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 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.

When I write “The Queen,” everyone will know who I mean – Queen Elizabeth who died at the age of 96 a couple days.

She will be remembered fondly for her reign of about 70 years.

When my wife, Nancy, and I discussed “The Queen’s” passing, she  said that, when she was a girl of about age 3, she remembered “The Queen’s” investiture at the top of the English Monarchy.

When I was 3, I don’t remember much, if anything.

As for “The Queen’s” passing, President Joe Biden put it very well when he said:

“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch.  She defined an era.  In a world of constant change, she was a steadying presence and a source of comfort and pride for generations of Britons, including many who have never known their country without her.”

Biden also credited her for being a British monarch to whom people “could feel a personal and immediate connection” and praised her for “an unwavering commitment to duty, and the incomparable power of her example.”

During her tenure, she met with 14 U.S. presidents – yes 14!

Frankly, I don’t know much in detail about the Monarchy, except that it has stood the test of time, not to mention various conflicts.  By her own steadfast presence, Queen Elizabeth formed a bond with citizens in the United Kingdom and did so with grace and dignity.

Perhaps one of the reasons was her love for Corgis.  She had more than 30 during her long tenure and those dogs gave her a real-world presence as they had the run of all the palaces and greeted all visitors.  Those Corgis that remain reportedly will go to The Queen’s children.

Various political figures, overseas and here, could learn a few lessons from “The Queens” conduct over the years, come hell or high water.

Remember, “God Save the Queen?”  Now, it will be “God Save the King!”

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 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.

Why…..

• Does Donald Trump get away with lying at every turn?

• Do Trump sycophants get away with the same?

• How do Trump and his minions sleep at night as they lead America into a more heightened case of civil war if they don’t get their way?

It used to be that lying would get you in trouble in politics.  No longer.

For many in politics, lying is a way of life.  No matter the situation, lying comes naturally.

Consider this abo ut Senator Ted Cruz as reported by Jamelle Bouie, opinion columnist for the New York Times:

“Critics of President Biden’s plan to relieve the debt of millions of Americans with federal student loans have made a considered choice to put their words in the mouths of an imagined group of working-class and blue-collar voters, angry and aggrieved at debt forgiveness for upper-income college graduates.

“For example, here’s Senator Ted Cruz of Texas:  ‘What President Biden has, in effect, decided to do is to take from working-class people, to take from truck drivers and construction workers right now, thousands of dollars in taxes in order to redistribute it to college graduates who have student loans.’

“Now, this way of thinking betrays an ignorance of working-class life in this country.  To work as a truck driver or a medical technician or a home inspector or any number of other similar blue-collar jobs, you need training, licenses, certifications.  People go to school to meet these requirements.  They apply for the same federal student loans and take on the same debt as someone going to college.  And many of these Americans labor under the burden of that debt because of high costs and lower-than-expected earnings. (To say nothing of those who attended college, took on debt, but didn’t graduate.)”

And, back to Trump, consider this startling statistic compiled by the Washington Post Fact Checker column:  Trump’s false or misleading claims total 30,573 over four years.

More than 30,000 lies!

Yet, Trump appears to be running for president again and a legion of followers will vote for him regardless of his dishonesty.

If Trump wins, as is possible, it could be death of American democracy as we have known it for decades.  And he doesn’t care.  Nor do his legion of followers.

My fond wish is this:  That those who lie in politics would pay a price for lying.  Such as losing elections.  Or not being able to run again.

Too much, you say.  Perhaps.  But, still I refuse to reject my fond wish.

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 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.

I have written about this several times to express my personal opinion in opposition to the upstart LIV golf, which is funded by tainted money from Saudi Arabia.

Probably too many times.

But, stupid me.

I forgot one of the most salient facts that buoys support for the PGA Tour:  The millions of dollars it raises in charitable contributions in the cities where it holds tournaments.  Those who benefit are legions.

