Perspective from the 19^th Hole 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.

Here are the two stories I will describe:

• Questions about honesty and veracity dating back to my time as press secretary to Oregon Governor Atiyeh, now nearly 50 years ago.

• The total of lies Donald Tromp told when he was president.  And, now he just adds to the total.

What do these two issues have in common? 

Well, not much, except as they relate to an issue – honesty in politics and government, including in (a) the Executive Branch and (b) as candidates run for office.

Honesty in government tends to be these days an old term.  What matters more, it seems, is the ability to deliver a message, no matter whether it is true or not, via social media.

For my part, I rue the day when honesty in government retreated from the public conscience – and the fact is a tribute….no read, debit – to Trump.

Story #1:  When I served as Governor Atiyeh’s press secretary, I received a report from the Oregon Economic Development Department that described how many jobs the department had helped to create in the last year.

But could I trust the numbers?

I wondered, but I decided to develop a news release for the governor outlining the report as a way to underline an Atiyeh emphasis – helping to create jobs in Oregon.

Still, I remained concerned that I had produced information that would stand up under scrutiny, which I label, perhaps immodestly, with this phrase – honesty in government matters so those who depend on government – read, taxpayers – can trust what the government does.

And what the government says. 

In this story, it turned out that I was never asked about detail behind the numbers.  But, if I had been questioned, I was ready with information.

Further, it you happen to make a mistake in government, then correct the record, that corrections can augment your credibility.

Story #2:  With Trump, honesty went the way of the trash bin.

Sticking with facts and truth is not in his makeup.  If something comes into his mind, it makes its way to his mouth.  And, if he says it, then he believes it is true.

Consider what the Washington Post Fact Checker column found.

During his four years as president, Trump told an incredible number of lies – more than 30,500 during those four years.  Which meant about 20 per day.

The Fact Checker column labeled his conduct:  “A tsunami of untruths.”

To ask the question underlying this column:  Did Trump dishonesty matter?

The answer, at least in part, as that it did because Joe Biden beat him when he ran for re-election – and one reason, surely not the only one, was that Trump lied about everything.

And, I hope it matters today, too, as Trump, incredibly, tries to win back the Oval Office by a “tsunami of untruths.”