PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: 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 of 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 it what I long for in both politics and golf. The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions like. And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

This, remember, is one of three departments I run with a free hand to manage as I see fit.

The others are the Department of Pet Peeves and the Department of Good Quotes Worth Remembering.

The items below could fit in any of the departments, but, remember, I get to choose which departments are open and which are closed.

So, here are “Just Saying” items:

THE STATE OF OREGON BUDGET: State government leaders are preparing for another special legislative session later this summer and, this time, the subject will be the state budget, which must be in balance by the end of the two-year budget period next June.

Beyond health issues, the virus means a lot less revenue in personal and corporate income taxes, as well as lottery revenue.

The Oregonian newspaper included this paragraph this morning in a story on the subject:

“In a 13-page framework, the budget co-chairs — Representative Dan Rayfield, Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward and Senator Betsy Johnson — said they tried to ‘protect essential investments in public education, health care, child welfare, housing, economic development, and other critical areas during this unprecedented public health and economic crisis.’”

JUST SAYING, why is the word “essential” used in the co-chairs’ report? Shouldn’t all government programs be “essential.” If they are not “essential,” why fund them in the first place?

THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Wall Street Journal columnist Kimberley Strassel wrote this morning that the presidential campaign has begun in earnest. Her words:

“Yet that (the campaign) began to change this week, with a contrast of the sort that could redefine this race. On Tuesday Biden released his $2 trillion climate-change plan—one of the few times he’s produced a detail on anything. It is radical—no surprise, since it is the product of a task force co-chaired by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“Biden vows to outlaw all use of coal and natural gas to generate electricity within 15 years. He’d ban oil and gas production on federal land and offshore. He’d drive to ‘zero emissions’ cars. He’d apply ‘aggressive’ new ‘appliance- and building-efficiency standards.’ He’d create a new ‘Environmental and Climate Justice Division’ of the Justice Department to mete out ‘jail time’ to corporate officials whose businesses ‘continue to pollute’ communities.”

JUST SAYING that, given Strassel’s report, not to mention other issues, the best approach for Biden may be to remain sequestered in his basement.

The fact that he gives standing to Ocasio-Cortez to propose anything is stunning. On the extreme far left, she operates just like Donald Trump on his side of the political spectrum, if he has a side at all. She rarely reads anything. She doesn’t know what she is talking about, yet she talks. She does not have the best interests of America at heart.

She should stay in New York where her main claim to fame is that she convinced Amazon not to make a huge investment in a headquarters location there – and her advocacy prompted Amazon to take its million dollar investment and 50,000 jobs elsewhere.\

SPEAKING OF OCASIO-CORTEZ (AOC): She made more waves the other day when she want after a Latino businessman who has made, not just money, but jobs for real people.

Here’s the way columnist William McGurn wrote about the issue in the Wall Street Journal:

“None of it matters to AOC and her comrades. In the same way it is futile to try to persuade mobs tearing down statues to distinguish between Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant, the progressives targeting Goya (the Latino businessman) aren’t interested in facts or debate.

“They aren’t interested because they don’t build, they only tear down.”

JUST SAYING that McGurn is right about Ocasio-Cortez and her ilk. Like Trump, “they don’t build, they only tear down.”

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: 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 of 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 it what I long for in both politics and golf. The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions like. And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

No one may care what I writE about the current trend toward political correctness in the naming of professional sports. But, as is often the case, that won’t stop from waxing eloquent.

The sports naming issue came to mind this morning as I read a column by Wall Street Journal Deputy Editorial Page Editor Daniel Henninger.

Under the headline, “Oh Yes, Ban the Redskins,” his column started this way:

“For now, the Washington Redskins are just the Washington Something or Others, a team with no name. After holding out for years against the inertial forces of political correctness, the Washington football team caved. Hmm, maybe ‘caved’ is inappropriate language now. They gave up.”

