Political campaigns are typically covered as a "horse race." This construction is used to describe how the media typically reports on the "who's ahead, who's behind" of politics, more than the meat of policies and outcomes. In this political season, however, I think the horse race is the wrong metaphor for the race for President.
It's not a horse race, it's a pennant race.
Before explaining this idea in detail, it should be noted that the important things are ideas and leadership not sports metaphors. Ultimately, our President is responsible for stewardship of our future and leadership in times of opportunity and crisis. Metaphors are gateways to deeper understanding, not substitutions for the understanding itself. We must be cautious and clear in the use of any metaphor lest we add to the confusion that is political debate in America. With that, here is how the race for President is like the baseball season.
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