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.

What is the definition of power in politics?

For me, that question has come up in two ways in the last couple days.

1. In one case, a writer for the Washington Post suggested that Donald Trump is losing power as president because “he is now a lame duck.”

Sounds a bit early for me, but it is becoming clear that Trump is not as powerful as he once was — or at least thought he was.

• The other case arose in a column called Capitol Chatter written by the former editorial page editor of the Salem Statesman-Journal, Dick Hughes.

He questioned whether politicians in Oregon, including Governor Tina Kotek thought they had enough power – call it “staying power” — to pull off their announced bids to improve the state’s economy.

For Kotek, that is critical as she runs for re-election.

One of her opponents on the Republican side is Christine Drazan, now an Oregon senator, who lost to Kotek last time around.

On the general subject of political power, columnist Frank Bruni, writing in the New York Times, said this:

“The first year of Trump’s return to the White House has shown or reminded us of many things, including the fragility of democracy, the prevalence of cowardice and the intensity of tribalism. But it has been an especially stark and galling education in the intoxication of power.”

As an example of “intoxication,” Bruni cited Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles, who allowed herself to be interviewed 11 times by a reporter for Vanity Fair.  In the story, she came across as incredibly honest about the faults of Trump and those around him such as Russell Vought, Kash Patel, and Pete Hegseth, all in jobs beyond their abilities as they seek “power.”

So far, Wiles appears to have survived her more-than-candid criticisms of Trump and his band of power-seekers.  But, even as someone who tries to stay out of the political limelight in Washington, D.C., this time it appears she couldn’t resist the approach to emphasize her power.

Back to Capitol Chatter.  In his column, Hughes described how Oregon governor candidates Kotek and Drazan have framed their candidacies

:

• In a press release, Kotek proclaimed, “The choice is between a governor who will stand up for Oregon and protect what we believe in, or a governor who will let Donald Trump do whatever he wants.” 

• An hour later, Drazan responded in her own press release:  “Tina is all talk and no results.  She wants Oregonians to believe this race is about Washington, D.C., when it’s really about our home.” 

It is possible that former Portland Trailblazer center Chris Dudley, another Republican, also could make the race, though he has been out of politics since he lost to Democrat John Kitzhaber a few years ago.  Some of my sources say Dudley will not run; other say he will.  So, at the moment, no one knows for sure.

One challenge for Kotek is that she will be on the ballot at the same time as an initiative to try to overturn the Legislature’s decision, with Kotek’s support, to approve higher transportation taxes to fix Oregon roads.

It appeared to be relatively easy for Republican leaders in the Legislature to gain signatures to get the issue to the ballot, even without major money to pay for signature collection.  They lost in the Legislature; they now want to win at the ballot. 

Some recent polls suggest that many Oregonians are not ready for higher taxes, so Kotek will have to explain on the campaign trail why she wants them.  And that’s why the question emerges about whether she has the “staying power” to win at the ballot, either for herself as a candidate or for the tax increases.

In this blog, I am not expressing favoritism for any candidate.  For one thing, it is far too early to do so.  For another, I want to listen to the debate in the next year before landing some place.

For you, I wish the same, even as we wonder about power in politics.

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.

Anyone who knows me knows that I like words.

Better than numbers, charts, graphs, and even photos.

So it is that I enjoy reading columns by Frank Bruni, who writes for the New York Times.  He likes words, too, and uses them well.

A recent column from Bruni said this:

“In The Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Philip Martin praised the writer Walter Isaacson’s depictions of the authors of the Declaration of Independence in his new book, ‘The Greatest Sentence Ever Written,’ about the document’s opening words:

“He doesn’t carve them into monuments.  He lets them breathe as men at work, leaning over a draft, arguing about commas, listening for cadence.  You can feel their hope that a sentence might do what armies could not:  Define a people by the rhythm of a thought.  That faith in language, more than any creed, is the American religion:  The belief that words, if built well, can hold our contradictions long enough for us to grow into them.”

Note the phrase, “listening for cadence.” 

When I have a chance, that’s what I like to do – listening for how words flow together, as Bruni would say, “in cadence.”

At the end of all Bruni’s columns, he quotes good words that his followers have sent him from around the country – quotes in various newspapers.

The fact is, Bruni says, good words can help us surmount our disagreements, or least understand our differences better.

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.

