Politics
How the GOP Presidential Race is Like the NFL
Many people seem perplexed or nervous about the GOP presidential contest. The field is fairly broad and there have already been nearly a dozen debates.
For a few weeks Hermain Cain was up and this week saw the rise of Newt Gingrich. Mitt Romney looks steady but is not pulling away. Michelle Bachmann won the Iowa Straw poll but is now in single digits. Rick Perry catapulted to the front at first, then made some debate mistakes and fell back.
And on and on.
Everywhere I go, people are asking me who I will vote for, and express dismay over the daily changing landscape. To those who are concerned, I have a simple response:
Relax and watch the game.
Politics is like the National Football League. The “regular season” is still going on and we really don’t know who will make the “playoffs.” We also don’t know who will get hot in their playoff run and then go on to the Big Dance.
So do not despair. The game is on, one “team” will rise to the top, and that “team” should go on to beat Team Obama in the “Super Bowl.”
My prediction: GOP 55 – Obama 45.
Here’s why the 2012 Republican presidential race is eerily similar to the NFL.
First of all, let’s examine the dynamics of America’s favorite sport–the NFL.
The beginning of the National Football League season always starts with much speculation and hype. Most fans believe their team is going to do well, and predictions about who will rise are all over the map. Then the regular season begins and the teams start playing. Some do better than expected and others tank. The regular season is there to confirm who teams that can become play-off contenders.
By the time the playoffs arrive, you have a much better idea of who the superior teams are. They’ve navigated the ups and downs of the long regular season, honed their strengths, worked on their weaknesses, and finished in a position to move on.
After a rugged playoff schedule, only two teams are left standing. They are, at that time, the cream of the crop in the league. In the biggest sporting event in the world, they face off in the Super Bowl–and only one takes home the crown as “World Champion.”
Now let’s transpose that process to the current GOP presidential race.
First of all, a caveat. I will probably disappoint or anger some of you by comparing your favorite team to a current GOP contender. Of course, the comparisons are never perfect, but I’ll try to imaginatively do my best.
Secondly, things change every week as the season progresses. So what is said today may be different at the end of the season. So give me some slack. I’m trying to make a point–and use a little humor to do it.
Mitt Romney is like the New England Patriots. He’s steady and a perennial contender, but he doesn’t appear to be a juggernaut this year. He’s got a good arm like Tom Brady, but he’s not one of the younger “quarterbacks” in the league. He’s got a great “coaching staff” (like Bill Belichick), but there’s questions about whether he can go all the way. No matter how good he is, some people just don’t like “the Patriots.”
Rick Perry is similar to the Houston Texans. They were a favorite to rise in the 2011-2012 season, but lost some games early on and appeared to be going nowhere. But the past few weeks they’ve been winning–and maybe over the long haul they can make it back to the top.
Newt Gingrich is the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has the heritage, the trophies, and probably “knows football” better than anybody else. Deep down many people want to see him win and “kick Obama’s butt” in the presidential debates. But later down the line, he may be on the “defensive” as some past personal mistakes are blown up by the media (Ben Rothlisberger–can you relate?) Of course, good defense wins Super Bowls. (Troy Polamalu-we need you!).
Herman Cain is like the Buffalo Bills. For a few weeks he looked almost unbeatable, but then he began to lose a few games with some “unsportsmanlike conduct” accusations. I believe these charges are all bogus, but the refs still threw the flags. Herman needs to get his act together and go back to the top of his game. Otherwise, it will be a long off-season.
Michelle Bachmann is like the Detroit Lions. She’s a “young team” and started out with a bang. But now she has lost some games and gone back to the middle of the pack. She can win a “wild card” race with a primary triumph in Iowa, but it will not be easy. But don’t count her out yet. She has a “spine made with steel” (maybe she’s really a Steeler).
I think you get the idea, but here are a few more analogies.
- Jon Huntsman is the Cleveland Browns. His campaign is too “dreary”. He’s not going to win this year.
- Ron Paul is the Dallas Cowboys. There’s a loyal following, but he always trips up on the big stage due to foreign policy “interceptions” (think Tony Romo’s playoff record.)
- Rick Santorum is the Oakland Raiders. They’re young and good looking, but even Carson Palmer can’t save them.
- Tim Pawlenty–oh he’s gone already–just like the Indianapolis Colts. He was 0-8 before things got going.
And unfortunately, there is no “Green Bay Packers” in this year’s GOP race. It might have been Chris Christie, but you never know until they play the game.
