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 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 a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and 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.

This, remember, is one of three departments I run with a free hand to manage them as I choose. Call me a dictator, not a director.

GETTING MY HANDS BACK ON PAPER: As a former journalist for a daily newspaper, I always have been fond of holding paper in my hands – even if it meant getting newsprint on my fingers – to read stories about news, sports and other topics.

So, it was that, in this age of technology, I had become more comfortable than I realized looking at newspapers – including the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, not to mention the Oregonian and the Salem Statesman-Journal – on-line.

Then, this morning, there was a change.

My copy of the Wall Street Journal came early so I was able to read it in my hands.

Good.

I’ll probably continue following a combination of on-line and real-paper newspapers, but I have to confess that it was good to get back this morning to my former dirty-hands process.

REMEMBERING A GREAT QUOTE: Remember when then U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen, running for vice president a number of years ago, effectively skewered his opponent, Republican Dan Quayle, in a national debate.

With a hint of a sly grin on his face, Bentsen said, “Mr. Quayle, you are no Ted Kennedy!”

Quayle never recovered from the jibe.

All of this was called to mind this morning when I read a column in the Wall Street Journal by William McGurn. It was headlined, “She’s no Ted Kennedy!”

It was in reference to Senator Elizabeth Warren, who wants the top liberal mantle as she runs for president in 2020.

“Here’s some bad news for Senator Warren,” McGurn wrote. “I remember Ted Kennedy. I watched when Ted Kennedy turned Robert Bork’s name into a nasty verb. And I say this to the woman who now holds the late senator’s seat: Ms. Warren, you are no Ted Kennedy.”

TOUGH CHOICES AREN’T REALLY THAT TOUGH: I write that after reading another column in the Wall Street Journal this morning, one by Gerald Seib, who often comments sagely about political developments.

This morning, here is what he wrote:

“All of this means Republican candidates have a dual mission right now: Keep motivating base Trump voters, who want full-throated defenses of the president and odes to his hard-line immigration policies, while also luring mainstream Republicans and independents who dislike the president, but like lower taxes and less regulation.”

Seib is probably right – Republicans need to expand their tent in order to avoid a Democrat takeover this fall. But my view is that the good economic news – lower taxes and less regulation – could happen with another president, probably a Republican. What I cannot stomach is Trump’s continuing over-the-top, blabber-mouth, unethical behavior, which he continues to exhibit every 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 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 a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and 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.

Many years ago, I didn’t know what the phrase in the headline meant. “There is a place.”

Say what or perhaps even so what?

But, after many years traveling to Black Butte Ranch in Central Oregon, I now know that “there is a place.” It refers to Black Butte where there is a sense of contentment, peace and relaxation, all amid the wonder of nature.

It’s exactly 100 miles east from Salem, which, for us as Salem residents, made it a relatively easy trip. In the winter, we often had to be a bit careful heading over the Santiam Pass, but snow tires made it possible.

We began heading over to Black Butte when our kids were young and they developed the same love for “the place.” So much so that, when our son and daughter-in-law had their own daughter, they wanted to replicate our family’s early lifestyle.

They arranged for us to buy a cabin at Black Butte and, for the next 10 years or so, it became a place of relaxation and solitude. We hated to have to sell it just earlier this year.

We’ll still make the trek east to visit Black Butte, but, in some ways, it won’t be same without being “homeowners.”

Bend magazine recently wrote about Black Butte in these words:

“Heading northwest, the fringes of Bend in the rearview mirror, the highway straightens, meadows on either side. The sky seems bigger here, and makes you feel as if you could go on forever. That’s when your eye gets hold of it—nature’s perfect isosceles triangle, graphite against the blue.

“Black Butte, its sweeping, elegant lines unmarred by the glacial chiseling that carved neighboring pinnacles, suggests a relatively peaceful backstory, but it’s all a facade, geologically speaking. It erupted about one-and-a-half million years ago, burying the Metolius River, creating swampy meadows to the south, and, at the northern base, springs where the river now emerges.

“Ever since, people have been traveling here. Local indigenous people named the volcano Turututu. Native Americans migrating west from the Great Basin camped here, leaving behind tools found to be about 1,000 years old, confirming the oral history. Settlers began calling it Black Butte around 1855.

“Cattle and horse ranching began in the 1880s, when Till Glaze built the area’s first house—a modest log cabin in a sprawling meadow. In the mid 1930s, wealthy San Franciscan Stewart S. Lowery bought the property and named it Black Butte Ranch. He and his family spent summers there, horseback riding and swimming in their large pool, while the ranching continued.

