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 use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as 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.

I wrote the other day that one test of the most recent election – and any election, for that matter – is whether those who won can get about the business of governing rather than just campaigning some more.

Another test: Can the winners avoid overplaying their hand?

After all if you, then to the victor go the spoils, right?  Well, yes, to a certain extent, but any attempt at governing will require — should require — a balance between the majority and minority.

In the Nation’s Capitol, this means can the new Trump Administration find a way to operate in a more rationale way rather than just giving those on the right all of the action. Early indications, at least reported by some national media, is that the Trump group is off to a decent start, with a gracious victory speech by Trump, a decent meeting with President Barack Obama, an indication that the new team will focus on a small short list of priorities, and an openness expressed by Trump himself to reform ObamaCare, not trash it.

In Oregon, not overplaying their hand applies to Democrats who, again, will control the Governor’s Office, the House, the Senate, the Treasurer’s Office, and the Attorney General’s Office. The only statewide office they don’t hold is Secretary of State where Republican Dennis Richardson carved out a surprising win, the first by a Republican in a statewide office in many years.

In particular, will the re-elected governor, Kate Brown, the House Speaker Tina Kotek and the Senate President Peter Courtney reach out to Republicans to help govern? And, if they reach out, will Republicans respond with moves toward the smart middle rather than just play the opposition?

For one thing, Democrats will not operate with super-majorities in either the House or the Senate, so, if tax increases are an issue in the aftermath of the defeat of Ballot Measure, they will have to work with Republicans to hammer out a deal.

In the past in Oregon, those in charge have tended to overplay their hand. They seek to shove their agendas down the throats of the other side. That problem has happened with both Democrats and Republicans.

Control in nearly every major office does not often translate to middle-ground compromise, which is where the best solutions lie anyway.

Speaking of compromise, one of the best legislative sessions to see it in Oregon occurred in 2011. At least that was true in the Oregon House. There, there were 30 Democrats and 30 Republicans. That meant legislators had no choice but to work together to do anything, including the only action that any legislature has to accomplish, which is to produce a balanced budget for the next two years.

It is rare that elections produce equal Republican-Democrat results, but when they do, you can watch democracy in action without any tendency for one party to overplay their hand.

Footnotes on the national election campaign: Based on national media coverage over the last few days, it appeared that at least three factors were at work in Donald Trump’s stunning win. One was that Hillary Clinton was a deeply flawed candidate who had trouble imparting a vision for her presidency. A second factor was that it always is difficult for one party to hold the White House for a third term and that’s how Clinton came across – Obama 3. A third factor was Trump himself who did not run a conventional campaign and that factor alone appeared to endear him to a lot voters, including those skeptical of the expansive role of government in their lives.