PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

It used to be that you could use the term conventional wisdom when talking about politics.

It was not always smart to do because there was a sense that, in being conventional, the term was out of touch with reality. It was just conventional, not progressive and up-to-date – and only term applied to what was thought by certain experts in politicsl.

But, for this post, I use the term to encompass what used to be the best of politics in a democracy, perhaps not pretty, but effective in delivering a candidate’s message to the people.

There was a right way to be involved in politics. You would try to put your best foot forward. You would reckon with the interests of a constituency and try to meet them. You might use advertising techniques to reach citizens with your message, but you also would try to assure that a message passed muster as to the truth.

You would try not to offend anyone or any group intentionally. Why do so when asking for that individual or group to consider you as a candidate?

But, in today’s political world, it appears that conventional wisdom is gone.

Look no farther than one Donald Trump. He doesn’t care what he says or who he offends. He knows best. His rampant ego is on full display.

He wraps his arms around world leaders like Vladimir Putin in Russia who, in his own country, kills those who disagree with him. He also endorses the ways of South Korean dictator Kim Jong-un who kills his relatives to stay in power.

Trump ridicules those with physical disabilities. He displays his hatred for women. He hates all immigrants.

And, yes, then he aligns himself with Sarah Palin, the worst candidate for vice president when John McCain chose her as his running mate, then lost the election. Perhaps Trump should ask Palin to make another run for vice president.

Consider this, then shudder. For all of Trump’s over-the-top, offensive rhetoric, he could actually become president. Makes Canada look inviting.

If it wasn’t enough for Trump to turn politics on its head, consider Bernie Sanders on the Democrat side. He would turn the United States into a socialist state by expanding government so no one could earn standing by hard work and innovation.

Or Hillary Clinton. Even a past U.S. Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, said the other day that, based on the evidence, Clinton should be indicted for failing to protect classified material when she used her own, private e-mail system to keep her views from seeing the light of day when she acted as Secretary of State.

Or, go one more step down this foreboding road. Consider the candidacy of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz. With a holier-than-thou attitude, Cruz skewers anyone in his path toward what he hopes is the Republican nomination.

Enough said.

Just this addition. For what my vote is worth – yes, just one vote – I will not be casting it for any of those names listed above. I believe we need a principled leader in the nation’s highest office, one who will call us to enlightened citizenship and who has the courage to lead others to find the smart middle ground on issues that face us, including economic and national security.