So back to the actual race.
It is completely normal that the the GOP contenders are fighting it out now and positions and polling are going back and forth. That’s normal in the regular season. The NFL teams are doing the same. The regular season is necessary to see who has the better package to rise to the top of the heap.
Then the playoffs will begin. The first “game” will be the Iowa caucuses, followed by the new Hampshire and South Carolina primaries. Just like the polls aren’t extremely important now, neither is the regular season except to put certain teams in a position to move on.
The playoffs are the primaries. That’s when people will cast their real votes and we will see who the Grand Old Party believes is their best team. At that point, the better candidates will get on a roll, and as the playoffs end, only one team–one Republican presidential candidate–will win.
That candidate will play Barack Obama in the Super Bowl of Politics.
The eventual GOP nominee will have greatly elevated their game by the end. They will have a clear set of principles that are superior to that of Team Obama. Not matter who they are, they will be a believer in smaller government, lower deficits, no new taxes, sound social policy, and in a word: freedom.
In the “Super Bowl,” Obama will bring his “offense” of Obamacare, bigger government, hostility toward the family and Christianity, and will be on “defense” for a lousy economy that he has failed to improve. His game plan is also very clear. History calls it tyranny.
In that all important final contest, the GOP will win because even though we were blinded by the charisma of Team Obama in 2008, in November of 2012 a majority of the American people will take note that Barack Obama was not really the champion of hope and change that he purported to be.
We thought he was Vince Lombardi and the Pack.
But really, he is more like the Toledo Mud Hens.
Team GOP will win the 2012 Super Bowl Election. The refs for the game will be the mainstream media and they will keep it close by throwing some bogus penalty flags (think Seattle Seahawks versus Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006).
The game will not not be easy, and unlike football, we are not just spectators. We will need to pray desperately, repent of our past wrong choices, and get into the game to help all the best candidates win on a local, state and national level–not just the Super Bowl.
But we will win.
America can’t afford another lock-out.
To read a good article on the Republican candidates by political strategist Dick Morris, please click here.
It’s Not Gridlock–It’s Game On! The Tea Party Vs. The Flea Party
Though I don’t agree with either the message or methods of the Occupy Wall Street crowd, I’m glad they’ve taken the field in America’s culture war.
For quite some time the mainstream media have told us that the problem in Washington, D.C. is gridlock–that our politicians just need to listen to one another, and then come up with some bi-partisan solutions to the nation’s problems.
We are told ad nauseam that political gridlock is the problem–that both conservatives and liberals are to blame–and that the answer is to heed the call for civility made by Rodney King in 1992:
“You know, can we all get along?”
But now thanks to Occupy Wall Street, the truth is clear: The game to shape America’s future is on–the teams have taken the field–and only one team can win. It’s a cultural clash that will end in victory for one side and defeat for the other.
For which side will you fight?
I think it’s helpful to compare the 2011-2012 US culture war to the American game of football. Two teams take the field. They go at one another for sixty minutes–there is back and forth, ebb and flow of the contest–bruises aplenty and even some serious injuries. In the end, only one team is the victor. The groups don’t compromise–they don’t work out a plan to make everybody happy.
They fight it out on the field and the best team wins. Real wars work the same way.
With the 2012 election looming, America is engaged in a desperate and serious struggle for its future. I know of a Christian leader who has a book coming out this fall who believes that the next president of the United States will affect history for good or evil for the next one hundred years.
Whether he right or not, this I do know: For the next thirteen months, the game is on.
Here’s my view of the contest.
Team One – The Tea Party
One team in America desires to renew America’s exceptional roots. This team is best symbolized by the Tea Party movement which burst on the scene in 2009 in response to the election of Barack Obama and his desire to take the nation in the direction of socially-democratic Europe. Spontaneous gatherings erupted around the nation of ordinary Americans, many in their middle and latter years, who carried a clear message to their elected officials of the need for reduced spending, lower taxes, and limiting the size and scope of government.
The Tea Party movement, like its revolutionary namesake, lit a fire for traditional Christian values and the type of limited government it produces. The movement got heavily involved in grass roots politics and saw landslide victories in the 2010 elections. In 2012 they hope to win the presidency, gain a majority in the US Senate, and retain the House of Representatives. They also understand the need for small government leadership in our towns, cities, and statehouses.
Tea Party activists–and the people who resonate with them–desire an America that acknowledges God in our public life, supports traditional values including marriage, free market capitalism, and our God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Justice is seen as creating a level playing field for all people where some can become successful if they choose–and others can settle for less if they desire.
