(crossposted at MyDD)
When we first heard that Palin was McCain's choice for VP, we got hit with the inevitable round of sports metaphors. I've been musing about them ever since, because they do have power in defining who a candidate is (and isn't). I'm not sure any of the ones I've seen so far hit the mark, so I figured I'd try out my own.
First up: baseball. Early in the process we were told she's a grand slam. I didn't see the evidence of it. But, if she was, I'd say they were at about a 9-run deficit and it's the top of the 9th.
As time as gone on, I've seen people saying it's no home run -- that it's hooked to the side and is outside the foul pole. I like that one, but I think the real problem with baseball is that there's no defense here, and only a minor change in the game situation. You either hit the ball over the fence, and score the runs, or you hit it outside the foul poll -- in which case you automatically get another shot. Neither of those really describes the consequences of this choice all that well.
So we move on to football and that great analogy -- the Hail Mary pass. Thrown in desperation as the game runs out of time, if it works as planned the team scores a quick touchdown and has a shot at redemption. Again, like the baseball analogy, I think this one suffers from the game being maybe a 11-point spread. Even if the Hail Mary worked, they're still hoping for an onside kick, or maybe a fumble.
As time has gone on, though, I'd say perhaps one can frame this as a Hail Mary thrown to a talented rookie with little game experience. A few rookie mistakes and the ball has wound up intercepted in the field of play. All the other team can hope for now is a fumble.
There's still a bit lacking in this, though. In football, a team in this position can fall on the ball and run out the clock; in this election we're hardly in that position. Sure, you can adjust the analogy and say they threw the Hail Mary early enough that it'll take a first down or two to run out the clock, but still, the nature of ball possession is a bit too rigid.
So I've come around to Gov. Palin's sport of choice, hockey. Here's my favorite sports metaphor right now. Late in the game, down one goal, they pulled their goalie and put in a talented but untested rookie scorer to go 6 on 5 and try to force a tie. Worthwhile strategy, if you're going to lose anyway, but in this case the rookie took an ill-advised rushed shot and the puck's now moving back towards the empty goal. Even two goals down, they can still come back, but now there are huge concerns about the rookie's ability to score. They're mostly hoping for a mistake that'll get them the puck back without a score.
Getting (somewhat) out of the forced sports metaphors: the ball/puck/whatever's in our hands now. We've got a bunch of options. The key here is: don't fumble. Don't make a bad pass. No unforced errors. There are a lot of ways to win the game, but we can still snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with a few mental mistakes.
And remember my favorite analogy was hockey? We need to be on guard for the other team sending out some goons to rough us up, maybe injure a key player. In hockey, as in politics, that's part of the game. So far their goons have turned out to be a bit weak and with bad aim; that may not always be the case.
I've got a lot of confidence in our starters out there; this is a team that's proven they can win. Anything can happen, but I like how it's going. But if something's going to happen, let's not have it be fan interference. Keep the shots hard but above the belt.
'nuff sports analogies for you?