For my part, I have thought the term “redskins” was inappropriate and it turns out that many agree with me – or perhaps I agree with them.

But, then Henninger goes way over the top when he suggests that names which honor endangered species should have to go. As an example, he cites the Minnesota Timberwolves and says they should be called “the Minnesota Lutefisk.”

Say what?

And what in the world is “lutefisk?” Here, thanks to my friends at Google, is more than you may want to know – not to mention stomach – about lutefisk:

“Lutefisk is an interesting food because, unless you speak Norwegian (lutefisk) or Swedish (lutfisk), the name alone does not shed any light on what it actually is. Making things even trickier, if one were to show lutefisk to someone who has never heard of it, he or she still probably wouldn’t know what it is.

“The word ‘lutefisk’ translates to ‘lye fish,’ which is the first clue regarding this mystery meal, but it looks unlike any seafood most people have ever seen. I t’s white, semi-translucent, and, weirdest of all, gelatinous. Honestly, it looks like a cross between fat cells and some type of jellyfish Jell-O (apologies for that mental image). Okay, enough already, what in the heck is it?

“Lutefisk is whitefish — which refers to several species of finned fish such as cod, ling, or burbot — that has been air-dried and may or may not be salted. It is first soaked in cold water for five or six days, with the water changed daily. The now-saturated fish is then soaked again for two days in an unchanged solution of cold water and lye.

“Lye, for the record, is a substance obtained by leaching ashes, and is also known as sodium hydroxide. After this weeklong process, the fish loses half of its protein and gains a jelly-like consistency. It needs another four to six days of soaking in cold water, refreshed daily, before it is ready to be cooked.

“People apparently eat it after that.”

Not me!

Slings and arrows to Henninger for saying that lutefisk is a proper sports name.

It is not. I hated it once many years ago when I tried it and couldn’t eat anything for several days thereafter.

So, I say, “Go Timberwolves.”

**********

[Footnote: If you want more information on Henninger’s diatribe against the political correctness trend in the naming of sports teams (hard to believe you would], here’s what he wrote about the Portland Trailblazers and the San Francisco. “The Portland Trail Blazers celebrate genocidal pioneers. The San Francisco 49ers are named after 19th-century California gold-diggers who raped the environment.” Both, he says, should be changed. For more, go to the Wall Street Journal website.]

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: 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 of 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 it what I long for in both politics and golf. The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions like. And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Consider these paragraphs from a recent summary of golf this spring amidst the pandemic provided by Oregon Golf Association (OGA) CEO Barb Trammell:

“Since starting tournaments at the beginning of June, we have seen record sign-ups and participation. The Oregon Amateur had the highest number of entries for our qualifiers and junior golf is also booming.

“It has been a challenge with new protocols and the staff has done an outstanding job with handling all the nuances of monitoring social distancing, sanitizing touch points and minimizing spectators.

“We actually had some great press this year at the Oregon Am, too, with TV coverage!”

That’s good news for all of us who love golf.

And it’s good news because young players are taking up the game. The future of golf, of course, lies with the participation and commitment of people younger than me, even as I continue to play the game I love.

All of this is why I donate my time as a volunteer with the Oregon Golf Association (OGA) in at least two ways: Helping to officiate at junior and regular amateur golf tournaments, and serving on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the OGA.

Another piece of good news is that the course where I have played for more than 30 years in Salem, Illahe Hills Golf and Country Club, takes a variety of specific actions to boost junior golf.

This year, there are about 45 young people participating in the junior golf program, which is run by Illahe’s great assistant golf pros, B.J. Lewis and Blake Bowen.

It’s great to see the kids, with instruction, learning to play the game.

Here are just a few pieces of information on junior golf through the OGA:

* Eligibility:  Must be a current member of Oregon Junior Golf to participate in OJG Majors.  Must meet recommended scoring guidelines for your division.  Must be an amateur between the ages of 8-18 as of the final day of the tournament.