In this Judeo-Christian worldview, every person is responsible before God for their outcomes in life. Character determines destiny. Government’s job is to protect people’s rights and punish evil both inside and outside our borders.
The Tea Party Team is the “home” team. They are historic America. They are composed of conservatives and independents with at least a memory of biblical ideas and how they made America great. They want to see those ideals flourish in our land again.
Team Two – The Flea Party
This is symbolized by the Occupy Wall Street crowd. The movement was recently nick-named by conservative columnist Ann Coulter. I’ll let her explain the meaning of the Flea Party moniker:
“So far, the only major accomplishment of the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protesters is that they have finally put an end to their previous initiative, ‘Occupy Our Mothers’ Basements.'”
“Oddly enough for such a respectable-looking group — a mixture of adolescents looking for a cause, public sector union members, drug dealers, criminals, teenage runaways, people who have been at every protest since the Berkeley Free Speech Movement… they can’t even explain what they’re protesting.”
“The protesters either treat inquiries about their purpose as a trick question, or — worse — instantly rattle off a series of insane causes: “No. 1, abolish capitalism; No. 2, because 9/11 was an inside job; No. 3, because Mumia is innocent …”
“Curiously, the only point universally agreed upon by the protesters and their admirers in the Democratic Party and the mainstream media is that “Occupy Wall Street” should be compared to the tea party. Yes, that would be the same tea party that has been denounced and slandered by the Democratic Party and the mainstream media for the last three years.”
“As a refresher: The Democratic National Committee called the tea partiers ‘angry mobs’ and ‘rabid right-wing extremists.’ ABC said they were a ‘mob.’ CNN accused them of ‘rabble rousing.’ Harry Reid called them ‘evil mongers.’ Nancy Pelosi said they were ‘un-American.'”
“But apparently liberals couldn’t even convince themselves that tea partiers were an extremist group unworthy of emulation. At least they’re embarrassed about what the OWS protesters really are: wingless, bloodsucking and parasitic. This is the flea party, not the tea party.”
Ann’s not far off. Just look at the current protests. They’re made up of primarily young people and older hippie-types who seem to enjoy slamming the system. They were joined–and many even paid to protest– by some labor organizations and communist/socialist groups backed by the progressive pockets of George Soros.
The Flea Party wants to destroy America as we know it. They are the “visiting” team who do not believe in our history. Though their message might be jaded by too much marijuana inhalation, they want bigger government, taking money from the rich and giving it to others, cradle-to grace entitlements, and I guess–a socialist utopia like, say, the Soviet Union! (Whoops–wrong example. That didn’t end well… How about Venezuela, Cuba, or North Korea?).
Interestingly, our current Democratic leaders are embracing the Flea Party. President Obama might have launched the movement himself with his incessant class warfare rhetoric over the past few months. It could be a re-election strategy: Take attention off the dismal moral and financial problems facing our nation–he can’t run on his record–and blame the greedy fat cats on Wall Street! (Whoops again–Wall Street gave historic amounts of money to Barack Obama in 2008…Oh well, people might not remember.)
The Flea Party is a cultural team devoted to secular values. They want God and his prudish morals out of America and demand a Bigger Uncle Same to play Robin Hood–to take from the rich and give to the poor. They’re willing to start a violent revolution if necessary (a la Europe?) to bring about transformative change. This team is mostly made up of liberal progressives and left-leaning independents. They want Big Government to level and control the playing field.
But Erick Erickson of redstate.com has a better solution:
“The point is not that we now need to punish those big businesses. The point is that we need to re-level the playing field and make it a fair competition between entrepreneur and corporation again. We need big business to stop living off the taxpayer dole. We need a new age of corporate welfare reform like the welfare reform of the 1990s.”
“The playing field has been tilted toward the big businesses because they are the only ones who had the capital to stay ahead of government regulations and new government burdens, and the influence to bend new laws in their direction. The playing field does not need to be tipped back in favor of others. Just level it. An upright tower build on a slope will topple the moment the slope is laid flat.”
The Referees
Every football games has its refs, and our present titanic clash is no exception. At the present time, the majority of the referees are the liberal mainstream media who demean the Tea Party and sympathize with the Flea Party. They support Barack Obama and want to see America permanently changed. They’re similar to the referees of the 2006 Super Bowl between the Steelers and the Seahawks who said they were neutral but really favored Pittsburgh on a number of controversial calls.
