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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 2018)
Page 4A East Oregonian Friday, July 27, 2018 CHRISTOPHER RUSH Publisher KATHRYN B. BROWN Owner DANIEL WATTENBURGER Managing Editor TIM TRAINOR Opinion Page Editor Founded October 16, 1875 Tip of the hat; kick in the pants A tip of the hat and a wave off stage to Craig McIntosh, the longtime leader of Blue Mountain Community College’s theater scene. McIntosh retired this year from the college’s arts instructor and director positions, making a sizable impression during decades in the spotlight. That impression was all the more memorable because of McIntosh’s health struggles, which gave him and others more of an appreciation of play, of voice, and of theater as a vehicle for becoming other people and living other lives. We appreciate his contribution to making Umatilla County a more theatrical place. A kick in the pants to a few bad apples who bloodied up an otherwise fun and successful Pendleton Bike Week. As we noted earlier this week, there was a serious public safety problem in the middle of the festival’s biggest event Saturday night. It left a local man seriously injured, and it could have been much worse. What was perhaps more disturbing, however, was the lack of security follow-up and a long- delayed call to 911. The annual gathering has grown in popularity in its few years in the Round-Up City. But that growth in attendance carries with a growth in responsibility. And organizers must redouble efforts to keep the event, its patrons, and Pendletonians safe and Staff photo by Kathy Aney Robert Younger holds his arm out to allow judges to see his tattoo during a tattoo competition Saturday during Pendleton Bike Week. happy during the event. There is no reason it cannot continue successfully and exponentially into the future. But public safety must always be first and foremost — and problems must be addressed so that the majority of folks here to have fun and games get to do just that. OTHER VIEWS How Trump won re-election in 2020 A sneak peek at The New York in his tweets or breaks his vows to Times’ news analysis from the his wife, so long as he keeps his future.) Nov. 4, 2020 promises to me,” Leah Rownan, a n the end, a bitterly fought self-described social conservative election came down to the old from Henderson, Nevada, told political aphorism, popularized The Times, citing the economy during Bill Clinton’s successful and Trump’s Supreme Court 1992 run against George H.W. nominations as decisive for her Bret Bush: “It’s the economy, stupid.” vote. “And he has.” Stephens This time, however, it was the Many of Trump’s supporters Comment also said they felt vindicated by the Republican incumbent, not his conclusions of Robert Mueller’s Democratic challenger, who report on Russia’s interference in the benefited from that truism. 2016 election. While the former FBI Donald Trump has been decisively re-elected as president of the United States, director painted a damning portrait of a campaign that was riddled with Kremlin winning every state he carried in 2016 and adding Nevada, even as he once again sympathizers and a candidate whose real-estate ventures were beholden to failed, albeit narrowly, to gain a majority Russian investors, no clear evidence of of the popular vote. Extraordinary turnout in California, New York, Illinois and other collusion between Trump and Moscow Democratic bastions could not compensate ever emerged and the president was never for the president’s abiding popularity in the indicted. “It was always a red herring, just like states that still decide who gets to live in the White House: Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Trump said,” said Bernard Schwartz, a gun store owner from Houston, Texas. Florida. “Democrats wasted a lot of ammo on that Yet, unlike 2016, last night’s outcome one.” came neither as a political upset nor as a Democrats also failed to capitalize global shock. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have consistently polled ahead on, and may have been damaged by, of Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts winning back control of the House of and her running mate, Sen. Sherrod Brown Representatives, but not the Senate, in the 2018 midterms. Trump proved effective, of Ohio, since July. The New York Times if characteristically vitriolic, in making a correctly predicted the outcome of the race in every state, another marked change foil of the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi. Efforts to impeach the president mainly from 2016. served to energize his base. Polling In exit poll interviews, Trump’s surveys suggested that wavering voters supporters frequently cited the state saw a Democratic Party more invested in of the economy to explain their vote. humiliating the president than in helping “What part of Dow 30,000 do the liberals them. not understand?” Kevin O’Reilly of As is often the case in losing Manchester, New Hampshire, told The presidential campaigns, it did not take Times. long for campaign aides to Warren to offer Warren and Brown never seemed to damning appraisals of her performance find a compelling answer to that question, as a candidate. Historical references despite an economy that continues to struggle with painfully slow wage growth, abounded: The Children’s Crusade; Pickett’s Charge; the McGovern campaign spiraling budget deficits and multiplying of 1972. The common thread was that the trade wars that have hurt businesses