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.

The question in the headline won’t make sense to either of two kinds of people – those who bow at Donald Trump’s altar and those who fawn over Bernie Sanders.

But, surprisingly, as the headline says, there are a number of similarities between what I label as “the two buffoons,” neither of which represent what I think this country needs in the way of political leaders.

[As I write this, I should note that we have just come through Super Tuesday where Sanders won some stuff, but also watched Joe Biden resuscitate his campaign.  Too soon to tell, but the Democrats may be headed to a brokered convention.]

For the list of Sanders and Trump similarities, I am indebted to Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson who, I think, writes persuasively about today’s gone-awry political landscape.

• Neither Trump nor Sanders go by a script or, better put, any sort of conventional political wisdom.

Sanders’s performance in last debate before Super Tuesday, Gerson says, was “a bellowing, boorish mess. The Vermont senator’s signature response when challenged was to pump up the volume, as though persuasiveness were measured in decibels.”

Those favoring Sanders say he speaks his mind.  He is not scripted. He is true to himself.  He may not play by the normal political rules, but he is the kind of outsider who will shake up the establishment.

Trump speaks his mind, too, though who knows what will emerge next.  Like, Sanders, he isn’t scripted.  He is true to himself.  He doesn’t play by the normal political rules, but he is the kind of outsider who will shake up the establishment.

• Both Sanders and Trump come across as unpleasant, ill-mannered loudmouths. For each, authenticity equals incivility and spontaneity no matter who or what becomes the target.

Gerson writes that, “It is worth noting, first, that speaking your mind without filters is not a sign of political authenticity; it usually indicates a basic lack of respect for others.  In almost any human interaction other than politics, Sanders’s outbursts on the debate stage would be taken as a sign of general jerkness.

For Trump, such gracelessness is a lifestyle.

• Both Sanders and Trump practice a type of communication that doesn’t seeks to change minds or clarify important differences. Rather, their communication seeks to establish dominance.

Communication that seeks to change minds, Gerson contends, is essential to self-government.   What Sanders and Trump do “is more appropriate to professional wrestling matches and campaign rallies.  This is not merely a matter of style.  Attempting to persuade someone — even when the source of disagreement is deep — involves the affirmation that they are worth persuading.  Shouting someone down is the denial of their dignity.”

• Both Sanders and Trump hew to an arrogant and lazy belief that anything that pops into your head is worthy of public utterance.

By contrast, Gerson says “authentic beliefs in politics emerge from reflection and craft.  Ideas and policies are refined through the careful choice of arguments and words.  Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address was an authentic piece of communication because it displayed deep thought, embodied in beautiful language.”

Trump’s tweets and Sanders rants on the campaign trail illustrate the same thing — impulse and ignorance, not reasoned thought.

• Both Sanders and Trump equate authenticity with being a disruptive outsider.

Gerson adds, “Trump’s lack of governing experience did not provide him with fresh perspective; it led to governing incompetence.  His disrespect for institutions led to an assault on essential institutions, including the FBI, the Justice Department and the intelligence services.  The promise by a politician to burn down the house is visceral and emotional.  That does not make institutional arsonists more sincere or wise.”

For Sanders, there are those who contend that as a “veteran politician” – a title he would abhor, though he has been in office for about 30 years – understands how government works.  Yet, he has not used his Senate position for anything other than to try to boost his own status.  Bi-partisanship does not exist for him.  Becoming part of producing solid, middle-ground legislation does not exist for him.

Gerson closes with this paragraph.

“In the upside-down world of American politics, Sanders and Trump are given credit by their followers for vices that corrupt democracy. Meanwhile, grace, careful rhetoric, learning and governing skill have few practitioners and few defenders.”

I wish it were not so.  And, because, it is, I fear for the future of American democracy, which is why the presidential election decision we face later this year is so important.  For me, my vote will not be for either Sanders or Trump if that is the choice.