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 headline on this blog appeared over a recent column by Frank Bruni, who writes for the New York Times.

I used it, but another alternative could be this as applied to Donald Trump and the minions who “work” [do they really work?] for him:  Looks matter more than competence.

Several of these minions have jobs for Trump that they did not gain based on their experience or credentials.  But, often on camera, Trump thought they looked good, so he gave them high-level jobs.

Here are a few paragraphs from Bruni who always uses words very well:

• Befitting his home in the Trump administration, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. practices the politics of narcissism:  If I embrace it, it must be right.  If I embody it, you should emulate it.  I flaunt a sun-sizzled appearance, so you should have the same leathery license.
• Kevin Warsh has a decent résumé to qualify to serve as Federal Reserve chair, but he also has signaled obeisance to a president.  Warsh has an additional asset.  “On top of everything else, he is ‘central casting,’” Trump wrote in the late January social media post that announced Warsh’s selection.  According to an article by Eva Roytburg in Fortune Magazine at that time, Trump once told Warsh, during a 2019 meeting in the White House, “You’re a really handsome guy.”
• To Trump, that’s an important credential.  All the world’s a television show, “central casting” is a recurring compliment and handsomeness or beauty establishes a kind of superiority, which in turn bequeaths confidence, which then begets dominance. By his zoology, an aviary of peacocks equals a menagerie of lions.
• Never have I witnessed a White House so devoted to surfaces. Surfaces caked with makeup.  Surfaces puffed up with hair spray. Surfaces glossed with gold.  Surfaces that glitter blue — or someday might, if the over-budget overhaul of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool ever works out as promised.
• Appearances simultaneously obscure reality and substitute for it. Your sheen is your success, and you are what you impersonate. Trump has long been known to judge potential cabinet secretaries and military leaders on whether they look the part, and that thinking factored into his embrace of Warsh.
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s habit of sharing videos of his workouts would be seen as a grossly self-enamored distraction.  In Trump’s circle, they’re a testament to his tenacity.  The defense secretary posted one such ode to his own musculature shortly before the beginning of the war with Iran, as U.S. warships headed toward that region; it showed him doing a bench press as the soldiers whom he’d gathered around him cheered, his wife applauded and, I guess, the ayatollahs quivered. Nothing spells imminent doom like a cabinet member’s pecs.
• To Trump, pitch and packaging are everything.  Perfect them and you don’t have to worry about the product itself.  That thinking informs the cabinet secretaries’ physical preening just as it explains the president’s oratorical preening — all those ludicrous superlatives — and his emphasis on costumes, scenery and slogans.

Then, a story appeared in the New York Times this morning to underline Trump’s priority:

As he spoke at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, “The president got the most out of the crowd when he was being apolitical, hamming it up with the coasties as he welcomed them onstage and teased them about how attractive they were.  ‘I hate good-looking men,’ he growled, after a young man named Matthew came up to shake his hand.  A cadet named Thomas walked up next.  ‘Look at the muscles on this guy,’ Trump observed.”

So, again, looks over competence.  That’s Trump.

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.

At any golf course there is an issue that almost always sparks serious debate:  Trees on the course.

Are they good or bad?

Do they add to course architecture or subtract from it?

There are no easy answers to questions such as this.  Plus, as golf courses age, trees that once were “this” tall grow to be “this” tall, thus obscuring views.

This issue arose last week during the annual PGA Golf Championship which was held at Aronimink in Philadelphia.  Writing in Global Golf Post, here is how Ron Green, Jr., described the situation in a column that appeared under this headline:  Debate over trees simmers at Aronimink.

“It is a discussion that titillates course architecture nerds, many of whom bemoan – and rightly so – the outsized impact technology now has on the game.

“How necessary are trees to a great golf course design?

“Nearly 100 years after Donald Ross, the da Vinci of his time, laid out a course that rivaled Pinehurst No. 2 for his ultimate affection, Aronimink.  It was something of a case study last week because modern-day master Gil Hanse and his partner Jim Wagner took down a significant number of trees when they worked nearly a decade ago.”

