I love sports almost as much as I love politics and lately I’ve been thinking of the Democratic nomination fight in terms of sports. It seems that Hillary is the salty, reliable veteran while Barack is the upstart athlete in his prime.
As I see it, Hillary and Barack are on the same page with most issues. Whatever Hillary accomplishes in her administration Barack will, basically, accomplish also. After their term(s), more people will have health care, we will have taken steps to combat global warming, the education system will be better funded and, in general, life will be better.
The difference between the two is that Barack has more upside. He has the potential to achieve great things; things that Hillary, because she is too divisive and too political and has too much baggage, could not dream of achieving. They will both be good presidents, but Barack has the potential to be a great president. He could form a new leadership coalition to tackle huge problems – like forging a lasting peace or developing alternative energies or changing the way we look at terrorism and our place in the world. Hillary, for all her positive attributes and managerial skills, simply could not get enough people on the same page to make real, lasting change.
In baseball terms, Hillary is like the crafty, time-tested left-handed pitcher. She’s like Andy Pettitte. She’s been around a while and she knows how to win. She’s a solid number 2 or 3 starter who will throw 200 innings for your team and win 15 games a year. She can pitch in the clutch and she’s certainly consistent, but she’s not going to change the opposing team’s lineup or get them off their game.
Barack, on the other hand, is like Johan Santana. He’s a fire-balling lefty in his prime. He’s the ace of your staff and he’s won a couple Cy Young Awards, so you know he’s no fluke. He’s so dominating that opposing teams change their rotation and their lineup when they face him. He may lose some speed on his fastball and settle into a long, solid, Andy Pettitte-like career, but ... and here’s the intriguing part ... he may just go on to become one of the top five pitchers of all time. He may be up there with Clemens and Gibson and Koufax when all is said and done.
This election, I’m supporting the skill and upside of Barack Obama over the experience and consistency of Hillary Clinton. Plus, if I see Bill Clinton wag his finger and bloviate about the 1990s one more time, I may ask someone to permanently put me on the disabled list.