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.

The headline in this blog highlights a very unfortunate fact: It appears it will take a super-human effort to rid this country of the worst president in its history.

Such is the reality of politics these days.

No matter that Donald Trump lies as part of his very nature. No matter that he smears immigrants and other poor people at every turn. No matter that he treats women with disdain and as objects.

Still, many in this country continue to support Trump, which is both amazing and confounding.

Democrats in Congress ,who should be aligned perfectly with the goal of defeating Trump, tend to give him comfort every day. One way is by espousing far-left proposals that would tear this country to shreds, making the United States a government-dependent, socialist regime.

Here’s hoping Americans who vote will see through the charade and vote for a Democrat nominee who has the leadership credentials to restore dignity to the Office of the President – and send Trump down the road, perhaps even to jail for his crimes.

What Democrats should be doing is to craft legislative achievements from the middle — achievements that have a chance to get the attention of voters who cannot tolerate more Trump, plus have little use for the “appeal-to-your-left-wing base” that describes most proposals from Democrats.

One Democrat in the U.S. House, Representative Jerrold Nadler, D-New York, appears most days to be competing with his left-wing colleague, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for headlines, not rational policy proposals.

Here is the heading in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) editorial that characterized Nadler’s current shenanigans:

The Pseudo-Impeachment

Democrats hold show trials rather than vote to oust the President

More from the WSJ:

“House Democrats are escalating their campaign against the Trump Administration with complaints that its resistance to Congressional requests for documents is a threat to democracy. It’s more accurate to say that Democrats are performing what amounts to a pseudo-impeachment so they don’t have to undertake a real one.

“Democrats are agonizing over impeachment because while they’re itching to do it, special counsel Robert Mueller’s report blew up their Russian collusion hopes. He also took no position on obstruction of justice while reporting a highly critical “analysis” of President Trump’s actions. Democrats now find themselves caught between a left-wing base that says they’ll abdicate their duty if they don’t impeach and Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s cold-blooded calculation that it could cost their majority in 2020.”

The problem with this play-acting, the WSJ writes, “is that it has Democrats fulminating about actions that aren’t even misdemeanors, much less high crimes. Exhibit A is Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler’s threat (now accomplished) to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt for failing to turn over the entire Mueller report to Congress.

“Yet, Barr has been as accommodating as the law allows. He made the entire report public with light redactions though he didn’t have to release any of it under the law. He has offered to allow senior Members of Congress review redacted material in private, though no Democrats have taken him up on the offer.”

If Nadler wants to continue his Mueller fixation, he should announce that he is beginning formal impeachment proceedings. Impeachment is a legitimate congressional power, and at least the public would then understand what Congress is up to and could judge the effort. If Democrats really believe Trump is a threat to the Constitution, they should file articles of impeachment and have every Member vote on them.

Of course, the risk of starting impeachment proceedings is two-fold: (1) the process could work in Trump’s favor as he would claim to be an unfair target; and (2) the Senate would never go along to convict.

The better alternative would be to get about the business of legislating, as well as finding the best candidate to run against Trump in 2020 and run him out of office.

The country would be better for both efforts.