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.

It used to be that the term “whopper” often referred to the size of a fish caught at the end of a pole.

My Dad used that phrase – “look, I’ve caught another whopper” – too many times for me to remember each one.

Today, however, the term often refers to big lies told as a matter of course by President Donald Trump. It also could refer to the huge exaggerations told by most of those running for president on the Democrat side. Those are lies, too. They are true “whoppers!”

But, back to Trump.

He has made lying an art form as if he believes – and he probably does – that the bigger the lie the more it will take root, especially in social media platforms operated by those on the right, if not the far right. And, when lies take root, they almost become fact.

However, it would not be accurate to put Trump on the right – the conservative side – in any discussion of politics. He would not appear on the political spectrum as he burnishes his own “Trump Brand” through his term as the so-called “leader of the free world.”

The same can be said of those on the far left, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. There is no way to say that they have the best interests of the country at heart as they pivot to and fro in their campaigns, though I guess it would be fair to add that, at least so far, Ocasio-Cortez is not running for president.

Washington Post reporter Aaron Blake performed a service recently by listing the top 10 whoppers told by Trump.

The trouble, of course, is that a lot of Americans believe him.

Here is a summary of the list:

10. Exercise shortens your life.

The claim: Washington Post reporters Marc Fisher and Michael Kranish reported that Trump “believed the human body was like a battery, with a finite amount of energy, which exercise only depleted.”

9. Global warming is a Chinese hoax.

The claim: “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.”

8. His inauguration crowd was bigger than Obama’s.

The claim: “I made a speech. I looked out. The field was — it looked like a million, a million and a half people.’’ White House press secretary Sean Spicer assured that it was the “largest audience to ever witness an inauguration — period — both in-person and around the globe.”

7. Wind farms cause cancer.

The claim: “If you have a windmill anywhere near your house, congratulations, your house just went down 75 per cent in value. And they say the noise causes cancer. You tell me that one, okay?”

6. There were 3 million to 5 million illegal votes in 2016, and none were for Trump.

The claim: “Of those votes cast, none of ’em come to me. None of ’em come to me. They would all be for the other side. None of ’em come to me.”

5. His father was born in Germany.

The claim: “My father is German — was German. Born in a very wonderful place in Germany, so I have a great feeling for Germany.” [It was not his father, but his grandfather.]

4. Pershing executed Muslim terrorists with blood-tipped bullets.

The claim: He said of U.S. General John J. Pershing duringthe U.S. Philippine War: “They were having terrorism problems, just like we do. And he caught 50 terrorists who did tremendous damage and killed many people. And he took the 50 terrorists, and he took 50 men and he dipped 50 bullets in pigs’ blood . . . And he had his men load his rifles, and he lined up the 50 people, and they shot 49 of those people. And the 50th person, he said: You go back to your people, and you tell them what happened. And for 25 years, there wasn’t a problem. Okay? Twenty-five years, there wasn’t a problem.” It was a clear reference to Muslims, and the idea that the pig’s blood would prevent them from going to heaven.

3. Foul play in Antonin Scalia’s death.

The claim: Within days of the Supreme Court justice’s 2016 death, Trump told conservative talker Michael Savage, “I’m hearing it’s a big topic. It’s a horrible topic but they’re saying they found the pillow on his face, which is a pretty unusual place to find a pillow.” He added: “I can’t give you an answer. It’s just starting to come out now.”

2. His stage-rusher was tied to ISIS.

The claim: In a tweet, Trump said of a man who rushed the stage at a rally in Ohio and was apprehended, “USSS [Secret Service] did an excellent job stopping the maniac running to the stage. He has ties to ISIS. Should be in jail.” He attached a video detailing the man’s alleged ties to ISIS.

1. It might not be his voice on the “Access Hollywood” tape.

The claim: After Trump apologized for his “locker room talk” on that tape, he privately floated the idea that it wasn’t actually him at all, according to the New York Times. “We don’t think that was my voice,” he reportedly told a GOP senator he was imploring to investigate.

For me, one of the biggest whoppers, if not the biggest, is Trump’s claim that his goal to “make America great again.”

No, his goal is to continue broadcasting an infomercial for his brand and the country be damned.