As I followed news over the last couple days, I almost decided to write a blog building on this headline – “the petty, hollow, squalid person, Trump.”

Then, Bret Stephens, writing in the New York Times, performed a service for me when he wrote:

“Though I tend to think it’s usually a waste of space to devote a column to President Trump’s personality — what more is there to say about the character of this petty, hollow, squalid, overstuffed man? — sometimes the point bears stressing:  We are led by the most loathsome human being ever to occupy the White House.”

Stephens wrote following a new low for Trump.  He refused to provide solid, statesmanlike language to mourn the passing of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele.  Instead, as you will see below, Trump turned the tragedy into an incredibly acrid social media post about himself.

Remember, to Trump, the epitome of a narcissist, everything is always about him.

If you read what Trump wrote, I don’t mind if you throw up.

“A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood. Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star, has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS.

“He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before.”

Stephens writes this conclusion:

“I quote Trump’s post in full not only because it must be read to be believed, but also because it captures the combination of preposterous grandiosity, obsessive self-regard and gratuitous spite that ‘deranged’ the Reiners and so many other Americans trying to hold on to a sense of national decency.

“Good people and good nations do not stomp on the grief of others. Politics is meant to end at the graveside.  That’s not just some social nicety. It’s a foundational taboo that any civilized society must enforce to prevent transient personal differences from becoming generational blood feuds.”

I’ll give Atlantic Magazine the last word.

“Looking for a considered meaning in Trump’s words might be a wild-goose chase, though.  The simplest reason Trump posted this is the same reason he posts anything:  The man cannot resist making everything about himself, even if it’s the heartbreaking murder of a beloved artist in an alleged domestic dispute.”

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.

I quoted Hew York Times columnist Frank Bruni in my most recent blog, mentioning that an international soccer organization had given Donald Trump a piece prize…which, of course, he didn’t deserve.

Then, after the post, I ran across the following quote as an addendum to Bruni’s column.

“In her newsletter, Joanne Carducci scoffed at the peace prize that FIFA, the international soccer organization, awarded Trump:  ‘It’s a participation trophy for geopolitical corruption.  It’s so stupid it makes my remaining sanity stand up, politely excuse itself, and dive headfirst into oncoming traffic.’”

Well said!

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.

Whenever Donald Trump talks, you have to believe one of two things:

• Either he is exaggerating.

• Or, he is telling outright lies.

Consider his claims about winning wars and producing peace.

None is true.

He was not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year, though he campaigned openly for it.  Instead, Venezuelan opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, took home the award.

Of course, that made Trump mad.

So, the international soccer association – yes, soccer – which is called FIFA, awarded the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize” to Trump.

I say, let soccer be soccer without attaching it so directly to politics.

Where are Trump’s peacemaker claims coming from?

The Washington Post provides the answer.

“Trump claims he has ‘solved’ eight conflicts since taking office in January.

• A peace agreement between Congo and Rwanda.

• The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

• The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.

• Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo.

• Tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia.

• A military confrontation between India and Pakistan.

• A border skirmish between Thailand and Cambodia.

• Fighting between Israel and Iran.”

The trouble with this list is that “solutions” claimed by Trump are not true.  Fighting continues in all cases.

So, don’t give Trump any peace prizes.

He doesn’t deserve them, either overseas or at home.

To conclude, I recite a column in the New York Times by Frank Bruni where he excoriates Trump for giving himself nothing by passing grades as he exalts – no surprise here – himself.

Consider this case.

In an interview last week with Dasha Burns from Politico, Trump was asked to grade his stewardship of the economy on his watch.

“’A-plus,’ he said.

“’A-plus?’ she said back to him, as if maybe she hadn’t heard him right, as if such flamboyant boasting were still a shock, as if she were clinging idealistically to the idea that a president of the United States could not travel quite this many light-years away from reality, as if the past decade of American history hadn’t happened.

“’Yeah,’ Trump responded.

“But then, upon further consideration, he realized that he’d been unduly self-effacing.  So, he re-wrote his report card.

“’A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus,’ Trump said.  

Bruni adds:  “That’s five pluses, for those of you too non-plussed to pause and count.  I assume he stopped there only because he was winded.   He’s not the cyclone of energy he used to be.  He’s more an erratic breeze.