“Brooks Resources bought the property in 1970 and began developing a residential resort with limited commercial activity. The company had encouraged local business to develop instead in the nearby town of Sisters, a lumber town in decline. The company offered merchants $5,000 and free architectural help to create an 1880s theme, which endures today and has thrived. From quaint spots for ice cream and cowboy boots to a spa, microbrewery, and independent movie theater, the town is all 1880s outside and a mix of modernity and nostalgia inside.

“Meanwhile, Black Butte Ranch has more than 1,250 homes, 18 miles of paved bike paths, 17 tennis courts, five swimming pools, three restaurants, a general store, and two 18-hole championship golf course, Big Meadow and Glaze Meadow.”

Regarding Brooks Resources, the Black Butte Ranch developer, I was fortunate enough to know Mike Hollern, one of the principals in the company. He had a love for “the place,” one that enabled him to lead development of a great “destination resort” in Central Oregon.

He was able to assure that, while there was development, Black Butte would retain its commitment “to living within the land,” not just “on the land.”

A walk or bike ride across a major meadow at the Ranch still provides a sense of awe and appreciation as you see mountains in the distance, cattle on the grass and birds flying everywhere.

When we arrive at Black Butte from our busy lifestyle, my always says she feels a sense of peace as we drive through the front entrance. I feel the same way.

So, we’ll be back time and again.

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 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 a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and 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 cannot believe that President Donald Trump doesn’t try to capitalize more on the state of the U.S. economy, which, on his watch, is growing at a record pace.

He may not be solely or directly responsible for the growth, but presidents often live or die politically with the state of the economy.

Trump should be living!

Of course, instead of emphasizing the positive character of what is occurring, he takes three other actions: (1) he continues to blame everyone else for the Mueller investigation troubles, including guilty results for two of his long-time colleagues, Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort; (2) he risks economic gains by threatening more tariffs and roiling the stock market; and (3) he intentionally snubs U.S. hero John McCain at the time of his death.

The dissonance could not be greater.

This was called to mind for me when I read a column by Jason Riley in the Wall Street Journal. Here is what he wrote:

“Take the economy, which is faring better under Trump by many measures than it has in a generation or longer. Each week throughout this summer has brought almost nothing but economic sunshine. The pace of factory hiring has more than doubled since last year. A July survey from the National Federation of Independent Business notes that optimism among small-business owners, who employ nearly half the nation’s private-sector workforce, is at levels not seen since 1983. Wages are also increasing, which was reflected in a Commerce Department report last week that showed retail sales—on groceries, restaurants and clothing—far exceeding economic forecasts and surging at double the rate of inflation.

‘The best feature of this economic growth is its inclusiveness. The simultaneous gains among various demographic groups is something the country hasn’t experienced in a long time, if ever. Older workers, women, minorities, seniors and the less-educated all are faring better in the labor force today than they did under President Obama. The jobless rate for Americans age 16 to 24 hit a 50-year low this summer. In May, the black unemployment rate dipped to 5.9 per cent, the lowest number on record at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. People who had stopped looking for work are sending out resumes. More people are quitting jobs because they are confident that a better one awaits. Employers are increasing perks and benefits in an effort to attract new hires and keep the ones they already have. There were 6.7 million job openings last quarter, a 17-year high.”

Of course, economic growth won’t last – the valley will come – but everyone should appreciate the current up-cycle.

When I worked for Oregon Governor Vic Atiyeh more than 30 years ago, we tried to be careful about citing a gubernatorial responsibility either for economic growth or stagnation. After all, there is only so much any governor can do to boost the economy.

One action governors can take is to expect state government to live within its means, so it doesn’t became a drain on economic growth. Atiyeh, with his superb credentials, lived this out on a daily basis during his two terms in office.

For presidents, the issues are different. They can take a variety of actions to boost economic growth – and then they can credit or debit for the results…not singular credit or debit, but some of each.

Trump doesn’t do this. Instead, he creates the widest chasm possible between his actions and the economy. In doing so, he continues to miss the benefit of a surging U.S. economy.

To change the subject just a bit, in the last few days Trump only has served to elevate his terrible personal credentials. He intentionally failed to commend Senator John McCain, a true American hero, on his passing.

To Trump, nothing matters more than aggrandizing his own so-called credentials – who cares about the economy – and minimizing the credentials of others, including, in this case, McCain who deserves the nation’s respect for his life of service.

