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.

In this country, I would hope that Donald Trump’s outlandish conduct in office would earn him no support and he would not win, perish the thought, another four-year term in the Oval Office.

As I have posted [reviously, that may not occur unless Democrats are smart enough to nominate someone to run against Trump who can appeal to the vast middle in America. That means not heading to the far left as so many avowed D presidential candidates have done.

And it means that Democrats should not tear each other down, which, of course, is their current style. Polling says Joe Biden is up by a bunch, so the Ds go after him.

Winning also means finding a persuasive way to convince Americans that Trump does not get singular credit for economic gains. Surely, he will claim such credit.

For the life of me, I cannot figure out how so many Americans – including a number of my friends – can tolerate Trump’s behavior.

• He ridicules migrants and poor people.
• He gropes women, then boasts about it.
• He lies at every turn as if he believes – which he may – that, if he says something, it must be true. [The Washington Post Fact Checker reports that Trump has passed the 10,000 mark in lies.]
• He has no respect for the norms and conventions of the Office of the President, which, for me, makes it hard to do what I have done in the past – respect the office even if I don’t respect the person who holds it. Trump has trampled on the office during his three years there.
• He ridicules anyone who has the guts to disagree with him because, of course, he is always the smartest person in any room.

Still, the “infomercial president” may find a way to come out on top unless Democrats behave more smartly than they often do.

To change the subject just a bit, but it is still on the general point, here is my definition of politics, which may indicate either or both of two things – I am of the old-school when political activity was a purposeful and substantive activity, and I have a lot of time on my hands in retirement:

• Politics should be about solving pressing public policy problems.
• Politics should be substantive…you have your ideas, an opponent his or her ideas, and you find a way to meet someplace in the middle.
• Politics should still be about the importance of a “good idea,” not just more talk.
• Politics should be respecting your opponent, even though you disagree with him or her.
• Politics should not be about calling the other side names and, figuratively, yelling on the street corner to indicate how smart and loud you are.
• Politics should be about finding the “public interest,” not just one or more special interests.

I thought of this list recently as I was under consideration for a temporary Executive Service position with the State of Oregon. I was honored to be considered, but I said no for at least one reason. Those involved in government, especially in Washington, D.C., but also in Oregon, practice the art of personal destruction.

I did not want to risk being subjected to this kind of diatribe, which, I know, in Oregon has disrupted the lives of appointed officials who were trying their besst to serve Oregonians.

Not for me.

But, if we could support a list such as the one above – or a better one if you have one — we’d have better elected officials on both sides of the political aisle, as well as better officials in appointed positions.

Too bad we cannot get back to this kind of real politics.