“And he has decided to answer to one kind of inflation with another. You think 4.0 grade point averages are too common at the elite universities that he supposedly deplores?  They wouldn’t even land you on the dean’s list in the Trump administration, where the windbags in the West Wing, the showboats in the cabinet and the blowhard in chief are constantly gilding their self-determined A’s with self-indulgent pluses atop pluses.”

That last paragraph from Bruni says it all – so I’ll let him have the last word on Trump, the blowhard…in peacekeeping (no) and in the economy (also, no).

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.

And, this note:  I have been away from this blog for a time, but, alas, I like to write, even if not well on certain occasions, so here goes again.

I have reached the end of two terms as an Oregon Government Ethics commissioner because there is not more room for me to serve beyond eight years.

Let me say this:  So be it.  Eight is enough. 

And, for me, all the years have been good ones.  Not perfect, for nothing in government is perfect, but good.

Along the way in my eight-year tenure, I have firmly believed that no one should set out to dominate a government institution such as the Ethics Commission.

I never set out to do so.  It is time for someone to take my place – and I know nothing will be lost in the transition.

But, as I come to the end of my tenure, three major thoughts stick out:

1. First, when I was asked by Governor Kate Brown to serve in this role several years ago, it didn’t take long for me to say “yes.”  I thought it was a high calling to be part of an effort to promote ethics awareness and conduct in government in Oregon.  My eight years lived up to those early aspirations. 

• Second, when I began serving, I suspected then what has been true for eight years — supporting ethical conduct in Oregon government is not a “one person does it all” effort.  As a commissioner, I always was part of a team – all members of the Commission, all staff members, and all Oregonians who watched and supported our work.

• And, third, the nine commissioners during my tenure have come from different backgrounds, not to mention different political affiliations.  On that latter point, let me say that I have never known for sure the political affiliations of any of my colleagues.  Nor did I ask.

What’s more important is that politics never entered directly into our discussions or decisions — and that’s a good thing in Oregon.

So, as I step aside, my challenge for the Commission is to continue all it can do to support ethics in government in a bi-partisan, fact-based, and even-handed all fashion. 

I’ll be rooting for the Commission from the cheap seats in Salem, including, often, in my golf cart.

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 best answer to this blog headline is:  Perhaps.

Woods was one of the best, if THE best, pro golfers of all time.  For my part, I give THE best nod to Jack Nicklaus, but a vote among many of us who love golf could go either way.

So, Sheffler and Woods?

Perhaps too early, however good Scheffler is playing.

But, Scheffler continues to amaze with his amazingly solid play, including his win last weekend in the BMW Tournament, the next-to-the-last-stop in pro golf’s season.

He’ll defend later this week in the Tour Championship in Atlanta, which he won last year.

Beyond his great play, what resides inside his mind was on display recently in Europe where he played in the British Open – pardon me, The Open.

He displayed his depth in a press conference when he unburdened himself about the often-fleeting images of golf success.

A story in GolfWeek magazine, put it this way:

• He questioned the purpose of relentlessly pursuing victory, despite acknowledging the joy of accomplishment.
• He emphasized his faith and the importance of not letting golf define his identity.
• He admitted to struggling with the constant pressure and the unsatisfying nature of fleeting victories.

According to GolfWeek:

“’You work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like a few minutes.  It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling.  To win the Byron Nelson Championship at home, I literally worked my entire life to become good at golf, to have an opportunity to win that tournament.

“’You win it, you celebrate, get to hug my family, my sister’s there, it’s such an amazing moment.  Then it’s like, what are we going to eat for dinner?  Life goes on.”

So, too, did Scheffler’s answer.  He was only getting started.

“Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf?  Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about, because I’ve literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport.

“To have that kind of sense of accomplishment, I think, is a pretty cool feeling. To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world because what’s the point?

“This is not a fulfilling life.  It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart.  There’s a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfill them in life, and you get there, you get to No. 1 in the world, and they’re like, what’s the point?

“I really do believe that, because what is the point? Why do I want to win this tournament so bad?

“That’s something that I wrestle with on a daily basis.  It’s like showing up at the Masters every year; it’s like why do I want to win this golf tournament so badly?  Why do I want to win The Open Championship so badly?  I don’t know because, if I win, it’s going to be awesome for two minutes.

“Then we’re going to get to the next week, hey, you won two majors this year; how important is it for you to win the FedEx Cup playoffs?  And we’re back here again. So, we really do; we work so hard for such little moments.  I’m kind of a sicko; I love putting in the work.  I love getting to practice.  I love getting to live out my dreams.  But at the end of the day, sometimes I just don’t understand the point.”