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 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 a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and 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, perhaps even should have, included this quote in my recent post on the lingering feud between the late Senator John McCain and President Donald Trump which continued until McCain’s death.

According to a Wall Street Journal editorial:  “McCain’s calling card was honor and character. When he was fished out of that lake in downtown Hanoi, the North Vietnamese first withheld treatment until they discovered his father was an admiral and commander of naval forces in Europe. The late, great Admiral James Stockdale, who was tortured in that prison, says McCain ‘received an offer that, as far as I know, was made to no other American prisoner: immediate release, no strings attached.’

“The young pilot told the Vietnamese what they could do with their special treatment, effectively sentencing himself to four more years of beatings. This reflected his profound sense of duty. In the Hanoi Hilton he and his fellow POWs resisted the enemy despite torture and returned with honor.”

Honor and character!

How true.  And to underline the point in my original post:  How different than Trump.

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 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 a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and 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. 

It struck me as incredible that, even as Senator John McCain faced imminent death early last week, President Donald Trump could not bring himself to express condolences.

Yet, when McCain passed away yesterday, Trump finally produced a quick, though relatively pro-forma, Tweet: “My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!”

I say good. As McCain died, Trump finally paid a little tribute.

The fight between Trump and McCain had reached epic proportions in recent years, indicating that, at least in this case, politics trumped (pardon the word) sensibility.

From my post out of the fray in the West, Trump’s dismissive attitude about McCain always amazed me. His comment that McCain was not an American hero because he was captured during the Vietnam War should have been an embarrassment to everyone who touted Trump’s ability to rise to be U.S. president, then applauded him when he succeeded.

Even supporters of the military gave Trump a pass on how he ridiculed a prisoner of war who fought bravely for his country.

I never gave Trump that pass. It was one of the worst of his criticisms of others, and it led me to cement my opposition to the worst of U.S. presidents.

Tributes to McCain came in pouring in yesterday. A brief summary:

• From former president George W. Bush: “John McCain was a man of deep conviction and a patriot of the highest order.”
• From former president Bill Clinton: “Senator John McCain believed that every citizen has a responsibility to make something of the freedoms given by our Constitution, and from his heroic service in the Navy to his 35 years in Congress, he lived by his creed every day.”
• From McCain’s rival for the Republican nomination in the 2008 presidential race, Mitt Romney: “John McCain defined a life of honor.”
• From Majority Leader Mitch McConnell: “In an era filled with cynicism about national unity and public service, John McCain’s life shone as a bright example. He showed us that boundless patriotism and self-sacrifice are not outdated concepts or clichés, but the building blocks of an extraordinary American life.”
• From Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer: “As you go through life, you meet few truly great people. John McCain was one of them. His dedication to his country and the military were unsurpassed, and maybe most of all, he was a truth teller — never afraid to speak truth to power in an era where that has become all too rare. The Senate, the United States, and the world are lesser places without John McCain.”

Schumer also said he would propose a resolution to name a Senate building in McCain’s honor. For a person who loved the institution of the Senate, it would be a fitting honor.

McCain was a true American hero. I didn’t always agree with him on his political views, but so what. He did what he did with commitment and honor, providing a good example for how to be a statesman.

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 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 a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and 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.

This department, one of three I run, is open again after closing for only a few days. The reality is that there are so many good quotes it is not possible to leave the department closed for too long.

So, here goes.

From William Galston in the Wall Street Journal: “There is a reason, however, why witnesses swear to tell not only the truth, but also the whole truth and nothing but the truth. An individual fact is usually one strand of a complex ensemble of facts. Stating one fact while leaving others unsaid can distort as much as it reveals. Stating a fact while misrepresenting others is a strategy of concealment. This is what prompted Churchill’s famous remark that ‘in wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.’

“Churchill’s statement reminds us that there are two ways of misconstruing facts—inadvertent and deliberate. The former is a mistake, the latter a deceit. It’s usually not hard to determine the difference. If someone who misstates a fact corrects himself when given compelling evidence, the error is a mistake; if not, a lie—or an article of faith masquerading as an empirical proposition.”

Comment: The New York Times and other media outlets have taken pains to count the number of lies or half-truths Trump has told. The number is in the thousands. Rarely, if ever, does he walk back false statements. He just tells more lies in an effort – sometimes successful to a degree – to steer the media away from the real story and onto his version of truth, which, frankly, does not exist.

From the Wall Street Journal editorial writers: “The smarter political play might be to wait until 2020 and ride a potential wave of national fatigue with Trump, but don’t underestimate the degree to which liberals want this president to be politically humiliated and legally punished. Read their Twitter feeds and columns if you don’t believe us.”