* Format:  Multiple day competitions.  All competitions are stroke play with the exception of the Bob Norquist Oregon Junior Amateur where junior golfers play one round of stroke play qualifying and match play the rest of the week.  Pee Wee Divisions generally play 9 holes each day; all other divisions play 18 holes each day.

* Girls Divisions:  Pee Wee Girls (8-9), Pee Wee Girls (10-11), Intermediate Girls (12-14), Girls (15-18), Girls Open (12-18). Please see specific competition for Oregon Junior Stroke Play and Bob Norquist Oregon Junior Amateur divisions.

* Boys Divisions:  Pee Wee Boys (8-9), Pee Wee Boys (10-11), Intermediate Boys (12-13), Boys (14-15), Junior Boys (16-18), and Boys Open (14-18).

One other issue is front and center these days. Not surprisingly, it is organizing tournaments with attention paid to safety and security amidst the pandemic. Various golf rules have been adjusted to enable play, which means people of all ages can get out on the course even as various other activities have been stopped or curtailed.

The fact that golf occurs outside is critical. If it was played inside some kind of pavilion as is the case with many other sports, golf would be on the sidelines.

My basic point in writing this blog: Junior golfers are playing the game which helps to assure the future of the game we love.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: 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 of 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 it what I long for in both politics and golf. The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions like. And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

One of the partners in my old lobbying and public relations firm contends almost every day that ALL Republicans who don’t disown Trump are committing gross sins.

He may have a point, but his generalization goes way too far.

Saying ALL Republicans bow at the Trump altar is like saying ALL Democrats favor the crazy U.S. representative, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez.

Both Trump of them appeal to the worst instincts of Americans. They don’t read or study. They just emote. Figuratively, they yell on the street corner to announce their won separatist views and anyone who disagrees with them be damned.

So, to paint ALL Republicans and Democrats with the same brush as Trump and Ocasio-Cortez is to do the citizens a gross injustice.

To be sure, Republicans with any dose of common sense or heart should disavow Trump who continues to defy rational thought or actions in his conduct as president.

But, most Republicans in this country don’t have a soapbox on which to wax eloquent about the evils of Trump. The best they can do is to express their displeasure at the polls next November and that, alone, will be a significant act in and of itself.

At the same time, Republicans with a pedestal should use their position to advocate against Trump rather than, as has been the case so far with most Republicans in Congress, to kowtow before the worst president in U.S. history. That’s why I commend the efforts of such commitments as the Lincoln Project whose members, all Republicans with standing, oppose Trump – and do so out loud with an eye to the fall election.

Democrats, too, have an obligation to oppose the distorted views of Ocasio-Cortez and her ilk who seek to tear this country down, not build it up.

Wall Street Journal columnist William McGurn wrote about Ocasio-Cortez this morning in piece that included this deft line:

“They (Ocasio-Cortez and her ilk) aren’t interested because they don’t build, they only tear down.”

He added: “Her defeat in 2018 of a longtime Democrat Representative Joseph Crowley was a political upset. But her chief contribution to her constituents since then is that she was instrumental in killing a deal in which Amazon would have opened a second headquarters in her district. Her efforts cost her constituents 25,000 jobs, billions in lost tax revenue and the knock-on effects to the rest of the local economy.”

Ocasio-Cortez’s example, McGurn writes, speaks to the priorities of the modern progressive. “She has 7.6 million followers on Twitter and has inspired an action figure, a comic-book anthology and a recurring role in Showtime’s animated comedy ‘Our Cartoon President.’ When she deigns to talk policy, she favors multibillion-dollar pie-in-the-sky ideas, from the Green New Deal to Medicare for All, and tuition-free college.”

So, I say don’t tar all who bear political party labels with the same brush.

Assume they are individuals not wedded to any specific cause. It’s true of many Republicans who are not Trumpians. And it’s true of many Democrats who don’t hew so far left toward Ocasio-Cortez as to be off the political spectrum.