For his part, Ross, when he wrote a book about golf, said that “trees should not crowd out the real intent of a golf course.”

Aronimink wasn’t strip-mined but it was opened up, creating expansive vistas across the property creating bumps and rolls with a natural rhythm, giving the layout much of its character. 

I have not been there, but views on TV reminded me of a “links-style” course, much more than a “parkland layout.”

In a less public way than at Aronimink, the “trees or no trees” issue has come up at the course where I play most of my golf in Salem, Oregon, Illahe Hills Golf and Country Club.

It is now about 65 years old and, of course, small trees have now become big trees, hampering the layout first created by course architect Billy Bell.

So, our golf course superintendent has made it a goal to remove trees to provide what he calls “a clean layout.”

The moves have sparked some controversy because, on occasion, trees created a visual backdrop for some holes.  Now that those trees are gone, the visual backdrop doesn’t exist.

But, for me, not an arborist, I favor removing trees for this simple reason:  When you have too many trees on a golf course, the ones you want to be healthy are adversely affected by so many competitors.

So, let the three debate continue, as I advocate for fewer of them.

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.

Is Donald Trump like his predecessor, Joe Biden.

No!

But, at least in a couple ways, comparisons could be made, emphasis on the word “could.”

One is sleeping on the job.  In Biden’s case, it was Trump calling him “Sleepy Joe.”  Not sure if Biden really slept.

In Trump’s case, there have been many photos showing him nodding off in important meetings.

In Biden’s case, an accusation.

In Trump’s case, reality.

Another comparison relates to “gaffes” made in office.  Biden made many, winning an unwanted reputation for doing so.  As for Trump, read on.

But, first, what does the word “gaffe” mean anyway?

“A clumsy or embarrassing mistake.  It is often a verbal slip-up or a social blunder made in public or in front of peers.”

Writing in Atlantic Magazine, David Graham described the gaffe tendency for Trump this way:

“Trump deserves plenty of criticism for his serial dishonesty, but on rare occasions when he speaks frankly, that causes problems, too.

“Last week, a reporter asked the president whether the deteriorating economic situation has created any urgency for him to reach a peace deal with Iran.  ‘Not even a little bit,’ he replied.  ‘I don’t think about American’s financial situation.  I don’t think about anybody.’

“Who can doubt that he was being sincere?  Trump has conducted the war as though he is both uninterested in and unaware of the economic effects it is having.  He has reportedly mused about simply withdrawing from the field of battle and leaving the Strait of Hormuz closed, despite the disruption that has caused for global trade.

“He’s previously called talk about affordability a ‘hoax.’  And, with his own bank accounts growing fatter through corruption, he doesn’t feel the pinch of inflation himself.”

Graham, the writer, adds that “the sentiment Trump was apparently trying to convey might be defensible in some cases.  When the nation is at war, a president must at times call the people to make sacrifices in the name of the greater good.

“…the problem is that Trump hasn’t definitively stated that ending Iran’s nuclear program is the goal of the war, nor has he laid out any reasonable path to achieving it.  As a result, the president is making Americans suffer for no clear reason, and he also is suggesting that he doesn’t care about their suffering.”

Other Trump gaffes:

• Over the objection of First Lady Melania Trump, he said the White House was a “shit house” when he arrived.

• Trump used to be celebrated for the creativity of his insults, but last week he kept it simple, snapping at a reporter who asked him about the ballooning cost of his planned Easy Wing ballroom:  “I doubled the size of it, you dumb person.”

• The president also cannot get his story straight on whether he selected or even knows the contractor adding a garish cerulean hue to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

• When a reporter asked the president how he’d respond to Black voters worried the changes to congressional districts would reduce Black representation, he replied, “I think it’s been a wonderful process.”

Graham’s conclusion:

“Will these remarks hurt Trump?  One plausible answer is that they won’t.  He’s been making outrageous statements for years, and it hasn’t slowed down his political career.”

So, to Trump, gaffe on.

Plus, for me, it’s always difficult to know whether Trump is committing another gaffe or just lying or inflating everything to support his own out-sized ego.  He tells so lies it’s hard to describe what he says as anything other than that.