Comment: The point of the editorial was to suggest that, rather than impeachment if they take control of Congress in the coming elections, a better strategy would be to weaken Trump between now and 2020 so the D candidate for president, whomever that is to be, would have an easier time taking Trump down. Perhaps. Whatever is the case, plan on a couple years of seemingly never-ending controversy over the Trump Administration. [There’s that word again, administration, which surely cannot describe Trump as he flies by the seat of his pants.]

More from the Wall Street Journal: “Trump is a leader who demands loyalty without offering much in return. The seemingly paradoxical strategy helped get him to the presidency with an eclectic cadre cheering him on.”

Comment: The Journal’s comment was in relation to the feud between Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions who appears on the way out if only because he is now not loyal to Trump.

From Michael Gerson in the Washington Post: “Every time we gain a peek into the inner workings of Trump world, we see a leader with the ethics of an Atlantic City casino owner who surrounds himself with people chosen for their willingness to lie and cheat at his bidding. A world in which Paul Manafort is ‘a very good person.’ A world in which payoffs and election tampering are all in a day’s work.”

Comment: Gerson is right. In Trump, “we have a leader who surrounds himself with people chosen for their willingness to lie and cheat at his bidding.” Without moral bearings, Trump himself comes across as a liar and a cheater.

More from the Wall Street Journal: “Officials granted leave to nonessential state employees.”

Comment: This sentence was part of a story on hurricane force winds and rain pummeling the Hawaiian Islands. I could have placed this item in the Department of Pet Peeves, but I wonder why governments have employees if there are not essential. What, in the world, is a non-essential state employee?

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 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 a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and 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.

This is one of three departments I run. No one tells me when to open this department or what it should do. So call me a dictator, with the ability to call out pet peeves when I choose to do so.

USING PLURAL PRONOUNS TO MODIFY SINGULAR NOUNS: One of my pet peeves is when otherwise good writers use a plural pronoun to modify a singular subject. Here is an example from hill.com:

“The jury in the trial of Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort will begin their third day of deliberations on Monday.”

The word “their” should have been the word “its” as a modifier of the single noun, “jury.”

Does anyone care about this pet peeve? Probably not much, but for whatever reason, the mistake is one that grates on my ears.

THE WORD “TRADITION:” Or, for another pet peeve, consider the word “tradition.” It is often said that a tradition is being started. Impossible. You cannot start a tradition.

Here is the dictionary definition of the word: “The handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice.”

Thus, what can be done is to start something you hope becomes a tradition.

Does anyone care about this pet peeve? Probably not.

BEING A “TWEENER” IN GOLF: As a golfer, I am what could be called a “tweener.” That means that I carry a single digit handicap, which carries two implications:

(a) I am not able to beat a scratch golfer on a gross score basis (which is fine because, in sports competitions, there is no problem for me if the best player wins), and

(b) I am usually not able to beat a higher handicap player, especially if that player is what we call in the game of golf “a sandbagger.”

Sandbagger refers to a player who does not observe golf as game of honor and, instead, keeps his handicap higher than it should be in order to win most of the time.

Does anyone care about this pet peeve? Probably not. But it was fulfilling for me to write about it in the words above.

THE BLAME GAME PRACTICED BY DONALD TRUMP: I have written several times about this worst of all U.S. presidents. I may do so any time the Department of Pet Peeves opens because Trump deserves to be called out time and again.

In the wake of guilty verdicts for two of his allies – Michael Gohen and Paul Manafort – Trump was quick to blame others…anyone else.

One hopes his blame game only works until he is caught in the net and has to give up the presidency. Our country would be better for it.

Does anyone care about this pet peeve? I hope everyone does.

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 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 a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and 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.

It doesn’t take a genius to suggest that President Donald Trump is in even more trouble today than he was yesterday.

To illustrate, even I can recognize the jeopardy!

The box Trump created for himself just got smaller this week as two former associates, Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort had their days in court. In different ways, both were found guilty of misdeeds, which, even to an unpracticed eye, looked like they involved Trump.

Cohen’s attorney said as much as his client struck a plea deal with prosecutors, which could end up with Cohen serving up to five years in prison.

The court decision on Manafort did not implicate Trump in so many words, but it seemed logical to contend that our current president, the worst in history, had conspired with Manafort to commit various violations.

What I have written above is what you would have seen had you read any on-line newspaper late yesterday or this morning. So, why repeat it here?