Scheffler calls it a daily struggle to avoid making golf define him.  He oranizes his life in such a way so that, when he leaves the golf course, he doesn’t bring golf home with him.  This wasn’t the first time he shared the anxiety he’s experienced heading into the final round at the Masters when he won.  

Ahead of the 2023 Masters, when his wife was pregnant and back home in Dallas, Scheffler recounted the advice one of his buddies who was staying at his rental house gave him.

“I wish I didn’t want to win as much as I do.  I wish it didn’t matter this much to me.   I wish I didn’t care as much about the result and could just go out and play and enjoy it,” Scheffler said on The Bible Caddie podcast. “My buddy said, ‘Well, your victory is secure on the cross and that’s really all you need to know.’  I was like, OK, that’s a good line. I’m going to think about that.”

Scheffler prioritizes time in the morning to read scripture, noting Numbers 24-26 as a particular passage of scripture that he reads from a devotional book on his iPad.  He listens to music with Christian themes such as Need to Breathe and is strong in his faith without coming across to the masses as a Bible thumper.

More from GolfWeek:

“’It’s super rare in sports to see the top of the top, who are the best at their sport, faithfully walk with golf,’ said Webb Simpson, a past U.S. Open champion, on the podcast that he co-hosts to Scheffler.  ‘A lot of young listeners, high school guys or even college kids around us, they are fearful that if they walk with the Lord they’re going to lose their competitive edge.

“’Somehow, somebody thought a long time ago that because you’re a Christian means you’re a soft competitor.  But you embody a faithful man of God who is a fierce competitor.’” 

To that notion, Scheffler gives a telling answer:

“I feel like God kind of created me with a little bit of extra competitiveness. Since I was a kid, whatever we were doing, I always wanted to be the best at that thing.” 

He continued:

“I feel like we’re called to go out to use our talent for God’s glory and in my head it feels like being an extremely competitive person going out there and fighting and trying to do our best and then taking our hats off and shaking hands and being done at the end of the day.”

There.  That illustrates why Scheffler has become my favorite golfer.  He is not just golfer.  He is a man, a family man, and a lover of God. 

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.

A friend of mine from Salem writes about rules every month for the Oregon Golf Association (OGA) on-line newsletter.  Usually, he makes rules come alive.

This time, he wrote about slow play in golf.

And this friend, Terry McEvily, outlined excellent steps to speed up the game we love.  Nothing magic.  Just intention to the pace-of-play.

At the same time, of course, many of have been used to watching many pro golfers slow the game, sometimes to a crawl.

I have often said that a key to moving the game along would to be to apply the existing official golf rule – once you reach your golf ball and pull a club, you have 40 seconds to execute the shot.  If you don’t, you should get a warning the first time.  Then, if slowness persists, you should receive penalties, which could involve fines, extra shots, and, eventually, disqualification.

On the pro side, if this was done, slow play would no longer be an issue.

Back to McEvily.  Here is a summary of what he wrote:

A round of golf is meant to be played at a prompt pace, so:

• Each player should recognize that his or her pace of play is likely to affect how long it will take other players to play their rounds, including both those in the player’s own group and those in following groups.
• The player should play at a prompt pace throughout the round, including the time taken to:

+  Prepare for and make each stroke,

+  Move from one place to another between strokes, and

+  Move to the next teeing area after completing a hole.

• A player should prepare in advance for the next stroke and be ready to play when it is their turn.
• When it is the player’s turn to play:

+  It is recommended that the player make the stroke in no more than 40 seconds after he or she is able to play without interference or distraction, and

+The player should usually be able to play more quickly than that and is encouraged to do so.

• Depending on the form of play, there are times when players may play out of turn to help the pace of play.
• In stroke play, players may play “ready golf” in a safe and responsible way (see officials golf rule 6.4b(2)).”

Good suggestions from McEvily.

If all of us followed them, we’d be able to play faster – not running.  Just playing with intent and focus.

And we’d all have more fun on the golf course.

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.

There is a thought around that language and punctuation is – or at least should be – marked by hard-and-fast rules.

While I understand that notion, I tend to favor my own rules, which could be called idiosyncrasies.

Here are a few:

• Make the word Democratic into Democrat

Why?  Well, too often political figures who called themselves Democrats weren’t interested in being democratic.  They wanted their way or the highway.  So, now we have Donald Trump getting even.

