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 to 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 press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon, as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as 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.

If you think about it only for a minute, it’s mind-boggling.

Trump is guilty of a host of crimes.

Writing in the New York Times, Paul Waldman puts it this way:

“Throughout his life, Trump used his wealth as a shield against accountability, allowing him to commit all manner of misdeeds. Again and again, he deceived, dominated or defeated people who had less power than him and institutions incapable of constraining him, whether it was a women he abused, a small business owner he stiffed on a bill, a mark whose life savings he stole with one of his scams, workers left holding the bag when he walked away from his debts or a government agency that didn’t realize he was defrauding it until the statute of limitations had expired.”

Republicans in Congress don’t agree and are defending Trump at every turn, believing, it would appear, that their own future in politics depends on being tied ever more closely to a terrible public figure, Trump.

The trouble is they might be right.

Trump could win in 2020 because, for one thing, Democrats may propose a candidate with no ability to encourage voters to a higher calling than to support a scofflaw.

Many Democrats running for president are so far left as to be off any semblance of a political spectrum. They want to transform the country, making it essentially a socialist state as government provides everything for everybody.

At least three Democrats in the presidential sweepstakes are not so far left – Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden and Amy Klobuchar. But each of them carries deficits that may harm their chances – Buttigieg is young and gay, Biden is old and prone to verbal gaffes, and Klobuchar is not well known enough to carry a national profile.

For me, given Trump’s conduct, he cannot be trusted to act in the national interest. As a narcissist, all he sees is his own interest and he proves it every day.

This is the essential definition of Trump – a narcissist. If you consider what appears in the following paragraphs, it sounds just like Trump.

In the December issue of The Atlantic, Dan P. McAdams, a psychology professor at Northwestern University, provided thoughtful insight into this mental health ailment – narcissism.

“Psychological research,” he wrote, “demonstrates that many narcissists come across as charming, witty, and charismatic upon initial acquaintance. They can attain high levels of popularity in the short term. As long as they prove to be successful and brilliant, they may be able to weather criticism and retain their exalted status.

“But more often than not, narcissists wear out their welcome. Over time, people become annoyed, if not infuriated, by their self-centeredness. When narcissists begin to disappoint those they once dazzled, their descent can be especially precipitous. There is still truth in the ancient proverb: Pride goeth before the fall.

“Nearly three years into Trump’s presidency, how does this generalization about narcissism hold up for him?

“On the one hand, many of the people who have staffed Trump’s administration have learned that he is not the ‘stable genius’ he claims to be. Disappointed and beaten down, they have left in droves. On the other hand, Trump has retained the loyal backing of many voters despite scandal, outrage, and chaos.

“How is this possible?

“Why has Trump followed the predictable course for narcissism in one way, alienating many who have served in his administration, and defied expectations in another way, by continuing to attract an adoring core?

“At its mythic heart, narcissism is a story of disappointment. The ancient source is the Greek tale of Narcissus, a beautiful young boy who falls in love with his reflection in a pool. Captivated with his beguiling image, Narcissus vows never to leave the object of his desire.

“But the reflection — forever outside his embrace — fails to reciprocate, and as a result Narcissus melts away, a victim of the passion burning inside of him. The lover’s inconsolable disappointment is that he cannot consummate his love for the reflection, his love for himself.

“A real-life narcissist, by contrast, manages to take his eyes off himself just long enough to find out if others are looking at him. And if the narcissist has admirers, this makes him feel good. It temporarily boosts his self-esteem.

“Likewise, his admirers feel a rush of excitement and allure. They enjoy being in the presence of such a beautiful figure—or a powerful, creative, dynamic, charismatic, or intriguing figure. They bask in his reflected glory, even if they find his self-obsession to be unseemly. As time passes, however, the admirers grow weary.

“Once upon a time, they thought the narcissist was the greatest, but now they suspect that he is not. Or maybe they just get tired of him, and disgusted with all the self-admiration. They become disappointed, for very few narcissists can consistently provide the sufficient beauty, power, and greatness to sustain long-term unconditional devotion. In the end, everybody loses.

“The former fans loathe themselves for being fools, or else they blame the narcissist for fooling them. And the narcissist never attains what can never be humanly attained anyway: supreme and unending love and adoration of the self.”

This describes Trump perfectly. He fawns over himself and, if others don’t follow suit, then he derides them, often in terms marked by his own fear and loathing.

As one example, consider Trump’s comments about the late senator John McCain. When McCain, a genuine American war hero, didn’t bow at the throne of Trump, then, to Trump, he was not worth anything, so in hugely derogatory terms, he said so.

Narcissism explains a lot about Trump. I just wish those who have fawned over Trump will become, as the writer above says, “annoyed, if not infuriated, by Trump’s self-centeredness and will just get tired of him, disgusted with all the self-admiration.”

It cannot happen too soon for this country.