The same for LIV?  Of course, not.

LIV exists to “sportswash” its terrible human rights reputation, one it has earned over the years.  No “charity” there.

As for the PGA Tour’s charitable contributions:

The PGA Tour’s total, which includes a record $204.3 million in 2019 to bring the all-time total to $3.05 billion, includes donations made by tournaments on the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions, Korn Ferry Tour, Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour Latinoamérica and PGA Tour Series-China.

“It’s truly a pleasure to thank our fans, sponsors, tournaments, players and volunteers for helping us generate over $3 billion for charity and positively impact millions of lives,” says Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.

No less a major tour star than Rory McIlroy recognized this when he told Global Golf Post recently that it “was the right thing to do” for him to rally around the Tour and serve as one of the primary spokesmen for the positive history and traditions of pro golf provided over the years by the PGA Tour.

Global Golf Post claimed he “was a voice of reason” in a list of defectors.

If you were put all the other major sports organizations in a list – the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League – McIlroy says the PGA tour delivers more to charity that those organizations combined – twice more, in fact.

Whatever else you may believe about the PGA Tour and LIV, contributions to charity set the Tour apart.  Easily.

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 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.

Therese Bottomly, editor of The Oregonian newspaper, struck a chord with me the other day when she wrote about typos in newspapers.

I hate them, too, based on my background in journalism.

One risk in writing about this is that, as I do so, I might make an error – a typo, a wrong word, or a misspelled word.  Irony of ironies.

Oh well.  Such is life.

Here is a summary of Bottomly’s comments in an e-mail memo she sends to Oregonian subscribers:

“Back in the day, many layers of editors would stand between a reporter’s typed copy and the printed page.  Now when we publish rapidly onto OregonLive, the process is greatly streamlined – and readers notice.

“To take an example from the past, a suburban reporter might turn in his article to the bureau chief, and she would edit it and send it to the suburban editor, who would pass it along to the city desk. A news editor then would read it to decide placement within the newspaper. On the copy desk, a rim editor would make copy edits and write a headline. Then, the slot editor would take a careful read.

“The article would be placed on the page in the composing room, where the makeup editor would check it.  Then, page proofs would be generated for more checks.

“In the current fast-paced world of digital first news, a routine article might go straight from reporter to OregonLive’s home page with just a quick glance from a single editor.”

Of course, Bottomley adds, “The Oregonian/OregonLive has thousands of copy editors.  They are also known as readers.

“And they have something to say.”

A few recent Oregonian examples of what the newspaper got right or wrong: 

Right: Defuse/diffuse.  “They tried to defuse the situation on their own …” “Defuse” means to render harmless or make less tense.  “Diffuse” means to spread out or disperse (not to be confused with “disburse”).

Wrong: Loathe/loath.  A national opinion writer recently said: “One is loathe to pick a fight with a lawyer taking a well-deserved victory lap after a hard-fought trial.”  “Loathe” is a verb meaning “dislike greatly”; “loath” is an adjective meaning “not willing.”

Right: Fazed/phased.  A reporter wrote that “employees seemed relatively unfazed” by the stray bullet.  To faze is to bother; to phase is to do something in stages.

Wrong: Between/among.  We recently reported on “Oregon’s gubernatorial matchup between” three women.  A reader responded:  I hate to complain about one of the grammatical slides that seem to be happening in printed articles all over (even the New York Times), but this one comes up quite often now and particularly irks me:  Writers saying “between” when referring to three or more singular entities.  It just makes sense that you can’t be between more than two things.  You can be “among” them, however.

For me, a person who likes words, the examples are good ones.

I would add one important one as I cite an oft-used mistake:  Using a plural pronoun when the right one is singular. 

Here is an example:  “The committee did their work.”  It should be, “The committee did ITS work.”

Critical stuff, right?  For me, a “words person,” yes.

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 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.

The headline on this blog deals with a very important public policy challenge:  Public records.