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.

Those who know me know that I am a dog lover.

My wife and I have had two miniature poodles in our lives together.  The first was Hogan (after golfer Ben Hogan, not Hulk Hogan) who now is looking down at us from heaven.

The second was Callaway (I named by golf clubs after him) and he is still with us, ruling the roost.

So it was that I read a column this morning by Frank Bruni, who writes for the New York Times.  As an addendum to his column this morning, he attached as blog from another writer that appeared under this headline:

“The Joy Series: Old Dogs/On Westley, sleep zones, and the love that comes with being chased.”

The story was so good that I decided to run it as my blog post today.

**********

A couple of weeks ago, Westley — our ancient standard poodle — stopped putting any weight on his front left leg. We still aren’t sure why. He doesn’t seem to be feeling any pain. The vet took X-Rays and couldn’t find any structural issues.

We’re supposed to go take him to a doggie neurologist this week. It’s possible he suffered some sort of stroke. It’s also possible that this is just the natural consequence of Westley getting older. He turns 14 in July. Pup math says that’s 98 in dog years.

Westley now spends his time standing on three legs and occasionally limping to a new spot to sleep. That was always his favorite thing in the world — scouting out new sleep zones. He would sneak around the house and find some hidden place to sleep on one of our three floors. Sometimes he’d be on the third floor behind a couch.

Sometimes he’d be in the little closet off the bathroom on the second floor. Sometimes he’d be so well hidden that we couldn’t find him at all, and we’d call out his name, and after a good while, he’d just appear, fully content that he had won the game he was playing.

But he can’t do stairs now. Well, he can still awkwardly climb up stairs, but he can’t go down; this apparently has more to do with his poor eyesight than his leg issues. In any case, he refuses to be carried, so we have had to block the stairs with a bench.

He so desperately wants to go upstairs to find a place to sleep that he occasionally will press his head against that bench and try to move it, like he’s Hercules trying to push aside a boulder in front of a cave. This morning, he moved it just enough to sneak upstairs. Getting him back down was one heck of a chore.

Without the stairs option, Westley instead finds different spots around the living room to sleep. We’ll find him sleeping behind the couch, behind the chair, behind his kennel, by the guitar nobody ever plays, by the side door.

You can tell this isn’t as satisfying for him. We always find him.

Other than the stairs thing, though, Westley seems content. Happy, even. Age suits him. He has always been an old soul. When he was young and spry and full of energy, we’d take him to the backyard and try to get him to fetch tennis balls. He toyed with us.

Sometimes, he’d run after the ball and get it, but then he would just stand on the other side of the yard and make us come to him. It was like he was saying, “Who’s playing fetch here, buddy?”

And sometimes we’d throw the ball, and he’d just stand there and look at us with those big eyes and an expression that either said, “Why did you do that?” or “That ball looks really far away.”

Instead, he liked being chased. That was always his jam. I sometimes think about the scene in My Best Friend’s Wedding, when Dermot Mulroney (or Dylan McDermott) is chasing after Cameron Diaz, and Julia Roberts is chasing after Dermot Mulroney (or Dylan McDermott), and Rupert Everett says to Julia Roberts, “Who’s chasing you?” I think about that scene because love really is, at least a little bit, about being chased.

Anyway, Westley has always thought so.

We don’t know if he will ever get feeling back in that left leg. Sometimes, particularly when he really needs to do his business, he will almost gallop. Other times, he will stand in place for a half hour with that left leg in the air, as if he’s frozen.

You might ask: How is this part of the joy series? This seems very sad. And it is sad, but not really, because Westley is not sad. He’s exactly as he’s always been. He’s stretched out right now at my feet, sleeping the sleep of angels, and every now and again, he will look up at me in that familiar way as if to say, “Come on, man, you should have finished that writing by now.”

And before too long, he will pop up and walk over and bump his head into my leg and demand that I chase him. The chase will only be a step or two. But it will be long enough to know that he is loved.

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.

Like many golfers, I have been watching as much golf on TV as I could over the last couple days and will continue this weekend.

