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 (Les AuCoin), 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.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

If you are a political junkie like me, you don’t have to wait many moments each day before you hear whether there is a chance for bi-partisan action on issues in Congress.

At one moment, the headline will be that President Joe Biden is failing to do what he said he would do when he became president, which is to find middle ground on taxes, spending, infrastructure, and social issues.

At the next moment, you’ll hear about the fact that Democrats in Congress can’t reach agreement on anything to help “their president” gain any victory.

And, at the next moment, you’ll note that Republicans in Congress have no interest in getting anything done – they just want to oppose Biden and Democrats at every step.

Then, lurking in the background – sometimes in the foreground where he would rather be – is former president Donald Trump as he angles for the Oval Office again, despite the graphic inability he displayed to grasp anything about the role of president when he had the job for a disastrous four years.

All of this calls to mind for me the difficulty to reach consensus on any tough political issue.  Of course, my arena was different than Washington, D.C.  – it was at the Legislature in Salem, Oregon, where I worked for about 25 years as a lobbyist.  I dealt with the 90 lawmakers, as well as statewide elected officials, including the governor.

I learned a few lessons from the experience, so I summarize them here.

• Finding middle ground takes hard work.  Success doesn’t happen overnight or without a lot of meetings.

• Finding middle ground requires the ability to “give” and to “get.”  That’s what compromise is – giving and getting — with a result no one may like, but which serves the common good.

• Finding middle ground requires a commitment to avoid caring about who gets credit for good work, a tough act in today’s political landscape where credit or debit appears to be the main goal.

Example:  The last Republican Governor in Oregon, Vic Atiyeh, provides the best example of someone in politics who didn’t care who got credit for positive actions.  He just wanted the positive actions themselves.  It was a pleasure for me to work with and for him, now many years ago.  But I still remember his “I don’t care who gets the credit” example.

• Finding middle ground requires those looking for it to be able to recognize it when they find it.  They need to keep in mind the notion that agreement on public policy matters, not just personal, client or party beliefs.

• 
  Finding middle round requires leaders and followers.  If a leader displays leadership traits – traits such as honesty, forthrightness, transparency, ability to see the big picture – then following is required.  Not everyone can lead; some must follow.

Example:  Over my years as a lobbyist in Oregon, the best example of leadership was Senator Neil Bryant, a Republican from Bend.  When there were tough issues at the Capitol – when divergent interests had to be brought together to find common ground – Bryant usually got the assignment.

I often have said that “you know political leadership when you see it,” not when someone touts that they have it.  With Bryant, you saw it.  The good news is that he remains a good friend today.

Would commitments such as those listed above produce agreement in Washington, D.C.?  Who knows?  Probably not, with all sides so pitted against each other.  But, it strikes me it would be worth trying.

Too much is at stake for the reverse to occur – doing nothing as disagreement and dissension controls.  Plus, on many days, it appears to me that the very basis of our democracy is at stake as Members of Congress and the president are so far apart.

So, middle ground calls.