We're Losing the Game at the Line of Scrimmage

While watching the Falcons/Bucs game last Sunday, I realized that I'd found the perfect metaphor for where I believe the Democratic Party is at the moment.

To sum up: the Falcons defense sacked Brian Griese some seven or eight times during the game, on one series of plays they sacked him three times in a row. On this third play from scrimmage, Griese was flushed out of the pocket and running for his life while trying to turn upfield and look for a play to be made. Three very large gentlemen in Falcon jerseys were converging on him and there wasn't a Bucs offensive linemen to be seen, so Griese went down and was sacked. The announcer pointed out that while he didn't blame Griese, a more experienced quarterback might have made that play.

While screaming obsenities at the TV as is my wont during Bucs games, I realized that some of us expect our President candidates to perform the "Hail Mary" pass every four years of being elected while not paying attention to the line of scrimmage.

To look at the defensive side of the ball for a moment, the Bucs pass rush team is used to getting such a push off the line of scrimmage, that they only rush four players to the quarterback, leaving an extra defensive player to break up pass plays or stop running backs from breaking one for a long gain. Ask a Philly Eagles fan about Ronde Barber during the NCF championship game 2 years ago or Rich Gannon about the fact that Simeon Rice was in the Oakland backfield more time than the Oakland running backs during the Super Bowl.

The line of scrimmage for us is the States (legislatures & officials), Congress, the media, and the conservitive thinktanks and fundraisers. Without going back and realizing why and where we've failed as a party to win these races or truly challenge the meida and thinktanks, we're going to lose again in 2008.

Does anyone honestly think that if Candidate X, Y or Z is our nominee that they're not going to have very large defensive linemen coming at them directly?

During the inappropriately named "SwiftBoat Vets for Truth" fandango this August, I posted that if Jesus himself were to return to Earth and run on the Democratic ticket, we'd see groups like "Swift Money Changers in the Temple or Pharisees for Growth" lined up against him.

And if they do fight back and start to run upfield, there's always that extra defensive player to worry about...

Parts of the Democratic Party have started to do this already, but it takes more than one election cycle to go in a new direction. It took the Republicans some 40 years.

Yes, Nixon and Reagan were both elected and re-elected during this period, but it wasn't until the Republican take over of Congress in 1994, that many realized just how entrenched the party had become. Bill Clinton was a great quarterback who could operate while the offensive line collapsed around him, but even he fumbled and gave up the ball after a while.

So it's imporant to continue the work of groups like MoveOn, Take Back the Media, the DFA, etc. because this is where the battle rages. Let's take back the state governorships and legislatures (where we've had some great success stories), keep on the media's ass while creating alternatives and move the chains.

Don't give up on the Hail Mary, but remember if Gerald Phelen had dropped the ball, Doug Flutie would have been just another college quarterback.

Thank-you for your time, you may now return to your regularly scheduled General Discussion Politics rabble rousing.

:-)

idiot about football, but even I got your analogy. Thanks, I think you're right.

I'm given to sports analogies. They usually work.