Or, in the case of the City of Salem recently, the ongoing attempts to keep records secret.

Les Zaitz, editor of the Salem Reporter and a long-time journalist in Oregon, wrote about this in a recent column.  I reprint key parts of it below.

First, in the spirit of full disclosure, I know Zaitz well because when I worked for state government and when he worked for The Oregonian as an investigative reporter, we dealt often with each other.  And the subject often was public records.

On occasion, we might have disagreed, but I would say both of us had the ability to “disagree, agreeably.”

In Oregon, state law says essentially this – all government records are public unless they can fit into a special exemption written into the law.  Examples are personal information about state employees (such as addresses) that might subject them to danger, specific information on collective bargaining negotiations, information on public property the state might want to acquire that, if the value was known, could boost the price, and private company records (read, trade secrets) of companies considering expanding or locating in Oregon.

You can see the potential for controversy, though the weight rests on the side of disclosure.

Today, as editor of Salem Reporter, Zaitz and his staff of reporters aim to provide what’s often missing in the Salem area these days, which is quality local news.  Good for him and for my friend, Larry Tokarski, who has helped to fund Salem Reporter.

Now, for excerpts from Zaitz’ column:

“Salem city officials are determined to keep from you the information on why a top official under investigation was able to leave office with an unearned $53,500.

“Salem Reporter is working to change that, but powerful forces are lined up against us.

“Faith in government and transparency in public affairs are at stake.  Here’s the issue.

“Earlier this year, a deputy police chief in the Salem Police Department was under suspicion for some sort of misconduct.  As we have since learned, city leaders couldn’t advance their investigation because – and this is surprising – they couldn’t find an investigator.

“Instead, they cut a deal with the executive, who would retire from his city job, pack up his office, and walk out with an extra $53,500.

“This seemed striking and seemed to warrant an explanation.  Why would a top city official get paid to walk away while under investigation?

“The city took nearly three weeks to release a single document, doing so only after our news organization initiated legal action to force its disclosure.”

Zaitz goes on to report that Salem city officials deflected question after question about the release of documents.  And, when Salem Reporter did what the law requires, which is to appeal to Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson, she took the side of the city.

He also said Salem Reporter believes it will continue to be re-buffed by Salem officials.  But he also said the city cannot “blunt public opinion and this is where you come in.”

By “you,” he meant Salem area residents and he asked them to weigh in on the side of the public’s right to know.

I, for one, have done so.

Therese Bottomly, executive editor of The Oregonian newspaper, entered the fray the other day in her weekly “Letter to Readers.”  She wrote this:

“One of the underpinnings of public disclosure laws is that the public has the right to see how government is spending the public’s money.  That’s why salaries for public officials are open to all, budgets are posted on-line, and contracts can be examined.

“Secret settlements corrode the trust in public bodies.  We all know that employers sometimes make a judicious decision:  Pay a little money to help a problem employee move along and save a lot of expense, time, and headache that might come from a lawsuit.

“But if that’s what Salem did, the citizens have a right to know it.

“Under Oregon’s public records law, some documents are exempt from disclosure.  Many exemptions, however, have what is known as a “public interest” test — that is, does the public interest in the information in a particular instance weigh in favor of disclosure.”

Whether government information is public or private is always a subject for debate.  Often, there is solid rationale on both sides.  But, in Oregon, the good news, as Zaitz and Bottomly know, is that most records are deemed to be public, not private – and that’s a solid test of meeting the “public interest.”

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 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.

Every day, we learn more about the papers Donald Trump took from the White House.  Papers, many of which, were labeled “classified” and which, in a few cases, involved sensitive nuclear war information.

Is Trump guilty of being stupid or pilfering sensitive information for his own gain?

Both.

