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.

This is one of two departments I direct and it is open fairly often because of all the good quotes out there, written by a host of commentators.  [The other, by the way, is the Department of Pet Peeves.]

Here is a new summary of good quotes.

From James Hohmann in the Washington Post:  “Not only do Trump’s remarks in Ohio underscore the hollowness of such bipartisan bromides, they further poison the well. Why would Democrats cooperate or compromise with someone who questions their loyalty to the country?

[This, when Trump used the word “treason” to criticize Democrats.]

“While the president was certainly being flip, this wasn’t just idle talk. It appears to be part of a coordinated effort to raise questions about the motives of the opposition. The Republican National Committee pushed out a web advertisement earlier Monday attacking Democrats for not standing during the State of the Union.

“Bigger picture, the president has a pattern of diluting the potency of language. Trump cheapens the value of significant words by overusing and misusing them.”

Comment: Agree. Trump is a master of mauling language, usually to shield himself from taking responsibility for anything.

The Washington Post has reported that the word “beautiful” is one of Trump’s favorites. He’s used it at least 1,500 on Twitter and in speeches since he began running for office, according to the data at Factbase. He uses the word indiscriminately, the way a teenager might use “cool.” It is a device rather than a descriptor.

From Hill.com: “Everyone across the ideological spectrum agrees this (the shutdown tendency) is a terrible way to run the government, but the inability of congressional leaders to reach meaningful compromises has made it routine.

“’You know you’re eating a loaf of bread, yet you’re only being given the money to buy one slice at a time. It costs more when you buy things in small pieces,’” said Max Stier, the president of the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, in an interview.

“Congress is really responsible for failing to operate the government in a way that’s responsible from a fiduciary perspective. … Everyone who runs an organization ought to understand this because no other organization could run this way. … You need a longer runway.”

Comment: The problem is that both sides – the Rs and the Ds, not to mention Trump himself – see political benefits from shutting down government. Frankly, that’s stupid and history has proven it.

From Wall Street Journal editorial writers:  “The annual budget deficit is cruising toward a cool $1 trillion, yet some Republicans are flirting with adding another new entitlement called paid family leave. The GOP’s best hope is that tax reform can deliver at least 3 per cent growth and delay the fiscal reckoning. Republicans have to handle the urgent task of rebuilding the military in a dangerous world, but one certainty: Entitlement reform must happen, or we’ll be defending ourselves against Kim Jong Un’s nuclear missiles with Medicare checks.”

Comment: The latter line is good line and true. If we don’t fund the military adequately, “we’ll be defending ourselves against Kim Jong Un’s nuclear missiles with Medicare checks.” I don’t mean to come across as militaristic, but a strong defense is an important credential in this country and all you have to know to recognize that is the 911 attack.

From Oregonian editorial writers:  “True leaders don’t need to campaign because their actions speak for themselves. They tackle the state’s shortcomings head on and display the vision and steel to push through to a solution. Governor Kate Brown should keep in mind that her best opportunity to win over voters is by doing the job she has already been elected to fill.”

Comment: Again, excellent point. The governor can win re-election by showing the leadership she’s capable of – the leadership to tackle major problems head on and jawbone legislative leaders to join her.

From Daniel Henninger in the WSJ: “Controversies come and go for any presidency. Some, such as Watergate and Whitewater, kept going because it was possible to report events that truly advanced the story. The Russian collusion story went moribund months ago, with Representative Adam Schiff reduced this week to waving the Steele dossier as if it was new news.

“Anyone else in politics would have let the fires under the collusion issue burn down. Is it a potential legal problem? Sure. Should it be a destructive daily bonfire? No.

“Mr. Trump is combative not for political reasons but because he’s been combative all his life. In the Washington Swamp, he has found the ultimate Trumpian arena. The Swamp is his sparring partner. Don’t let the raging tweets fool you. He loves it.”

Comment: Henninger hits it out of the park as he so often does. While the “Russian story” should have died months ago, it lingers, but Henninger reminds – don’t let the raging tweets fool you, Trump loves the combat in what, for him, is an ultimate arena where all eyes seemingly are on him.