After all, it’s the PGA Championship, one of golf’s four major tournaments.

And, of course, wouldn’t you know it, a few new golf rules issues cropped up.  Here, I cite three, because, if, for no other reason, I also like golf rules.

INCIDENT #1, LATE TO THE TEE

South African pro Garrick Higgo did the unforgiveable – he showed up late for his first-round tee time.  The result:  A two-stroke penalty before he hit his first shot.

Here’s how golf media described the situation:

“Garrick Higgo, a 27-year-old golfer from South Africa, is about as chill as a golfer could be.  But early Thursday morning, in the chilly air out here in affluent suburban Philadelphia, a feeling of sickness came over him.  Higgo was on the Aronimink Golf Club’s practice putting green, hard by the clubhouse and about 15 feet above the course’s elevated first tee, when the starter said these words:

“From Memphis, Tennessee, the 2003 PGA Championship winner, Shaun Micheel.

“The first player in Higgo’s three-some had been summoned to the tee, and Higgo’s two-shot penalty already was in motion.  Rule 5.3a.

“Everything else is commentary.

“From down below, Higgo could hear his American caddie yelling urgently, ‘C’mon, c’mon, c’mon.’

“It didn’t matter.”

And, then, a day later, after two rounds, Higgo missed the cut by two shots, the ones he lost before teeing off on day one.

All this reminded me of last Monday when I served as the starter for the U.S. Open Local Qualifier here in Salem, Oregon.  On the tee, one player made it inside the ropes – the requirement – with only 20 seconds to spare.  He ran up the hill to make it barely on time.

INCIDENT #2, AN UKNOWN RULE

Here is how Golf Digest described this issue.

“Ever wonder what a golfer with a late tee time at a major does in the morning?  Are they laid up on a couch watching early coverage like millions of golf fans?  In short, it’s highly likely.

“Michael Kim (pro golfer) confirmed as much on Friday morning.  With the PGA Tour winner not teeing off in the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink until the afternoon, he had his eyes on ESPN+ to see how the course was playing.

“But he also pointed out a little-known rule that most golf fans aren’t aware of.  Heck, based on Garrick Higgo’s two-stroke penalty for showing up to his Thursday tee time late, there’s a good chance some players don’t know this one.  Anyway, we’ll let Michael explain:

“So, he’s allowed to watch and take mental notes, but not take actual notes to bring out to the course.

“And how would this rule be enforced?  Well, according to Kim, it really falls upon the players to enforce it themselves because he’s never had to hand his yardage book over to a rules official.”

And, I add, who knew?

INCIDENT #3:  CODE OF CONDUCT POLICY

The Professional Golfers Association has put a code of conduct policy in place, but one question is whether it will be enforced or just sit on a shelf someplace.

In GolfWeek, here is how writer Adan Schupak described the status.

“Justin Thomas tomahawked a golf club, Jon Rahm hit a volunteer in the face with a divot, and Rory McIlroy answered a question at a press conference with an NSFW four-letter word.

“None of these examples of boorish behavior during the first round of the 108^th PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club merited a warning under the code of conduct policy adopted by the PGA of America this year. 

“Kerry Haigh, the PGA’s Chief of Competitions, explained at a press conference on Wednesday that it was instituted to police behavior by competitors so ‘everyone is behaving appropriately, professionally, and as we would want our children and people watching to see the major championship.’

“Despite Thomas, who heaved his club to the ground after his tee shot at 14 on Thursday, Rahm’s divot hitting a volunteer on No. 7 (he apologized after the round and explained it was accidental), and McIlroy’s language during his press conference (the first item on the list of unacceptable behavior), no punishment was doled out on Thursday.

“Any decision is at the discretion of the PGA’s Rules Committee.  But allowing such behavior to go unpunished on the first day of the policy calls into question if it will be used at all or is merely messing up the locker room wallpaper.”

Good point.

My experience with issue exists in tournaments where I volunteer for the Oregon Golf Association.  It also has a code of conduct policy and, I have seen it enforced.

The PGA should do the same.

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.

