Dear President Obama,
Forgive me, but the Massachusetts Senate special election debacle and the consequent hand-wringing and cringing from the House Dems, Senate Dems, and the White House has put me into full-bore metaphor mode.
Pretend this is a game (and believe me the Republicans don't and haven't pretended about politics NOT being a game for the last 30 years, as they have fully embraced the idea and live it). Good old five-on-five round ball.
The Republicans are not on your team. They are the five guys ensconced around your rim and you're in a half-court set. No more fast break opportunities like the first stimulus. They don't want you to score (legislative victory) at all, much less hit a three-pointer (health care reform, financial reform, more stimulus, climate/energy legislation, immigration reform.) What do you do?
Take it strong to the hoop. Do you ask for your opponent's cooperation, largess or permission on the court? No, you acknowledge they are going to do their best to stop you, because this is a game and they want to win, and to win they must stop you. The Republicans couldn't be any more transparent as to their aims. They see no other path back to power (winning) than to make you a failure. This is key. They are not interested in governance. They are interested in power, and to get it, they must take it from you.
So, point guard Obama (and make no mistake, you are the point guard), what do you do? Clearly, you can't count on the rest of your team to take the lead. Max Baucus couldn't handle the ball and got caught in a half-court trap trying to advance health care reform down the court. Harry Reid went so weak to the hoop, his own team members (and i use the term loosely) swatted it away. And now no one wants to pick it up.
The crowd (electorate) that was behind you in huge numbers, especially the 18-29 crowd that was cheering you on so loudly, is now either shouting among themselves (see this site), or worse yet, leaving the stadium all together. And not because you were trying to score, but because they wanted you to go to the hoop stronger and at least take the hard foul and get to the free throw line. No one likes to see their team get faced after their weak shit is slapped away. It's even harder to see it happen again and again.
What's worse is that we know that a weaker player (George Bush), with a weaker bench (small Republican majorities) got slam dunk after slam dunk any time he went to the hole. We are still paying the price for that. Now we need you to answer.
Losers make excuses. Guys with game step it up. They play harder, smarter. They find a way to win.
I guarantee a strong move will bring the crowd back around, and you really need those young ones back no just now, but for future contests. If you let the Republican's shut you out and the clock runs out come November, you've lost.
Go strong or go home. It don't take a high-paid analyst to tell you that.