What we need in this country is individuals, from whatever political persuasion, who think for themselves and have the best interests of this country at heart.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: 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 of 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 it what I long for in both politics and golf. The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions like. And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

It is hard to believe that I, as the director of the department named in the headline, have kept it closed for so long.

As all Americans have endured the pandemic made worse by President Donald Trump, have watched as Trump fails to grasp the significance of the Black Lives Matter movement, and have grown nauseous by Trump’s ever-increasing personal aggrandizement at the expense of the country, there have been many quotes worth remembering.

So, here are a few.

A COMING ELECTION TSUANIMI: “’There’s a tsunami coming,’ said Terry McAuliffe, a former Virginia governor and former Democratic National Committee chairman.

“If he’d (Trump) early on jumped in front of the coronavirus and been a leader, this guy would’ve been unbeatable. But every opportunity he’s had to stand up and be a leader, whether Charlottesville or anything else, he’s failed each time.”

“The danger for Trump will be if the voters he lost are not willing to come back. Democrat pollster Peter Hart said this is the case, based on his extensive focus group interviews.

“Voters have arrived at a place that they’re done with Donald Trump,” Hart said. “The last four years have been total chaos, and the public says: ‘Stop the music. I want to get off.’ ”

COMMENT: Think of the Trump machine as the Titanic. It’s sinking.

AND THIS FROM THE WASHINGTON POST ABOUT THE TRUMP COMMUTATION OF ROGER STONE’S PRISON SENTENCE: “The United States is supposed to be a place in which laws apply equally to all. And while it never has — and never will — live up to that ideal in full, no modern president before Trump has so clearly renounced it.

“The president seems to be doing his best, within the confines of the U.S. constitutional system, to emulate the gangster leadership of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a man whose ruinous reign Trump has always admired. If the country needed any more evidence, Friday confirmed that the greatest threat to the Republic is the president himself.

COMMENT: Just when you think Trump has hit bottom he goes lower.

FROM COLUMNIST MAX BOOT IN THE WASHINGTON POST: “Three months ago — all the way back on April 5 — I proclaimed Donald Trump the worst president ever. Oh, how innocent I was. Sure, I knew he was bad. But not this bad.

“Back then I thought he was barely edging James Buchanan in the annals of presidential ineptitude. But now, with the commutation of Roger Stone’s well-deserved prison sentence and so many other vile acts, he has disgraced the nation’s highest office as no previous occupant has come close to doing.

“But what makes Trump the worst president ever is not simply that he is colossally incompetent. It is that he is also thoroughly corrupt. It is hard to think of a single major decision he has made for the good of the country, rather than for his own advantage. Trump has so egregiously abused the power of the presidency that he makes Warren Harding and Richard Nixon look like choirboys.”

COMMENT: Good. Max Boot agrees with me.

A “NEVER TRUMP” MOVEMENT: “The unsolicited video submission to a group called Republican Voters Against Trump is just one small part of a broader “Never Trump” rebellion that began four years ago as a largely ineffective cadre of appalled Republicans, but which has transformed in recent weeks into a potentially disruptive force in this year’s presidential race.

“Groups such as the Lincoln Project and Republican Voters Against Trump emphasize guerrilla tactics and scathing ads as they troll the president. The movement seeks to build a national political operation to oust both the president and his supporters in Congress, with a particular emphasis on persuading white suburban voters who consider themselves true Republicans to break from the president.”

COMMENT: Again, good.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE:  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 of 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 it what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions like.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

With so much time on my hands during the pandemic, I have decided to use my vast management skills to open a new department.  It will be called the “Department of Appalling Things.”

It will be added to the three other departments I already run — the Department of Peeves, the Department of Good Quotes Worth Remembering, and the Department of “Just Saying.”

For “appalling things,” there are a lot of options these days,  I guess I could I have just added them to one of the other departments.  But, as the king of those departments, I decided not to add to them, an act which I am fully the dictator.