Even as many Oregonians set out to vote in a primary election (Independent voters like me cannot vote), it appears that the Democrat incumbent could have a race on her hands in the fall.

That official is Democrat Tina Kotek who is in her first term and wants a second.

New poll results this week, reported by the Oregonian newspaper, appeared under this headline:  “Kotek’s popularity craters in Portland, poll shows:  What that could mean for Republican candidates.”

First, don’t you like that word “craters.”  In seven letters, it says what need to be said.

Here is how the story started:

“A new poll indicates that a majority of voters in Oregon’s most Democrat-friendly region are dissatisfied with Governor Tina Kotek, as the Democrat approaches the end of her first term and seeks another four years in office.

“Just a third of Portland metro area respondents said they have a positive opinion of Kotek, while 59 per cent said they have a negative impression of her.”

So, for the first time in more than 40 years, do Republicans have a chance to win the governor’s race?

The best answer:  Perhaps.  The fall general election is a long way off and a lot can happen politically between now and then, but Republicans are acting like this may be year for them to win.

I worked for the last Republican governor in Oregon, Vic Atiyeh, so, without indicating how I will vote in the fall, I just hope there is a real race so Oregonians have a good chance to make a good decision.  That means a credible Republican.

More from the Oregonian:

“Republicans seeking their party’s nomination to take on Kotek this fall have pointed to her weak approval ratings as a sign that Oregon could be ready to elect its first Republican governor in four decades.

“Such tepid support for Kotek in the state’s Democrat stronghold indicates that there is a small but real possibility that a Republican could defeat her this fall — even as Republicans seeking office nationwide are expected to face headwinds in November due to pushback against President Donald Trump.

Since entering office, Kotek has championed various initiatives intended to curb the state’s ongoing crises – such as housing and the state of the economy — but, so far at least, her initiatives have produced only mixed results.

One particular area where Republicans may focus their angst:  Foster care.

Here is how Oregon Public Broadcasting wrote about the issue under this headline:  “Abuse in Oregon’s foster care reaches all-time high.  State vows to figure out why and improve.”

The story started this way:

“In 2025, the rate of children in Oregon’s child welfare system being seriously harmed — physically, emotionally or sexually — reached an all-time high.

“That’s noteworthy since it came on the heels of a long-running class-action lawsuit, which was settled in May 2024 on the eve of a trial.  The primary goal of the lawsuit:  To reduce the rate of children being abused in care.”

Foster care problems existed during the administration of the governor before Kotek, Kate Brown. 

Now, nearly four years later, not much has changed.  The state agency in charge of the issue has not performed well.

It is possible that foster care problems could gain traction politically in the campaign later this summer and into the fall, not in terms of the state agency in charge, but in terms of the adverse effect on foster children.

If I was running a Republican campaign (no surprise, I am not and never would), I would focus on this issue, one where Kotek will have to be on the defensive.

So, on this and other issues, there is little question but that Kotek will have to defend her record along the campaign trail.

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

This blog headline says it all.

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

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

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

Here is how the editorial started:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Times conclusion:

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

The categories of investigation are as follows:

• Bypassing the legislature

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

• Stifling speech and dissent

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

• Persecuting political opponents

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

• Defying the courts

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

• Declaring false emergencies

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

• Using the military at home

Authoritarians frequently and performatively use the military for domestic control.

• Vilifying marginalized groups

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

• Trying to take over universities

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

• Creating a cult of personality

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

• Using power for personal profit

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

• Manipulating the law to stay in power

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

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

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

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

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.

Opinion writer David French came up with a simple, yet profound description of Donald Trump, the U.S. president who defies description.

Writing in the New York Times, French said this:

“At the core of Trump’s worldview is a belief that the world is a fundamentally transactional place, and that everyone has a price.”

For me, this rings true for Trump who conducts himself in politics like no one else.  I say that based on my 40 years in politics, always in appointed or contractor realms, not as an elected official – and almost always in Oregon.

So, do I know what I am talking about when I mention Trump?  Well, who knows?

But, to put French’s point another way:  Trump says if you bow and scrape before him, he will give you what you want. 

