CHRISTOPHER RUSH
Publisher
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
ANDREW CUTLER
Editor
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2020
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Bloomberg can make anyone a farmer
D
emocratic presidential hope-
ful Michael Bloomberg is
finding out that things you
said in the years prior to the campaign
can come back to haunt you.
In the past weeks, the electorate
has been treated to the recorded wit
and wisdom of Bloomberg on a vari-
ety of topics ranging from health care,
the ability of black and Hispanic men
to comport themselves in the work-
place, and the nature of crime in poor
neighborhoods.
Bloomberg is a self-made billion-
aire, probably the richest and one of
the most accomplished people ever to
make a run for the presidency. He is
a man of great achievement. But like
many such men, he fancies himself an
expert in many fields.
He apparently doesn’t think much
of some fields.
In 2016, he made a speech at
Oxford University’s business school.
He was making a point about the
sophistication needed to succeed in
the modern, technology-based econ-
omy. Compare that to agriculture.
“The agrarian society lasted 3,000
years and we could teach processes. I
AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File
Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
speaks during his campaign launch of “Mike for Black America” at the Buffalo Soldiers Na-
tional Museum earlier this month in Houston.
could teach anybody, even people in
this room, no offense intended, to be a
farmer,” Bloomberg told the audience
at the Distinguished Speakers Series
at the University of Oxford Saïd Busi-
ness School. “It’s a process. You dig a
hole, you put a seed in, you put dirt on
top, add water, up comes the corn.”
And what of those who work
the factories?
“You put the piece of metal on the
lathe, you turn the crank in the direc-
tion of the arrow and you can have a
job.”
Compare farming and factory work
to jobs in the tech-based economy
that require workers to “think and
analyze.”
In Bloomberg’s world, these trades
are just matters of process where suc-
cess can be accomplished by rote. Dig
a hole, plant a seed, add some water
and you get a crop. Easy peasy.
If only it were so.
In fairness to the candidate, it is
possible, four years on, that these
comments have been taken out of con-
text. Speech writers often employ
over-simplification to move the narra-
tive along, so perhaps this was a bit of
hyperbole to make a point.
Nonetheless, we can’t help but
contrast the text of Bloomberg’s
remarks to a speech given in 1956 by
then-President Dwight Eisenhower at
Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois.
The topic of that speech was the
negative impact of command-and-con-
trol farm programs conceived and exe-
cuted by “synthetic farmers behind
Washington desks.” To hear Eisen-
hower tell it, without any practical
experience those guys thought they
could tell anyone how to farm, too.
“Farming looks mighty easy when
your plow is a pencil and you’re a
thousand miles from the corn field,”
he acknowledged.
It sure does.
OTHER VIEWS
Here’s how Bernie can beat
Trump — possibly
ers (especially women), contrasting his eco-
ernie Sanders’ sweeping win in the
nomic agenda with Trump’s track record,
Nevada Democratic caucus will
which features a tax cut law that made the
surely prompt the Russians to pop
Champagne. They’ve been reportedly boost- rich richer.
ing Bernie behind the scenes, having cal-
Democrats and left-leaning independents,
desperate to halt the slide toward authori-
culated that a 78-year-old socialist with
tarianism, will vote blue no matter who. By
a tricky ticker in his chest is the foe most
late autumn, all partisans will bury their
likely to lose to their stooge. They’re surely
marveling at their good fortune, at how easy qualms and unite for the common cause of
saving democracy. One Democrat’s tweet
it has been to conquer America without fir-
ing a shot.
summed it up: “I’ll vote for Bernie if he’s
the candidate. I will also still think
Even though I’m on record
he and most of his supporters are
believing that Bernie would crash
assholes.”
