Page 4A
East Oregonian
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
CHRISTOPHER RUSH
Publisher
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Managing Editor
TIM TRAINOR
Opinion Page Editor
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Bring the debate to Eastern Oregon
I
t’s almost too frightening to admit
it, but we are once again entering
campaign season.
Shudder.
You have probably already noticed
commercials on your television have
devolved into attack ads comparing
Kate Brown or Knute Buehler to
the devil incarnate. Get ready for
your phone to ring off the hook with
prerecorded messages about one
candidate or issue, and then another
call about the opponent just as you
make it back to the dinner table. And
your email inbox is probably never free
of politicians asking for a donation —
yet that daily spam will only increase
as Election Day get closer.
There is no getting around it. An
election season is on the way, and there
is plenty at stake locally, statewide and
nationally in 2018. Eastern Oregon has
something to say on all three accounts.
Locally we still have a county
commissioner runoff, as well as one
for Hermiston city council. And there
will also be some interesting questions
on the ballot, including for an animal
control service district and about gun
rights. Add in the fact that we have
a statewide governor’s race and as
Democrats and Republicans vie for
control of the U.S. House, Eastern
Oregon’s district is up for grabs.
That means we will have plenty of
decisions to make and constituents
here should have the best information
possible to make that decision. As
we editorialized last week, we think
debates are a great way to do so.
Sure, we know there is plenty
of politicking in the debate dance.
Usually, the incumbent is favored and
wants to keep them to a minimum,
while the scrappy challenger wants any
chance to be on the same stage as the
current officeholder.
Knute Buehler, for instance,
avoided all debates with fellow GOP
candidates, and was called out for it by
some in the party. Now, his campaign
is calling out Brown for using the same
strategy in the run-up to the general.
So will we see any here in Eastern
Oregon? The verdict is still out.
Last weekend at Chief Joseph
Days, Jamie McLeod-Skinner
approached Greg Walden’s float and
challenged him to “at least three
debates within the district. She raised
the idea of one each in Eastern Oregon,
Central Oregon and Southern Oregon.
Walden seemed to answer to
affirmatively: “I look forward to debating
you,” he said. “We’ll figure out a schedule
that works.”
As for the governor’s race, our
chances for seeing the two candidates
on the debate stage looks less likely.
Christian Gaston, Brown’s campaign
spokesman, wrote that the candidates
will likely only appear at three debates
— two in Portland and one in Medford.
“I think it’s important to note that
television debates are closed events
and are not open to the public, so the
physical location doesn’t matter as
much as the statewide reach of the
event online and on broadcast,” he
wrote.
Hooey, we’d argue. The likelihood
that many rural or Eastern Oregon
issues will be raised or discussed in
Portland is slim to none. Perhaps there
would be better chance in Medford
for discussion of rural policies, but the
issues there are much different than we
are dealing with here.
There is a real benefit to having
candidates talk about rural issues in the
place where it matters most.
Sure, there are no television stations
east of Bend, but the days when TV
is the only way to share live video
are long over. This newspaper and
its parent media organization would
be happy to do what we can to host,
moderate, and/or organize debates or
discussions in any of the above races.
We just need candidates who are
willing to do it.
Local constituents can help make
it a reality. They should ask — even
demand — that their prospective
representatives (and especially those
who are current officeholders) show up
out here and make their best argument
about their policies, alongside an
opponent who disagrees with them. It’s
the best chance for politicians to show
how hard they are willing to work for
our vote, and if their ideas truly are
superior.
OTHER VIEWS
GOP fears rise for midterms
rom time to time, I’ve been
candidates. “The Trump numbers, I
catching up with a Republican
don’t know what to make of,” said
another GOP strategist. “It’s not that
strategist who is trying to help
his job approval ratings are good —
the GOP keep control of the House
they’re not good — but we’re not
in the midterm elections. It’s been an
sure what role they play.”
up-and-down ride.
The second GOP strategist
“I would put the odds of keeping
pointed
to the economy, a subject of
the House at exactly 50-50,” he told
Byron
lots
of
good
news. But he said “it’s
me in January.
York
still
income
and
wages.”
“I get how bad things seemingly
Comment
“With over half the country
are,” he said during a particularly
living paycheck-to-paycheck,
tumultuous time in April. “But if
the question for them is, is there enough
the election were today, I’d bet my son’s
improvement occurring that they can see
college tuition we’d keep the House.”
themselves beginning to break out of that
He was even more confident by June.
“We keep the House,” he told me. “I’d bet a paycheck-to-paycheck cycle? If the answer
is yes, that’s a positive environment for
lot of money on that.”