That’s transactional.

Not politics in the sense of finding middle ground solutions to pressing public policy problems.

French continues:

“The Republican Party has done nothing to disabuse Trump of the transactional notion.  Even the religious leaders around him are fundamentally transactional.  As they’ve demonstrated, they’ll put up with virtually any behavior from Trump so long as he delivers on a few, simple promises.  And now — especially when it comes to abortion — he doesn’t even have to deliver on those.  For some, it seems as if access to power alone is compensation enough.”

So, how does French contend that Trump enabled himself to acquire so much power, even amidst his personal foibles, if not alleged crimes?

“The key to Trump’s power isn’t just that he accurately sensed that much of the Republican establishment paid lip service to principle but really cared about power — it’s that he knew millions upon millions of voters possessed similar values.  Their commitments to character or ideology took a back seat to the simple desire to defeat their opponents.  The most important thing was to win.  Anything else was a luxury.

“And, in a strange way, they appreciated him for his brazenness.  In this cynical view, all politicians are, deep down, just like Trump.  They were faking their dedication to principle.  As for Trump, he was the honest crook.  He was like the mob boss who didn’t insult our intelligence by pretending to be in the sanitation business.”

Plus, to French, it should come as no surprise that “prosperity gospel pastors” were among the first Christians to answer Trump’s call.  Their entire religion is transactional — with God dispensing health and wealth in direct response to the financial donations of the faithful.

So, is “all” political activity transactional?

No, even if, on occasion, it seems like it.

“ Not everyone is transactional,” French writes.  “Some people — for better and for worse — actually have beliefs that they’re willing to die for, and Trump is painfully, obviously baffled when he encounters belief like that.

“It’s embarrassing, for example, to watch him flail his way through the Iran war, shifting strategies, objectives and timelines sometimes by the day.  It’s obvious that he thought Iran would be another Venezuela.  In Venezuela, he was able to capture the leader and then more or less bend the remaining regime elements to his will, at least for now.

“But in Iran, he helped Israel decapitate virtually all of the nation’s senior leadership, and the rest of the regime seems to have become more intransigent and less willing to negotiate.”

In Iran, Trump plays the only cards he knows how to play — alternating between threatening death and destruction and proposing business deals.

And, a further reality is that business deals, if they occur, tend to line his personal pockets.

As I write this, Trump is landing in China to meet with its leader, but new came along the way that Trump invited a number of CEO business leaders to join him because, again, he views everything as transactional, including his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

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.

Why does this blog headline matter to me?

Well, it’s because I have Norwegian blood in my veins, so it was good to see a Norseman win on the PGA Golf Tour.

Here is how GolfWeek described the victory:

“Kristoffer Reitan has had to question whether he was going to get into the last two signature events.  He no longer has to wonder.

“The 28-year-old won the 2026 Truist Championship on Sunday, his first PGA Tour victory in his 15th start.  He’s the second player from Norway (Viktor Hovland is the first) to win on Tour and did so shooting 2-under 69 in the final round at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, to beat Rickie Fowler and Nicolai Hojgaard by two shots.

“’I don’t have any words, to be honest,’ he told CBS’ Amanda Balionis after the winning putt dropped.  ‘This is way more than I expected and for it to happen this quickly is just unreal.  Yeah, a dream come true.’”

Credit, obviously, goes to Reitan.  But I’ll take a small share as a fellow Norsman.

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 are a lot of words that can be used to describe those who bow and scrape before Donald Trump.

For his part, he’s:

• A Liar.

• An Abuser.

• A Retaliator.

• Selfish.

• Narcissistic.

• Etc.

One word I have used on many occasions is the one is this blog headline – sycophant. 

This time I mean it as a description for those who sally up to Trump to get what they want from him, as well as treat him like he wants to be treated, which is as king or like Christ.  Which he isn’t.

Sycophant is not a word used normally in everyday language, but, regarding Trump and his toadies, it is exactly on point.  Here is the definition:

“A person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage.”

Gaining an advantage with Trump?  Yes, for many these days, that’s the main thing or even the only thing.