• Always spell out, not abbreviate, such words as the month of the year, titles representative and senator, and the names of states.

Would only take as few more keystrokes to install this clarity.

• Never split infinitives, such as in:

From The Washington Post…”Trump is using a little-known law to criminally charge migrants who fail to register presence with the government.”

Should have been “to charge criminally…”

Or, from The Atlantic Magazine…”For the second in less than a month, Trump has used law enforcement to directly target Congress.”

Should have been “to target directly Congress.”

And, from the Oregonian newspaper…”In both cases, the initial extradition denial turned political, prompting the governor to personally intervene.”

Should have been “to intervene personally.”

Avoiding splitting infinitives makes language stronger.

• Use the singular modifier, no matter how bad it sounds on occasion.

As in Atlantic Magazine which recently ran this sentence:  But none of the structural contradictions in the bill have gone away.”  The verb should have been “has,” not “have,” though, I admit, the accurate word does sound bad.

Or, this quote from another national newspaper as it wrote about clients of a health plan:  “Many of their clients are on the Oregon Medicaid plan.”  It should have read “many of its clients…”

And, this quote from the Salem Statesman newspaper:  “The Oregon Government Ethics Commission based their own investigation and fine on the evidence it had from an interview with Marks where he admitted to diverting and purchasing a single $329.99-bottle of rare Pappy Van Winkle 23 bourbon.

The sentence should have read “based its investigation….”

• Avoid phrases that don’t make sense.

From Salem Reporter:  “The protest officially began at noon and ended at 3 p.m. Saturday, but hundreds were already gathered along Center Street and clustered around a number of informational booths and resource tents before 12 p.m.”

Think about it for just a second – it’s impossible “to center around” something. 

The same problem exists with a televised ad for a financial management company, Corian.  The language says Corian “centers around” its clients.  Impossible.

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 title of this blog crossed my mind this week as I contemplated the fact that a company where I was a partner for 25 years is now celebrating its 35^th anniversary.  Without me, of course, because I am retired.

Still, it was good to look back at reflections about the start of a company that bore the partners’ names – Gary Conkling, Pat McCormick, and mine – Dave Fiskum, as in Conkling, Fiskum and McCormick, or CFM Strategic Communications.

We came to be known simply as CFM.  And, today, those who have followed us as partners have kept the initials, now CFM Advocates.  They have expanded substantially on our initial start, which is a credit to them, not us.

But, back to the headline on this blog.

When we spun out from our employer, Tektronix, then Oregon’s largest private employer, we got great help from the vice president for whom we worked there as Tek lobbyists, Chuck Frost.

His commitment to ethical behavior and his ability to lead us toward it set a high bar for us.  Without ego, I say we met the challenge over my 25 years due in some substantial part to Chuck’s tutelage.

After we had spun out, we kept Chuck involved as the “conscience” of our new company and he helped us in ways too numerous to count.  Unfortunately, our mentor died in 2016.

All of this came to mind, too, as I read a book about Oregon’s last Republican governor, Victor Atiyeh, who also valued high ethics.

It was my privilege to work for Atiyeh in Salem, Oregon, before I ventured over to the private sector.

One section of the book — it was written by retired Pacific University professor, Jim Moore — highlighted the operating principles enunciated by Atiyeh when he was governor.  They are worth noting today, even as people like me wish they would be as true today as they were with Atiyeh more than 40 years ago here in Oregon.

The principles:

• The best government is one that is less involved in people’s lives

• The government that is closest to the people is best

• Democracy is not efficient, and that is a good thing

• People may want a public life and a private life

• “We the people” means that we get the kind of government to which we are entitled

• There should be objective government policies for dealing with taxes and funding

• Government should create incentives to change people’s behavior, not solely punishments

• Never trade votes for something that violates closely held principles

• Is a policy proposal good for Oregon (partisanship should be irrelevant)

• Always govern without regard to re-election

In addition to these principles, one other fact about Atiyeh stood out for me as I worked for him.  I noticed it repeatedly. 

If something good happened in Oregon when he was governor, Atiyeh did not set out to take credit for himself as many politicians would.  He dispensed credit to others.

Again, it is a principle I wish was the case today.

So, for me, two models of ethical behavior.  Chuck Frost.  Victor Atiyeh.