as campaign’s moral fervor repeatedly got the diverse as Ohio soybean farmers and better of its message focus. California chipmakers. “Trump succeeded,” lamented one Yet both Democrats are also skeptics of moderate former Democratic lawmaker trade agreements such as NAFTA, which who asked to speak on background. “He served to mute their differences with the president. And their signature proposals — got my party to lose its marbles.” The lawmaker cited calls by party activists to Medicare for all and free college tuition for most American families — would have abolish the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency — calls the Warren been expensive and would require tax campaign did not formally endorse but increases on families making more than did little to refute — as emblematic of the $200,000. Trump and other Republicans party’s broader problems. charged they would “bankrupt you and “What do Democrats stand for?” bankrupt the country.” he asked. “Lawlessness or liberality? Meanwhile, the U.S. economy grew Policymaking or virtue signaling? Gender- at an annual rate of 3.2 percent in the last neutral pronouns and bathrooms or good quarter, the third consecutive quarter in jobs and higher wages?” which growth has exceeded 3 percent. As is his way, Trump wasted little time Unemployment remains low at 4.1 rubbing salt into Democratic wounds. percent. “Democrats used to stand with the With neither a recession nor a major Working Man,” he tweeted Wednesday war to run against, Democrats sought instead to cast the election in starkly moral morning. “Now it’s the party of Abortion terms. Yet by Election Day, the charge that and Amnesty. All that’s missing is Acid. Trump is morally or intellectually unfit for Sad!” ■ office had been made so often that it had Bret Stephens won a Pulitzer Prize for lost most of its former edge among swing commentary in 2013. He began working as voters. a columnist at The New York Times in April. “I don’t care if he lies or exaggerates I YOUR VIEWS Judge Temple not allowed to defend herself in media The East Oregonian story on Judge Temple being “disqualified” by the Umatilla County DA omits some important points. First, any lawyer (including a DA) can “disqualify” up to two judges on any case — such a request is automatically granted. No one looks into whether the disqualification is valid or not. Second, the DA here has chosen to discuss his views with the EO. A judge, on the other hand, is prohibited from publicly discussing the matter. So the public will not hear from Judge Temple, even if she has relevant information which would counter the statements of the DA. I served on the Oregon Judicial Fitness Commission for eight years. During that time we evaluated the conduct of many judges, and complaints about those judges, throughout the state. I am familiar with the standards expected of judges. Judge Temple is held in high regard by her colleagues and by me. I encourage the public not to draw any conclusions about her conduct, expertise or reputation from a story, which by its very nature was one-sided. Gene Hallman Pendleton Media only looks for dirt on President Trump The East Oregonian claims it is not the enemy (of President Trump), in fact, “it is the news media’s responsibility to make life uncomfortable for people in power.” Unless the liberal press (that’s you, EO) is comfort- able with those in power because they share the same liberal socialist global agenda. You could count on one hand the “uncom- fortable” press the Obama/Clinton regime received during the totality of their admin- istration. Benghazi? Obama’s Iran bribe? Obama’s hot mic collusion with Medve- dev? Clinton-Lynch tarmac collusion? Hil- lary Clinton leaked emails? Obama FISA abuse? Peter Strzok? Obama weaponizing of FBI? Clinton Uranium collusion with Russia? Weaponizing of IRS? The EO, in concert with the national lib- eral press, use what they consider objec- tive journalism to undermine and destroy a duly elected president. Ninety-five percent of the deep state press “news” and editorial opinion is hostile, malicious and critical of the President of the U.S. The leftist press is undermining our republic, our liberty and our way of life by their biased definition of journalism. Our duly elected President calls it “fake” news, engineered to defeat his administra- tion. He speaks truth. The moral author- ity of the press must be based on truth and integrity. The present liberal national press exercises neither and in fact provides cover for treasonous acts and villains that threaten our freedom and liberty, hence Trump’s position. Fortunately, your tabloid-style inces- sant Trump attacks have become the boy that cried wolf and your redundant vilify- ing of the President of the United States has produced embarrassingly nothing regard- ing Russian collusion. Unfortunately, your liberal politically correct agenda has ruined the federal appointment of one of our fin- est East Oregonians, Ryan Bounds. The sad truth is you (EO) think you are doing your job as a journalists and have no clue your politically correct agenda just robbed America of the brilliance and integrity of Ryan Bounds. Stuart Dick Irrigon CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES U.S. PRESIDENT Donald Trump The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of the East Oregonian. Washington, DC 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ 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. 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.
