Jeb Bladine: No Republicans or Democrats – only swimmers

Today brings an admittedly odd combination of topics: 1) Launch of a new politically conservative column in our Viewpoints section; 2) McMinnville’s proposed $98.5 million bond to build a new aquatic/community center and upgrade city parks, library, senior center and outdoor recreation resources.

My week started with an internal commitment to comment on the new Jonah Goldberg column, already well-introduced by Editorial Page Editor Steve Bagwell. Then came a hard-to-refuse request to expand on our previous newspaper editorial endorsement of the McMinnville recreation bond.

Since “Necessity is the mother of invention” — a concept actually credited to Plato — I needed a rationalization to combine the two topics. Here goes: We debate local issues without mocking or ridiculing people with opposing opinions; so why do we allow our leaders, and ourselves, to insert so much personal hostility into national politics?

Whatchamacolumn

Jeb Bladine is president and publisher of the News-Register.

> See his column

“The only way ‘they’ win,” someone said this week, “is if they can divide us.”

We’ve had a spirited local debate about the recreation bond. I get it; repaying those bonds will be expensive for taxpayers already burdened by what some consider a time of over-spending and over-taxing by city government. But we can turn those tables without discarding a long tradition of citizen support for local quality of life amenities.

I was among the first competitive swimmers — 70 years ago — in today’s city pool. It’s past time to replace it!

In the past 50 years, McMinnville citizens have rallied in support of every needed and well-considered facility improvement: community center, new schools, library, senior center, jail, community college, parks, police station, downtown, fire station and roadways.

The 2025 recreation-plus bond issue is yet another of those challenges to local voters. If approved, as it should be, it also is a challenge for city leaders to regain control of their budget and avoid heaping more costs onto local taxpayers in various forms of new fees and over-regulation.

Back to Jonah Goldberg:

For years we’ve experienced some of the national political hostility toward this newspaper since our 1960s “Independent Republican” editorial voice fell out of favor with today’s Republican Party. We’ve continuously offered Viewpoints space — rarely accepted — to new voices of the new GOP.

Lest we forget, Yamhill County voters overall supported Donald Trump in three elections. And even though McMinnville voters rejected his 2020 and 2024 candidacies, they gave Trump a 46-41 margin in 2016.

For the record, the pillars of that 20th Century Independent Republican were (and are): a combination of fiscal prudence and social responsibility; of pro-business and anti-monopoly; of civic integrity and anti-machine politics; of internationalism and anti-isolationism; of moderate social reform; of federalism and local control; of moral and civic individualism.

Perhaps, we hope, regular publication of a conservative voice in our Viewpoints section will help readers find more common ground and help deter the political tribe mentality so prevalent in today’s America.

Meanwhile, we all can remember: When swimming a lap at the new recreation center, there won’t be any Republicans or Democrats — only swimmers.

Jeb Bladine can be reached at jbladine@newsregister.com or 503-687-1223.