And, Paul Waldman in the Washington Post, writes about the situation this way:

“In a complicated case like that of Donald Trump’s pilfering of government documents, instead of learning everything all at once, we get information piecemeal.  When the Justice Department makes a filing or the judge releases a document, the picture gets a little more focused.  Every time, Trump’s defenders fervently hope this new development will demonstrate his innocence.

“And every time, the opposite happens.  The more we learn, the more guilty Trump looks.”

Then, Waldman hits the nail on the head.

“Hovering behind this controversy is the frightening possibility that Trump could become president again.  Just this Thursday he promised ‘full pardons with an apology to many’ for January 6 rioters.  If he’s eager to pardon perpetrators of a violent insurrection against the American government, what else might he have in store?  How would he treat sensitive national security information in a second term?  The very thought ought to make you shudder.”

And, shudder is what I am doing even as I write this.

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 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.

When a president gives a major speech, it’s normal practice for all sorts of individuals to parse what the president said.

Was the speech well-written?  Did the president strike the right chords?  Did the president utter lines that could resonate over time?  Did the president make any stumbles?

These questions surround what President Joe Biden told the nation a few days ago in a speech that was entitled, “The Soul of the Nation.”

My view is at least three-fold:

1. Biden did just what he had to do by calling out those – he called them “MAGA Republicans” – who don’t honor the country, who don’t respect the Constitution, and who, often by violent means, want to install THEIR leader, Donald Trump, even though he lost the last election.

• Biden made sure not to paint all Republicans with a broad brush.  He called out MAGA Republicans, not all Republicans.

• Biden asked all Americans to rally around retaining American democracy, not a perfect form government, but one better than all the rest.  [The last phrase in the sentence above is mine, not Biden’s.]

In The Atlantic on-line magazine, writer Tom Nichols said he felt Biden had no choice but to deliver his speech.  He called it a “sad duty,” suggesting that any president would have had to rise to the occasion, given what is at stake for the country.

Here is what Nichols wrote:

“…make no mistake:  He had to give it.  His duty demanded it.  As Biden rightly said, the American democracy faces an ‘ongoing attack’ from what he termed ‘MAGA Republicans’ who do not respect the Constitution, the rule of law, the will of the people, or the results of free elections.  No president could remain silent under such circumstances.”

Biden’s best line may have been this:

“Democracy cannot survive when one side believes there are only two outcomes to an election:  Either they win or they were cheated.  You can’t love your country only when you win.”

In the Washington Post, Eugene Robinson wrote this:

“President Biden’s bold rhetoric and stagecraft in his speech Thursday night were, if anything, understated.  We are in a fight to save our democratic system, and it would have been wrong to pretend the battle is not both political and partisan.

“’Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic,’ Biden told the nation. There, he said it.  He named names.  One of our two major parties, in thrall to a would-be autocrat, is no longer committed to the American experiment — and thus can no longer be trusted with power.”

I agree with Robinson.

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 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.

Salem’s Ellie Slama, one of the best golfers in our area, if not THE best, has advanced out of the Stage 1 of the Ladies Professional Golf Qualifying School.

That means she has a chance to become a professional golfer, one of her dreams.

I have followed Ellie for years, often as I served as a starter for Oregon Golf Association events in which she played.  If she was in the field and you get on her to win, you’d make money.

In the heat of the Palms Springs area last month, she entered the Stage 1 qualifying event for the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).  She  four rounds on three courses – the Arnold Palmer Course at PGA West, the Mission Hills Dinah Shore Course, and the Nick Faldo Course at Shadow Ridge.

Over those four rounds, Ellie finished tied for 18^th place, shooting eight under for four rounds — 70-71-68-71 – a great score.  One hundred players advanced to Stage 2.   

Plus, on the bag as caddie:  Ellie’s brother, Tim.

It had to be a great family experience.

Stage 1 in blistering Palm Springs heat showed Ellie’s capability.  A total of 311 hopefuls teed it up for the four rounds of Q School.  They were allowed to play in carts given the heat, which often topped 110 degrees.  Ellie was under par in each of her rounds, qualifying with relative ease.