in November, and even though his
Bernie could pick a run-
lefty pipe dream of all-govern-
ment health care (forcing 160 mil-
ning mate that broadens the tick-
lion Americans to lose their pri-
et’s appeal. Nobody seems to be
vate coverage) would likely erase
talking about this factor. Given
the suburb-driven blue wave that
his age, his determination to hide
swept House Democrats into power,
his heart attack medical records
D ick
and even though skepticism about
(reneging on his promise to
P olman
Bernie is so endemic that 65% of
release them), and his need to at
COMMENT
Americans now believe Trump will
least calm the Democratic estab-
lishment, his veep choice would
win a second term (new CBS News
be of paramount importance. A smart choice
poll), I’ll try to be a good sport.
would be someone who helps put in play the
Among the Democratic candidates, only
swing states (Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wis-
Bernie has demonstrated that he can stoke
consin) that put Trump over the top in 2016
voters under age 30. They’ve grown up
— or add states that weren’t in play last time
alienated from both party establishments,
(Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida).
with millions burdened by college debt,
Do you buy these arguments? Trump cer-
mindful of the ever-widening gap between
tainly doesn’t.
the rich and everyone else. Of all the age
If he feared Bernie as an opponent, he’d
cohorts, theirs is by far the most support-
ive of democratic socialism. To win in
be trashing him. Instead, Trump’s been root-
ing for Bernie at every turn. If and when
November, Democrats need young people
en masse, and Bernie alone would pull them Bernie wins the nomination, the GOP slime
machine will kick into gear. Rest assured, if
into their coalition.
the Republicans and their allies could suc-
Bernie, more than any of his rivals, is
cessfully trash John Kerry’s war medals,
connecting with young Latinos. Hispanic
imagine what they’ll do with the 1980s vid-
Americans have long been called a “sleep-
ing giant,” because their ballot participation
eos that show Bernie praising the Soviet sys-
tem — and marveling at the subway station
— relative to their population — has been
chandeliers.
markedly lower than other minorities. Ber-
nie, with his potential strength among the
And even if Bernie does inspire mas-
sive turnout among habitual nonvoters, 2016
youngest adults in that community, could
third-party voters, and young minorities,
awaken the giant. That could have a big
who’s to say that his presence won’t inspire
impact on one potentially crucial state on
massive turnout among dormant Trump
election night: Arizona.
voters? As progressive analyst Ruy Teix-
Bernie’s economic populism can poten-
tially attract a lot of the white working-class eira warns, “It is truly magical thinking to
voters in key Rustbelt states. Remember
believe that, in a highly polarized situation,
how Hillary Clinton narrowly lost Michi-
only your side gets to increase turnout.”
gan to Donald Trump? Well, eight months
But I should stop. I promised to be nice.
earlier, white working-class voters helped
———
Bernie beat Hillary in the Michigan Dem-
Dick Polman is a veteran national polit-
ocratic primary. If Bernie wins the 2020
ical columnist based in Philadelphia and
nomination — which now looks more likely a Writer in Residence at the University of
Pennsylvania.
than not — he can pitch again to those vot-
B
YOUR VIEWS
Sounds like DMV hoping for
a miracle with ‘Real ID’
I have been reading about California’s
problems in updating driver licenses to
the “Real ID,” which will be required in
October of this year to meet TSA’s require-
ments. At least they have been attempting
to process their millions of requests.
Here in Oregon, we took to opposing
the process back in 2009. That’s OK, but
come this October if you don’t have a pass-
port or Real ID, you won’t be able to board
a plane — period. In October of 2019 the
Oregon DMV’s recommendation was “get
a passport.” In their press conference they
stated “they cannot legally begin to pro-
vide Real ID cards until July of this year.”
If my math is right, if there are a million
residents who want to get that ID (that’s
about 25% of the total population). DMV
will have to process those million requests
in four months. I find it interesting that in
that press release they don’t really mention
what the “legal” issue was.
Sounds like they were just hoping that
some miracle would just make the whole
thing disappear. There are going to be a
lot of very unhappy people come October
2020.
Tom Combs
Bend
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. SENATORS
REPRESENTATIVES
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande office: 541-962-7691
Greg Barreto, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-38
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us
Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton office: 541-278-1129
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
SENATOR
Greg Walden
185 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
La Grande office: 541-624-2400
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-423
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
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