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.

This blog headline says it all.

The New York Times doesn’t just worry about Donald Trump’s move toward autocracy.  It uses a chart to gather information on his performance and rate his move away from democracy toward autocracy.  Facts before perceptions.

Remember, Trump wants to be king or Christ.  Easy to say.  Hard to prove.

Yet, the New York Times Editorial Board tries under this headline: The Iran War Worsens America’s Democratic Erosion.

Here is how the editorial started:

“President Trump’s war with Iran is the most significant military action in American history that a president has undertaken without any form of congressional authorization.

“Yes, past presidents have often pushed the bounds of their constitutional authority in using the military.  Nonetheless, they have typically involved Congress for anything more than a brief attack.  Sometimes, Congress passed a bill formally approving action, as was the case in Iraq in both 2002 and 1991, Afghanistan in 2001 and Vietnam in 1964.

“In other instances, such as Korea in the 1950s, Congress offered de facto approval by passing bills that provided additional resources for the military action.

“Trump has received no approval whatsoever from Congress, the only branch of government with the constitutional authority to declare war.”

Nor has he made comments to the public about his reason for going to war in Iran.  And, we, members of the public, are paying the cost of his military foray, and he appears to have no coherent plan to bring it to a conclusion, nor any interest in issues other than growing his pocketbook.

To track Trump’s move toward autocracy, the New York Times editorial board tracked 12 categories of democratic erosion in the United States, based on historical patterns and interviews with experts.  Its index places the United States on a scale of 0 to 10 for each category.  Zero represents the United States before Trump began his second term — not perfect, surely, but one of the world’s healthiest democracies.

Ten represents the condition in a true autocracy, such as China, Iran and Russia.

The Times conclusion:

“Based on the war with Iran, we are moving our assessment of one of the categories — bypassing the legislature — up one notch, to Level 5.”

The categories of investigation are as follows:

• Bypassing the legislature

Trump’s Justice Department has become an enforcer of his personal interests, targeting people for legally dubious reasons while creating a culture in which his allies can act with impunity.

• Stifling speech and dissent

Modern authoritarian takeovers often do not start with a military coup.  They instead involve an elected leader who uses the powers of the office to consolidate authority and make political opposition difficult.  

• Persecuting political opponents

Autocrats use the immense power of law enforcement as a political tool, and Trump’s Justice Department has become an enforcer of his interests.

• Defying the courts

Would-be authoritarians recognize that courts can keep them from consolidating power, and they take steps to weaken or bypass judges.

• Declaring false emergencies

Autocrats often curtail democracy by declaring an emergency and arguing that the threat requires them to exercise unusual degrees of power.

• Using the military at home

Authoritarians frequently and performatively use the military for domestic control.

• Vilifying marginalized groups

Authoritarians tend to demean minority groups, trying to turn them into perceived threats that provide justification for a leader to amass power.

• Trying to take over universities

Authoritarians, recognizing that universities are hotbeds of independent thought and political dissent, often single them out for repression.

• Creating a cult of personality

Emperors and kings often glorified themselves by displaying their portraits everywhere.

• Using power for personal profit

Authoritarians often turn the government into a machine for self-enrichment.

• Manipulating the law to stay in power

Authoritarians change election rules to help their party, and they rewrite laws to ignore term limits.

The Times says the 12 benchmarks offer a way to understand how much Trump is eroding American democracy.

It remains good work by a solid journalism outfit that relies on facts to underscore its perceptions.

And the fact that Trump is heading toward autocracy should surprise no one.