So, here goes – “appalling things.”

THE UNBRIEFABLE PRESIDENT:  If I opened this department every day, Trump could be the lead item all the time.  Not a day goes by that he doesn’t utter some inanity.

This time, the issue is whether he has any capacity to be briefed on anything, either orally or in writing.  In the first case, he doesn’t listen.  In the second case, he doesn’t read.

Here’s the way the Washington Post wrote about the subject:

“Another question may be as important:  How does Trump absorb information?  For decades, the president’s daily briefs (PDBs) have sounded early warnings on everything from enemy troop movements to pandemics to terrorist attacks.

“Yet, under Trump, the president’s intelligence briefings have almost completely broken down.  His oral briefings, given daily to most presidents, now take place as rarely as once or twice a week.  These sessions often turn into monologues in which the president spitballs woolly conspiracy theories from Breitbart, Fox News and hangers-on at Mar-a-Lago, say intelligence officials who are familiar with his briefings.

“Convinced that the intelligence community is a ‘deep state,’ honeycombed with traitors, the president rarely believes anything the CIA tells him.

And that’s one reason why he does and says appalling things.

REPUBLICAN SILENCE IS ACQUIESCENCE:  Washington Post writer Dana Milbank took an interesting step when he wrote a recent column.  Via e-mail, he asked 11 Republicans in the Senate what they thought about Trump’s recent racists comments and tweets.

Here’s how Milbank wrote about the issues:  “President Trump’s unyielding push to preserve Confederate symbols and the legacy of white domination has unnerved Republicans who have long enabled him, but now fear losing power and forever associating their party with his racial animus.”

“On Capitol Hill, some Republicans fret — mostly privately, to avoid his wrath — that Trump’s fixation on racial and other cultural issues leaves their party running against the currents of change,”

A couple Republicans responded to Milbank, but none went after the president to separate themselves to upbraid him for his racist rhetoric.  I guess they must feel that, to win re-election, they will have to stick with him.

Which means they sacrifice their own morals and equity.

TUCKER CARLSON OUGHT TO LEARN TO SHUT UP:   Incredibly, Tucker Carlson bills himself as some kind of “journalist” as he rants on FOX News.

No, he is no journalist.  He just sets out to scapegoat others.

Here is what what was written about Tucker’s rant against U.S. Representative Tammy Duckworth, the military veteran who lost her legs serving the country and who is reported to be in the running to win the nod as Joe Biden’s vice president running mate:

“Before launching a broadside against Duckworth,Carlson acknowledged that it’s not easy to go after a Purple Heart recipient who lost both her legs while serving her country in Iraq.

“You’re not supposed to criticize Tammy Duckworth in any way because she once served in the military.

“That didn’t stop him from calling Duckworth ‘a deeply silly and unimpressive person’ and suggesting that she and other Democrat leaders ‘actually hate America.’”

As I said earlier, Carlson ought to shut up.  I’ll take Duckworth over him any day.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE:  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 of 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 it what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions like.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

For this blog, I am indebted to Washington Post writer Jennifer Rubin who excoriated Donald Trump this morning – in both her words and the words of past American leaders, such as Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan and Martin Luther King.

I will let the words from these leaders mostly stand on their own as a further indictment of the buffoon who says he leads this country, but, in fact, is only appealing to, as a different writer put it this week, “the base of base,” – which indicates how Trump’s as heads toward the fall election.

Now, the words from Jefferson, Reagan and King.

From Jefferson:  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

From Lincoln:   “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

From King:   “I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham.  Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial ‘outside agitator’ idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.

“it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture. … We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

“Sometimes a law is just on its face and unjust in its application. For instance, I have been arrested on a charge of parading without a permit. Now, there is nothing wrong in having an ordinance which requires a permit for a parade. But such an ordinance becomes unjust when it is used to maintain segregation and to deny citizens the First-Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and protest. …

I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law”.