For me, it is two things. First, I always feel better if I share my thoughts and feeling better is a main purpose of this blog. Second, it is to share my sense of the implications of two legal decisions, far removed as I am from the seat of action in the East, for our sitting president, as well as the country. So, here goes:

• Rather than having a president who continues to defy justice and ethical behavior, we should have one who lives up to the expectations cited recently by Bill McRaven, the retired military veteran who managed the raid by U.S. troops that killed Osama Bin Laden. Here is what McRaven said:

“Like most Americans, I had hoped that, when you (Trump) became president, you would rise to the occasion and become the leader this great nation needs.

“A good leader tries to embody the best qualities of his or her organization. A good leader sets the example for others to follow. A good leader always puts the welfare of others before himself or herself.

“Your leadership, however, has shown little of these qualities. Through your actions, you have embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage and, worst of all, divided us as a nation.”

• It won’t be long before Trump joins Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton who came under severe criticism while they held the nation’s highest political office. Nixon resigned under pressure; Clinton endured an impeachment trial in Congress. Either of these could encompass Trump.
• It won’t take long for Trump to blame someone else for his misdeeds. In fact, he almost immediately dodged, bobbed and weaved, which, if you think about it for a moment, involve three different skills – and Trump exemplifies each. That’s what he always does – shift blame. Of course, I guess if he were to admit misdeeds, he’d be out of office.
• As all of us go through this kind of travesty, the involvement takes away what should be pleasure in seeing a U.S. economy that continues to percolate along and, today, could set a milestone as longest standing of any recovery. If Trump were smarter – and he is clearly not the smartest person in the room as he always contends – he would take solace in economic growth. Instead, he aggravates it most every day with continuing threats of more tariffs, as well as off-the-cuff comments that roil the stock market.

So, in summary, I believe we are watching the beginning of the end of the Trump Administration. For my belief, cannot come too soon.

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 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 a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and 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.

This, one of three departments I run with a free hand, is open again.

From Wall Street Journal editorial writers: “One of the more remarkable media campaigns of recent times is the current attempt to persuade Americans that the economy is worse than it seems. Every day our competitors are filled with columns, editorials and news analyses asserting that tax reform has failed, wages aren’t rising, investment is falling, and growth is an illusion. We’re reminded of the old Chico Marx line, ‘Who ya gonna believe, me or your own eyes?’ Apparently, Americans are believing their own eyes.

“The National Federation of Independent Business reports that its small business optimism index climbed in July to the second highest level in its 45-year history. At 107.9, the index is within 0.1 point of its July 1983 record. The July survey also set new highs for owners reporting current job openings or plans to create jobs. The biggest problem in the survey is that 37% of owners say they had job openings they couldn’t fill. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank’s wage growth tracker moved up to 3.3% in July on an annual basis.

“None of this guarantees future prosperity, and the economy needs years of growth to make up for the 2 per cent malaise of the Obama era. But Americans are smart enough to know a better economy when they see one.

Comment: Good points. The economy is percolating along, which is good for all Americans, especially in regard to recovery from the Obama years. But, as the Journal writes, “none of this guarantees future prosperity.”

From Erik Wemple, media critic for the Washington Post:  “Peril is coming from all sides, apparently. President Trump’s attacks on the media are stirring people to heckle and even threaten the ‘fake news’ media.

“And now comes this from Todd S. Purdum in The Atlantic: ‘Jim Acosta’s Dangerous Brand of Performance Journalism.’ He argues that Acosta, CNN’s high-profile chief White House correspondent, is too much show and not enough tell: ‘The last thing Donald Trump — or the press, or the public —  needs is another convenient villain in the performative arena of the long-running reality show that is his administration.’ Acosta’s broadside blurs the line between reporting and performance — between work and war — at a time when journalists have a greater obligation than ever to demonstrate that what they do is real, and matters — and is not just part of the passing show.”

Comment: Wemple gets it right about Acosta who has made himself an easy target for Trump’s charges about media bias. My view is that most reporters and editors try to do the right thing in their work, no matter what Trump says about “fake news” – and I still wonder what the term means — probably just that Trump disagrees with what is being reported.

From Karl Rove in the Wall Street Journal:  “After GOP state Sen. Troy Balderson’s narrow victory in the special election for Ohio’s 12th Congressional District, Republicans understand what a 23-year-old war correspondent named Winston Churchill meant when he wrote, ‘Nothing in life is as exhilarating as to be shot at without result.’

