policy decisions in Iraq and
nominated by Trump in July but has
Afghanistan, and Obama’s own
yet to be confirmed. Quagmires on
mistakes in Libya and Afghanistan,
all sides.
Trump’s plan in the latter country
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
Great to be able to host
fair, but some problems
What a great job getting the new fair
facility ready on time! A lot of blood,
sweat and tears, I’m sure. Beautiful!
Only two major issues occurred this
year that I wanted to share. The first
being the hate expressed to one of the
new booths this year inside the hall.
Things were said intentionally, threats
were given and display items were
stolen. You know who you are and who
you were representing. The sad part was
using your children and young adults to
do your hatred.
The second issue was even worse!
We had our young high school students
work the parking lot in extreme heat.
How were they treated by quite a few
angry adults? These kids were yelled at,
called names, hand gestures expressing
these adults’ attitudes and immaturity!
No matter how unorganized the parking
seemed this year, there was absolutely
no excuse for this behavior from adults!
If you don’t think hate isn’t alive in
our small county of Umatilla then open
your eyes. This happened to our children
and grandchildren of all races and sexes
and ages. Children treat others by the
way they are taught by adults. What we
say, how we act, what we teach — these
children experienced what it’s like on the
other side of the fence.
It’s a good time to have a family talk.
The responsibility is on your shoulders.
Try to lead by example. I am okay with
admitting when I am wrong and I can
change my mind.
Bernie Sanderson
Hermiston
Repeating charges of
racism dull their effect
Some thoughts on the “March
Against Racism:”
People, it’s time to realize that
we ordinary citizens do not hate our
fellow humans. Time to realize that
we do indeed try to judge by content
of character rather than by color of
skin. Time to realize that the constant
drumbeat of “Racist!” “Hater!”
“Sexist!” “Xenophobe!” “Homophobe!”
“Islamophobe!” “Transphobe!” “Bigot!”
“Nazi!” “Fascist!” “Trump voter!” is of
no help whatsoever.
Time to realize that after about the
billionth repetition, such terms lose their
sting and are greeted with the raucous,
contemptuous laughter they so richly
deserve.
Time to realize that disagreement is
not hatred.
John Kaufman
Pendleton
OTHER VIEWS
Measuring, and mismeasuring,
the Trump conundrum
P
erhaps the most astonishing
way of viewing job approval as the
thing about Donald Trump’s
pre-eminent measure of a president’s
victory last November was that,
performance might be lacking when
according to exit polls, 60 percent
it comes to Trump. But if that is true,
of the voters had an unfavorable
nobody has come up with a better
impression of Trump on the day he
measure, at least not at the moment.
was elected president of the United
Even though much of the political
States.
reporting and commentary at the
Now, it’s remarkable that after all
moment focuses on Trump’s excesses,
Byron
that has happened, Trump’s favorable
Bill McInturff also sees something
York
and unfavorable rating — not his job
bigger than Trump at work.
Comment
approval, but whether people hold a
“We are at the logical end of a
favorable or unfavorable view of him
generation of change in American
— is virtually the same as it was on election
politics,” McInturff said. “Political scientists
day.
measure polarization by the gap between how
A new Marist poll found that
the president’s party rates a
60 percent of those surveyed
president versus the opposition
have an unfavorable view of the
party. President Clinton was
president, versus 34 percent who
the most polarizing president
have a favorable view and six
in polling history, followed by
percent who don’t know.
Bush 43, who took over the
In the RealClearPolitics
mantle of ‘most polarizing’ until
average of all polls on the
replaced by President Obama,
favorable/unfavorable question,
with the largest gap now being
Trump is now at 55.2 percent
held by President Trump.”
unfavorable versus 39.6 percent
McInturff’s conclusion:
favorable. That is little changed
“President Trump did not begin
from his average on November
this trend, but he has become
8: 58.5 percent unfavorable,
its logical end point. Hence, it’s
versus 37.5 percent favorable.
hard to change numbers when 85 percent of
Considering all that has gone on in the
your own party likes you and functionally no
Trump presidency — it’s too much to recount
one does in the other party.”
in a sentence or two — the stability of the
A Trump re-election campaign, if there is
Trump favorable/unfavorable rating is notable. one, seems light years away; who knows what
The other measure, Trump’s job approval
will happen between now and then? What is
rating, has fallen since he took office; it
more pressing is what effect Trump’s standing
was 43.8 percent in the RCP average in
will have on the 2018 midterms, where
his first week in office and is 38.6 percent
Republican prospects seem very strong in
now. Pollsters and strategists believe the job
the Senate and far less so in the House. Brad
approval rating — which Trump of course
Todd, a Republican strategist who has worked
didn’t have before January 20 — is much
with many congressional candidates, believes
more important than personal approval.
there should be a new way of measuring the
“In every model I am familiar with over the political climate.
past 40 years, job approval has been a more
“I think two polarizing presidencies in a
influential predictor than a personal favorable
row have broken this measuring stick,” Todd
rating and I believe that will be true for
wrote in an email. “Job approval is more
President Trump as well,” said Bill McInturff, important than personal favorability, but
the Republican pollster who, along with
neither is as important as what we call the gas
Democrat Peter Hart, conducts the Wall Street pedal/brake pedal question.”
Journal-NBC poll, in an email exchange.
By “gas pedal/brake pedal,” Todd referred
“Long ago, presidents could have some gap
to whether voters believe Congress should
between how we perceived them personally,
serve as a brake on a president’s policy
with Carter and Reagan, for example, having
choices or whether lawmakers should offer
stronger personal ratings than job approval at
more help and support to the president.
various points. An exception was President
“In 2010, Obama had high personal
Clinton in 1998, who had terrible personal
favorables, softening job approval, and a
ratings, but high job approval.”
really high brake pedal number,” Todd wrote.
Right now, Trump’s job approval rating
“That led to a landslide against his party in the
and personal favorability rating are very close, mid-term. His personal favorability eventually
as are the job disapproval rating and personal
dropped, before rising again in 2018 just as
unfavorable rating. But is that disastrous
voters were rebuking his chosen successor.”
for the president, or not? There’s still what
“The question to watch is not what voters
happened last election day to consider.
think of a president personally, but whether or
In another email exchange, David Winston, not they think he needs supervision or not,”
a pollster who has done extensive work for
Todd added.
House Republicans, agreed that job approval
Trump is a “conundrum,” Todd concluded,
is a more important measure than personal
“because voters see him as a brake pedal on
approval, but also noted that Trump’s polls are both parties. So it is unclear whether they will
hard to interpret.
put a brake pedal on the brake pedal in the
“Trying to compare Trump numbers with
next midterm.”
prior presidents at this point is very difficult,
The bottom line is that evaluating Trump’s
particularly given that he started with 60
standing is probably more complicated
percent unfavorable on election night,” said
than simply citing a falling job approval
Winston. “He also had a significant amount
number. This is a presidency like no other,
of support coming from people who had an
and it should be no surprise that measuring it
unfavorable view of him. Of the people that
presents new problems.
voted for him, 20 percent had an unfavorable
■
view, according to the exit polls.”
Byron York is chief political correspondent
Winston’s comments suggest that the old
for The Washington Examiner.
The stability
of the Trump
favorable/
unfavorable
rating is
notable.
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. Senators
State Senator
Ron Wyden
Washington office:
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande office:
541-962-7691
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-423
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
Representatives
Greg Barreto, District 58
Jeff Merkley
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. Submitted letters must be signed by
the author and include a phone number. Send letters to 211 S.E. Byers Ave.
Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com.
Washington office:
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton office:
541-278-1129
900 Court St. NE, H-38
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us