From Reagan:  “We lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our people — our strength — from every country and every corner of the world.  And by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation. While other countries cling to the stale past, here in America we breathe life into dreams. We create the future, and the world follows us into tomorrow.  Thanks to each wave of new arrivals to this land of opportunity, we’re a nation forever young, forever bursting with energy and new ideas, and always on the cutting edge, always leading the world to the next frontier.  This quality is vital to our future as a nation. If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.”

Compare these great words to Trump’s sordid actions.  He is perverting the American dream in his own, flawed image.  Enough is enough.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE:  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 of 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 it what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions like.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

“Wasn’t that special!”

Remember that line from the old Laugh-In TV program?  It was a famous back some years ago, but I thought of it again, for some reason, as I watched the Legislative Special Session at the State Capitol about a week ago.

And, we’re in for more “Special” Sessions heading farther into the summer.

I was glad I wasn’t there for the first one.  In the past, I would have been as a lobbyist, but, in retirement, I watched from the cheap seats and am able to offer commentary afterward.

So, to put it more bluntly, I am standing on the promontory, watching the battlefield from on high and, then, after it is over, I go down to the field to shoot the wounded.

Overstatement?  Perhaps.

My colleagues in my old firm, CFM Advocates, say the just-completed Special Session was different than any other in history.

Here is how they put it in a memorandum to clients:

“After a whirlwind three days marked by remote committee hearings, technical difficulties and Hollywood Squares-style split screens, masked lawmakers gaveled out of the first of what is expected to be a series of special legislative sessions in 2020.

“With the Capitol closed to the public and occupancy limited to legislators and essential staff, committees received testimony via phone while members were connected by Microsoft Teams, and lawmakers were logged in from their offices while awaiting votes.

“In a session unlike any ever seen in Oregon, legislators debated a wide suite of policies aimed at addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and reforming policing in the state.

“A newly formed Joint Committee on the First Special Session of 2020 was the sole committee and deliberated on policy proposals before concepts were passed to the House and Senate floors.  The 14-member committee included senators and representatives from both parties. However, a slight Democratic edge allowed the majority party to push through several controversial measures.  Lawmakers ended up passing all but one of the bills introduced.”

Perhaps as usual for the party not in charge, minority Republicans expressed frustration at the process, arguing they were being shut out of all decision-making on policy.  They lamented the fact that the joint committee was discussing amendments that had not yet been released to the public.

One of my sources reported that Republicans were not consulted – not one word – about the Special Session before it was convened in Salem.

And, Republicans said that, if legislators were to gather in Salem, one of their tasks should be to focus on how to balance the state budget.

Such is the current state of the minority party in Oregon – hangers on, not key deciders.

Republicans and business stakeholders did find time to push strongly for Coronavirus-related liability protection for businesses, non-profits, schools and local governments.  Majority Democrats, however, were unwilling to include those protections in this special session – and I would add that it is impossible to know why, given the pandemic realities.

It would have been logical to include such protections, but logic doesn’t always prevail in politics.

To pass bills, the 60 members of the Oregon House filtered through the chamber in waves, as social distancing protocols required no more than 25 members to be on the floor at any one time.  The smaller Senate – 30 members – did not need to observe such protocols.

As the headline in this blog states, legislators will be back in Salem again soon, perhaps next month.

Their task:  Re-designing the state budget, which must be in balance by the end of the current biennium next June 30.  That means, of course, cuts before then – perhaps $1 billion of them.

Tough stuff because the cuts will fall on K-12 schools, health care and social services, higher education, public safety and transportation – services that are important to many Oregonians.

Some of the Democrats in charge in Salem may want to impose new tax increases, but those will be opposed by almost all Republicans.

So, amidst a spiking Coronavirus, lawmakers will be back.  If this was a sport, it might be fun to watch.  But, it is not a sport.  It is serious lawmaking, which will affect all of us.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: 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 of 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 it what I long for in both politics and golf. The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions like. And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

I make the point in the headline as all of us either have seen or will see a spate of presidential campaign ads in the coming months.