Republicans. If the answer is no, then they
And now: “The last 30 days have been
(voters) are going to be willing to rock
really bad. I really wouldn’t want to have
the boat again. I don’t believe they have
the election today.”
reached a conclusion yet.”
Looking back, each change in the
Right now, the RealClearPolitics
strategist’s mood has been the result of
average of polls has Democrats up about
whatever President Trump was doing at
that particular moment. His current anguish 7 percentage points in the so-called
generic ballot question, which asks
is the product of what he called “30 days
which party a voter plans to choose for
of sh-t.” By that, he meant the period of
his or her representative in Congress.
time beginning with Trump’s decision to
Many Republican strategists would feel
separate families crossing illegally into
comfortable about keeping the House if
the United States and ending with his
the Democratic poll lead were kept to 4, or
performance at the Helsinki summit.
perhaps 5, points.
Both hurt Republicans, the strategist
“Most of the data would lead a sober
said, but probably the Trump-Putin summit
person to expect control of the House
hurt more. When the president met with
to be a 50-50 proposition, maybe a little
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, he said many
worse for Republicans,” said a third GOP
Republican-targeted voters saw a method
strategist. “But most of the data at this time
in the madness. It actually helped GOP
last election cycle led most of the pundits
candidates. But when Trump met Putin,
to celebrate President Hillary Clinton. I’m
those voters didn’t see the method part.
starting to think that this could be another
If the past is any lesson, memories will
instance where the group-think is wrong.”
fade. But the problem going forward is that
Maybe. But Republicans face a huge
Republicans will have less and less time to
task. In a way, there has already been a
recover before Nov. 6.
wave in this election. It is the wave of 42
“The next couple of weeks/months
Republicans leaving the House. It’s a record
are critical in that we have had peaks and
number, and there’s no way to spin it as
valleys before, but they always got fixed,”
optimism for the future.
he said. “The fear is that we’re running out
Still, all three are keeping hope alive.
of time and maybe they won’t get fixed.”
Even the first, rattled after those 30 bad
Perhaps the biggest underlying question
days, sees the problems of the Democratic
of the coming elections is the relationship
Party. Put that together with the members
between presidential job approval and the
House GOP’s re-election chances. It’s often who have embraced the unpopular issue of
observed that Trump is keeping the favor of abolishing ICE, and that’s a party a lot of
voters do not want to embrace.
his base supporters. He is. But Republican
GOP victory remains possible. What
strategists are watching his approval sink
Republicans would like now is the absence
in some educated, affluent districts with
of noise coming from the White House.
independent voters the party needs.
— Byron York, Washington Examiner
That undoubtedly hurts Republican
F
YOUR VIEWS
Bike Week more than
just one ugly incident
Your recent article regarding the
“Pendleton man at center of attack during
Bike Week concert” portrayed the event
and the attendees as nothing but a bunch
of motorcycle thugs looking for trouble.
Nothing could be further from the truth,
and if your reporter took the time to do a
thorough report, he would have learned
that this isolated incident is in no way
reflective of all those that attend Pendleton
Bike Week.
I have spent more than 30 years in
law enforcement and ride with several
motorcycle clubs, and I firmly believe that
Pendleton Bike Week is one of the best
run and managed motorcycle events in
the Pacific Northwest. The Christian, law
enforcement and veteran motorcycle clubs
who all attend Bike Week should not be
tarred and feathered by such a slanted and
negative article.
Steve Gomez
West Richland, Wash.
Medicare for All should be
first topic for debate
I read with interest the recent East
Oregonian editorial recommending
public debate among candidates running
for office in 2018. I have a suggestion
for a debate topic: Medicare for All —
how could a candidate oppose or, more
importantly, not openly advocate this?
Here’s what I found with a simple
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.
Google search: Medicare for All would
provide effective health insurance to nearly
all Americans for about 10 percent of what
the current system costs, reduce the federal
deficit and cost less for individuals and
families. It could be voted in tomorrow —
there are already-introduced House and
Senate bills to implement the program.
The existing health insurance industry
could still participate on a reduced basis,
providing supplemental programs just as
they do for Medicare.
Some interesting side notes:
• Premiums would disappear, taxes
would go up and the net effect is health
costs would be greatly reduced for the
average American.
• No longer would insurance companies
be allowed to kill our children and family
members through denial of care or
over-pricing.
• Medical bankruptcies would nearly
disappear — people’s financial lives would
no longer get destroyed by a single severe
illness.
• Medicare for All would actually
reduce the federal deficit by lowering
overall costs for medical care.
The U.S. is the only developed country
in the world not to successfully offer
medical care for all citizens. Our current
system results are worst among the top 11
industrialized countries. They can do it;
why can’t the USA do better?
Why don’t we have Medicare for All
now?
Bill Young
Pendleton
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
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