“While Republicans can’t mount this gigantic an effort in every race this fall, neither can Democrats, who were left claiming a moral victory for coming very close to taking an open Republican seat. But close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.”

Comment: Rove is an excellent commentator on election prospects, though, of course, he proceeds from a position on the right.

From Michael Gerson writing in The Atlantic magazine:  “One of the most extraordinary things about our current politics—really, one of the most extraordinary developments of recent political history—is the loyal adherence of religious conservatives to Donald Trump. The president won four-fifths of the votes of white evangelical Christians.

“This was a higher level of support than either Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush, an outspoken evangelical himself, ever received.

“Trump’s background and beliefs could hardly be more incompatible with traditional Christian models of life and leadership.

“Trump’s past political stances (he once supported the right to partial-birth abortion), his character (he has bragged about sexually assaulting women), and even his language (he introduced the words pussy and shithole into presidential discourse) would more naturally lead religious conservatives toward exorcism than alliance. This is a man who has cruelly publicized his infidelities, made disturbing sexual comments about his elder daughter, and boasted about the size of his penis on the debate stage. His lawyer reportedly arranged a $130,000 payment to a porn star to dissuade her from disclosing an alleged affair. Yet religious conservatives who once blanched at PG-13 public standards now yawn at such NC-17 maneuvers. We are a long way from The Book of Virtues.”

Comment: With Gerson, I have no idea why evangelicals stick with Trump, given his political stances and his many failures of decorum and salacious tweets. Unbelievable! I say that evangelicals should stick with their roots in the Christian faith and remain out of the fray of current politics.    

From the Washington Post: “Constant, relentless, shameless lying is not ancillary to the Trump administration. It is not a sideshow; it’s the main event. We have become inured to the fact that the president of the United States and his aides and associates simply cannot be relied upon to tell the truth.

“Trump’s acid-tongued Twitter feed and his public remarks are gushers of lies, falsehoods and exaggerations. As of Aug. 1, The Post’s indefatigable Fact Checker column had counted a staggering 4,229 false or misleading claims by the president since he took office.

“The president has personally attacked at least 487 people, companies or institutions on social media since launching his campaign three summers ago, according to a running tally by the New York Times.”

Comment: Numbers matter! More than 4,200 lies or misleading claims. Attacking more than 480 people. That’s Trump. Unethical and untrustworthy.

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 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 a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and 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.

A couple of my friends the other day expressed concern about responding to an e-mail request for financial support because they didn’t want to end up being on a supporters’ lists and remain there.

I understand their position. But, for me, no problem.

Consider me an e-mail junkie.

If you receive a message and don’t want to deal with it or even read it, just junk it. All it takes is one key stroke.

Use of e-mail is one of the most reliable communication methods for me. At least by receiving messages, I can make the decision about whether I want to review the information or not.

I remember the first time I started using e-mail, which, today, strikes most of us a foregone conclusion.

It was when I was a private sector lobbyist and represented Providence Health & Services, one of Oregon’s major health care companies, with eight hospitals spread throughout the state, a major health insurer and a number of special programs, including one for disabled children and another for senior adults.

Before the advent of e-mail, I used to spend time accumulating paper and sending the information by snail mail to my main contact at Providence, then expect that person to send information on to others who needed to react in a complex organization. If speed was needed, which often is the case in the push and pull of legislation at the Capitol, I would resort to faxing.

Time-consuming! Tough to get a response, not to mention many responses in any type of usable order.

With e-mail, I was able to send information directly to multiple places at once at Providence, including with attachments. Early on, attachments sometimes didn’t translate between and among types of on-line systems. But before long, faxing by a separate machine was out the window.

If, for example, I needed comments on a piece of legislation from a variety of perspectives at Providence, I was able to ask for them via one-mail. Then the respondents could respond individually. Often, I was able to get responses in time to use the information in testimony I would provide to legislative committees on behalf of Providence.

Now, I know it can be cumbersome to deal with e-mail messages from so many sources that want financial contributions, so I have no difficulty with my friends’ hesitancy. For me, though, I’d rather have all the information and decide what to do with it than not to have it in the first place.

Just a personal reflection.

One more memory. When I began working in Congress in the office of Oregon U.S. Representative Les AuCoin, we were the first office on the Hill to use a Wang word processing system. Ahead of the curve I would say.

Imagine my glee when I learned that, in order to strike out a mistake in a letter, all I had to do was hit a key. Then, the words and the spelling would be right.

Isn’t technology great? Most of the time, I say. So, forgive me as I stop writing this post and get back to dealing with my e-mail traffic.