Often, those who write the ads love to one-up the other side by going negative. Here’s a reason, the ads say, not to vote for other candidate.

Against this backdrop, Steve Cohen, who wrote ads for the Ronald Reagan for President campaign in 1980, came up with what strikes me as a solid proposition for ads as we face another presidential election.

Here’s the way Cohen made his point in an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal:

“As I watched the Trump and Biden ads the other morning, I couldn’t help but think of pollster Richard Wirthlin’s insight: People want a reason to vote for someone, not just against the other guy. Although politics has become more partisan and campaigns nastier, I also remembered Reagan’s 1984 spot ‘Morning in America’ and Barack Obama’s 2008 ‘Hope’ poster.

“I am much in need of some optimism. I hope one of the campaigns rises to that challenge this year.”

Cohen says he thought attack ads he and others wrote in 1980 when Reagan ran against Jimmy Carter were good, but polling and focus groups taught him that positive ads were far more effective in moving undecided voters.

He cites this memory:

“Not long before Election Day, I answered the phone at the campaign office: ‘Are you guys running any commercials that talk about Reagan’s tenure as governor of California?’ I said we were. ‘Well, they’re working. Because people I interview keep telling me how Reagan was a good governor, how he brought labor and management together, and how he had turned a state deficit into a surplus.’ The caller was R.W. Apple, the New York Times’ chief political reporter. At that moment, I knew Wirthlin was right and we were going to win.”

I am taking this advice, which means I’ll listen to ads that comply with this pledge, not the other way around in the race between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

Further, just by himself, Trump by his offensive narcissism will provide enough negative fodder without ads against him.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: 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 of 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 it what I long for in both politics and golf. The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions like. And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri performed a service for the reading public this week when she provided a list of potential actions by Donald Trump that would, in fact, be shocking.

Her point: All of the so-called “shocking revelations” about Trump, including those in the book by John Bolton, weren’t all that shocking, given Trump’s normal bizarre behavior.

So, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, Petri, who specializes in humor and irony for the Post, came up with a new, great list.

I don’t usually just re-print an entire column in this blog, but this time, with all credit to Petri, here is her list:

• An autocrat asked Donald Trump to do him a favor, and Donald Trump said no.
• Donald Trump spent 30 minutes quietly reading by himself.
• Donald Trump ordered and ate broccoli.
• Donald Trump put on appropriate safety gear to do a task that required said safety gear.
• Donald Trump admitted that something that had gone wrong was his fault, and he said he was sorry.
• “Please, don’t worry about the polls,” Donald Trump said. “I’m not as focused on my re-election as on doing a good job for the American people.”
• Donald Trump was asked to describe who Abraham Lincoln was and answered correctly.
• Donald Trump sat outside, enjoying a beautiful day.
• At the end of a busy day in the White House, Donald Trump paused to help his son with some homework.
• Donald Trump stopped to pet a dog.
• “No,” Donald Trump said, “Jared has too much on his plate already. I think that’s more than he should be taking on.”
• Donald Trump listened to something that Vladimir Putin was telling him with appropriate skepticism.
• Someone made a mistake or disagreed with Donald Trump, and he didn’t get mad.
• Donald Trump said that it would be “not cool at all” to invade Venezuela.
• Donald Trump listened to an intelligence briefing and waited until it was finished before he tried to say anything.
• Donald Trump spoke to the leader of one of America’s traditional allies on the phone and it was a normal, pleasant call.
• Donald Trump said he didn’t care whether he was being quoted in a book. After all, he was not saying anything he needed to be ashamed of.
• Donald Trump sent someone a heartfelt greeting card.
• Donald Trump telephoned someone in need of consolation, and he said something consoling.

So, here’s a challenge. Make up your own list of shocking Donald Trump events or comments.