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.

The answer to the question in this blog headline:  It’s far too early to tell.

As I write this, Donald Trump is preparing to be sworn in for a new term in the Oval Office.  I intend to ignore the process today, preferring to spend my time on the golf course.

And, as an indication of that intent, I choose to write about the departing president, Joe Biden.  It often is tempting to engage in an immediate assessment of as president’s term as he leaves office, but it is better to wait for time to heal at least some of the wounds, if not most of them.

Still, Biden can take credit for such results as being in power as the Covid pandemic ended, playing a role in the recovery; producing a huge bill investing in infrastructure in America; and serving during a time of economic growth in America, with thousands of jobs created by the private sector, all of which was not well-recognized as it occurred..

Using fodder provided by hill.com, I begin a look back at Biden’s term with events that I sometimes forget.

• The raucous 2023 State of the Union/During his 2023 State of the Union address, Biden sparred with Republican lawmakers over potential cuts to Social Security with a lively back-and-forth in the House chamber.
• Ukraine speech/In March 2022, Biden gave a fiery speech in Poland about his support for Ukraine a month after Russia’s invasion, during which he said that Russian President Vladimir Putin can’t remain in power.
• Afghanistan withdrawal/The August 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan was a major bruise on Biden’s legacy early into his presidency and is seen as the start of a long and windy downfall for his presidency.
• Hur report/A March 2024 release of a transcript of special counsel Robert Hur’s two-day interview with Biden for his investigation into the president’s handling of classified materials gave Republicans and critics new ammunition to go after his age — and gave the public a window into the president’s fitness for office.
• Disastrous debate/Biden and Trump had their first and only 2024 presidential debate on June 27, moderated by CNN.  It began immediately with Biden fumbling his answers and giving confused looks.  Biden’s disastrous performance, one that lasted 90 minutes, set off a series of events that led to him ultimately dropping his re-election bid.

Beyond these specific events over the last four years, I generally found Biden to be a genuine, decent human being, which is something in politics these days.  He was not immune to failure, but appeared to be someone who wanted to do a good job.

Wanting to do a good job and then, at least to a degree, not doing it is prescription for failure in politics.  For Biden, that and his advance age caught up with him – and, in America, left us with Trump.

Regarding the Trump term, which starts today, I add this footnote from the Washington Post, which serves to indicate that much of what Trump and his sycophants want to do will be challenged, including in court.

“A lawsuit claiming billionaire Elon Musk’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ (DOGE) violates federal transparency rules will be filed within minutes of  Trump’s inauguration Monday, kicking off a legal battle over a key aspect of the incoming administration’s agenda.

“In a 30-page complaint obtained by The Washington Post ahead of its filing, the public interest law firm National Security Counselors says that the non-governmental DOGE panel is breaking a 1972 law that requires advisory committees to the executive branch to follow certain rules on disclosure, hiring and other practices.

“Shortly after the election, Trump tapped Musk and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to lead DOGE in identifying government regulations and spending programs for the White House to cut.”

So, here we go for another four years of Trump.