Perspective from the 19th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write. I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf. The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie. And it is where you want to be on a golf course.
I appreciated a recent column in the New York Times written by James A. Baker, III, one of America’s great federal government operatives.
Appearing under a headline I borrowed for this blog, Baker wrote this:
“At a time of political dysfunction, the 100th anniversary of President George H.W. Bush’s birth provides an opportunity to examine his leadership traits, which could help America regain its national footing. Those qualities — which made him the best one-term president in U.S. history and one of the best ever “— include what is listed below.
Baker, a student of American government who served as Secretary of State, from 1989-92, listed traits of the elder Bush that, if followed in this country, would preserve democracy, which is under attack by Donald Trump and his minions who favor autocracy.
A few days after Baker’s column, several individuals wrote letters to the editor to criticize some of Bush’s decisions as president. Which is understandable because no is perfect and Bush surely wasn’t as Baker would readily admit.
Still, I wish the Bush traits Baker cites would be true today. Here they are:
• Selflessness. Born into a family with a tradition of public service, Bush put his nation above himself.
• Trustworthiness. What started as a wary relationship with Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union’s last leader, developed into a strong, personal bond that Gorbachev credited with improving relations between the countries.
• Pragmatism. Bush recognized that savvy responses were often more effective than bold ones.
• Respect for experience. Bush often advised aspiring young politicians to avoid being like a Dalmatian in a fire house, running every time the bell rings. Instead, he told them to get a job, start a family, and do other things that would allow them to build a full life.
• Leadership by example. Always a workhorse rather than a show horse, Bush let his actions speak for him.
• Bi-partisanship. He didn’t mind butting heads with Democrats, or with fellow Republicans for that matter. But he refused to demonize opponents.
More from Baker:
“The political climate was far more temperate when Bush was in the White House than it is today. Debates could be rancorous, but they reached nothing like today’s feverish and destructive pitch. As I watch the calamity that American politics has become, I yearn for the brand of wise, courageous and humble leadership that George H.W. Bush embodied. His virtues remind us of what we have lost — and can regain if we follow his example.”
I share Baker’s aspirations for a better America.
So, with all this, is Baker biased? Sure. He was Bush’s closest friend and served him in many government posts, thus earning a book about his service entitled “The Man Who Ran Washington.”
His prescription for good government, based on the example of the elder Bush –- humility, leadership by example (not just words), and working together for the good of the country no matter who gets the credit — is worth following.
Perspective from the 19th Hole 