While watching the documentary following the AP test, a particular event covered struck my curiosity. The program included a segment showing a golf game with Obama and Boehner, while explaining their private collaboration on a "grand bargain" to reform the tax code. While it was mentioned that the game was detached from politics, the incident came to be known as the "golf summit," and I was curious to see how golf possibly influenced politics or at least presidencies.
Looking at the Obama-Boehner game in particular, when analyzing the significance of the game, it was noted this seemingly casual interaction could have eased the process of compromise between the two, as their previous interactions were more ceremonial situations in which they discussed back and forth and with the media. Despite large issues hanging over their heads like the debt ceiling, taxes, and the conflict in Libya, they were able to put these differences and disagreements aside to have a face to face interaction to create a better sense of camaraderie, which is important with trillion-dollar decisions at hand.
Despite the denial of potential political implications and assurance of it simply being a social outing, it is evident that even in the rare circumstance of an absence of political dialogue, politics is still affected because of the bonding involved. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney summed the event up by stating that "this social occasion is a good thing, because ... spending a number of hours together in that kind of environment, I think, can only help improve the chances of bipartisan cooperation." Despite this interaction, the deal between the two blew up later on, and their political friendship dissolved into an angry dynamic between the two.
However, this was not the only significant encounter with golf in politics in the presidential history of the United States, and it seems as if every major president had some relation with golf. Teddy Roosevelt criticized Taft for his participation in golf, as it was a "rich man's" sport and did not promote the desires of the public, deeming the sport "fatal." On the other hand, Obama saw it as a beneficial and good, acting as his way of escape from Washington. No matter their individual reasons, golf still captivated the hearts of the likes of Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, etc. and shaped, no matter how subtle, the history of American politics.
Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2011/06/20/137298601/the-political-purpose-of-obama-and-boehners-golf-game
https://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/obama-boehner-bromance-214094
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/john-boehner-doesnt-like-golfing-president-obama/story?id=32784706
https://www.golfdigest.com/gallery/photos-politics-and-golf
Interesting post! I didn't know that practically every president had some relation with golf, and how it's perceived to be a "rich man's" sport. I found that Taft was actually the first American president to golf while in office, and he chose golf because he wanted exercise that would "suit his rather hefty frame." It became a trend for presidents to delve in golfing because it was a sport that allowed them to escape politics and the pressures of governing, but at the same time be able to bond and make deals with other leaders. I also found it interesting how Trump holds the record for the most rounds of golf played in his first 100 days in office: a whopping 19 times!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.businessinsider.com/why-american-presidents-play-so-much-golf-2017-4