When I asked Ellie about the experience, she answered with a quick, understated phrase:  “Boy, it was so hot!”

So was her golf!

Here is a snapshot of Ellie’s career drawn off the Oregon State University Women’s Golf Website:

“Finished her five-year Oregon State career with a scoring average of 72.95, the best in Oregon State history.  Played 127 rounds, the sixth most in Oregon State history.  Had 14 Top 10 finishes, the second most in Oregon State history.  Won three individual titles (Ron Moore Invitational as a freshman, Trinity Forest Invitational as a sophomore and Silverado Showdown as a senior).

“Became the first golfer in Oregon State history to be named Pac-12 Golfer of the Month (October 2018).  Holds the Oregon State records for career scoring average (72.95), top-10 finishes in a season (7), lowest single-round score (6-under 66), lowest three-round score (11-under 205) and sub-par scores (46).  Also holds the Oregon State records for single-season scoring average as a freshman (72.79), sophomore (72.43), junior (72.72) and senior (73.19).”

Besides being a great golfer, Ellie has always struck me as a uniformly positive person with a consummate ability to meet anyone and share perspectives, both on life and on golf.  To greet her is always a positive experience.

During this summer before Q-School, Ellie has been practicing and playing at my home course here in Salem, Illahe Hills Golf and Country Club.

Based on her quality performance in Stage 1, Ellie now will be preparing for Stage 2, which will be held October 18-21 at the Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida.  From there, players will advance to the Q-Series, a two-week contest in Mobile, Alabama, and Dothan, Alabama, after which LPGA cards will be handed out.

Later this month, a number of Ellie’s friends are getting together to discuss how we can continue helping her prepare for the remaining parts of Q-School.  Yes, one of the ways is to help her defray some of the expenses.

She’ll also continue using Illahe for practice rounds.

So, keep playing well, Ellie.  We’re rooting for you!

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 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.

No, not that word.

“Fascism.”

President Joe Biden made a good point a few days ago when he said this, as reported by The Atlantic and other newspapers:

“We cannot, however, let our understandable fear of words such as fascism scare us out of talking about the reality staring us in the face.

“The GOP itself might not meet the full definition of a ‘fascist’ party—not yet, anyway — but it’s not a normal party, and its base is not an ordinary political movement.

“It is, instead, a melding of the remnants of a once-great party with an authoritarian, violent, seditionist personality cult bent on capturing and exercising power solely to benefit its own members and punish its imagined enemies among other Americans.

“Is that fascism?  For most people, it’s close enough.  A would-be strongman and a party of followers enveloped in racism, seized with nostalgia for an imagined glorious past, and drunk on mindless blood-and-soil nationalism all stinks of fascism.”

So, beyond reading the last paragraph, I decided to check the dictionary for an explicit definition of the term “fascism.”  Here is what I found:

“A political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.”

Sounds like Trump and his cronies.

At various times in the past, I have agreed that much of the Republican party has gone off the rails, especially in relation to its mostly conservative roots.

But I also have opined that Democrats often were not much better.  They always supported new and more aggressive government that peaked into every corner of everyday life and spent government money as if there was no tomorrow.  Socialism?  Perhaps, or at least the way there.

Wall Street Journal commentator Daniel Henninger put the two-party tension this way:

“But an unexpected opportunity has emerged.  Biden, by blurting out unscripted what he and many progressive Democrats believe — that much of the country is now semi-fascist — has opened a door to debating whether his presidency is semi-socialist.  And whether that’s where America wants to go.”

In view of this tension – autocracy vs. socialism — what I wish for is:

• Either a two-party system that functions effectively in this country for the good of the country from different, but not violent, perspectives.
• Or, a third party that arises to represent those, like me, who believe the best solutions to pressing public policy problems lie somewhere in the middle, not either the right or left extremes.

The very future of our country is at stake.