Seattle coach Mike Holgren said at that time that he expected to play the Steelers–not the men in black and white stripes. I feel the same today. Media bias makes it very difficult for the Tea Party traditionalists to win.
However, the emergence of Fox News and conservative radio has placed a few other refs on the field that could influence the outcome.
But it’s still an uphill battle.
For the next thirteen months these two teams and their philosophical allies will be fighting it out on the gridiron of the American destiny. Only one team will win. The wild card of this contest is which side will God’s people join. Will they pray and get involved to bring the United States back to its godly roots? Or will the Church unwittingly support the dissolving of our godly heritage?
It’s time to think clearly. This is not about gridlock. The game is on. One team will win and the other will lose.
It’s that simple and that profound.
I hope we choose wisely. Our future hangs in the balance.
Rick Perry—GameChanger–and a Fascinating Flashback
Texas Governor Rick Perry’s Saturday announcement to seek the Republican nomination for president of the United States had been expected for some time–but is still a game changer in the 2012 race.
It came on a politically loaded day that saw Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann win the Iowa Straw Poll 29% to 28% over Rep. Ron Paul. Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty came in fourth and had the “class” and wisdom to withdraw from the race a day later.
With Perry’s announcement, Bachmann’s win, and Mitt Romney’s top tier status, I’m having an unusual flashback to a previous era.
Perry is the key to it–but the other comparisons are very interesting…
First of all, Rick Perry.
His entrance into the race is truly a game changer because he is the clearest alternative to Barack Obama for a number of reasons:
Executive experience
He’s the longest serving governor in America at eleven years and counting. Barack Obama entered the White House with zero years of executive experience under his belt–and it has showed in a very inept presidency including his lack of leadership in the recent debt-ceiling debate. If it weren’t for what Sean Hannity calls the “Obamamania Media,” Barack Obama would be compared to Jimmy Carter–one of the most ineffective presidents in history.
Not Perry. He’s a skilled leader and manager whose administrative team has been together a long time and brings rave reviews everywhere they go.
Job-creating expertise
Though jobs can be counted in a variety of ways, a clear consensus says that the state of Texas, under Rick Perry’s leadership, has created 30-50 percent of all the jobs created in the United States in the past ten years. That amounts to nearly one million jobs in just one of the fifty states. Very impressive. This stands in stark contrast to the abysmal loss of jobs and rising unemployment under the Obama administration.
The simple truth is that Governor Rick Perry and the state of Texas understand that balanced budgets, lower debt and taxes, less government regulations, greater freedoms for entrepreneurs–i.e. smaller government–is the engine of job growth.
On the other hand the Obama Administration is stuck in the failed philosophy of Keynesian economic ideas–that government stimulus and controls are the key to economic prosperity.
It didn’t work in FDR’s New Deal and it’s not working now.
The experts keep saying that Obama has “run out of options.” Really? No, he’s just run out of the wrong options of government interventionism that are cursing our economic recovery. He could easily pivot to many of the right actions of shrinking deficits, modifying entitlements, getting rid of onerous federal regulations, and reforming the tax code.
But Barack Obama is deeply committed to the European socialist model of wealth re-distribution. He doesn’t appear willing to change.
Commitment to constitutional, limited government.
Perry is known for his commitment to smaller, leaner, Constitution-based government. Texas is famous for this equation and it shows in their robust economy. This is really the choice being offered to Americans in 2012: Do you want the Big Government policies of Barack Obama to guide into the 21st century, or are you willing to return to the time-tested formula of the US Constitution and its principles which brought America into greatness?
All of the Republican candidates believe in cutting the size or growth of government–but Rick Perry has actually done it in America’s second largest state. He is a clear alternative to Barack Obama’s faith in the ever-growing nannny state and its immense restraints on freedom.
Evangelical faith
A number of the Republican candidates are strong evangelicals (such as Rick Santorum, Michelle Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty), but Rick Perry’s faith also produces action. He was the recent visionary for The Response which drew scores of thousands of people to Texans Stadium for a day of fasting and prayer for America. Many others joined them from around the nation.
Rick Perry understands the fundamental equation for liberty: Faith in God in individual lives and familes–producing morality and stability in society–creating freedom, opportunity, inventiveness and prosperity.
Governor Perry had the guts to call the nation–and its 49 other governors–to a 2 Chronicles 7:14 day of repentance before God on August 6. He personally led the gathering in prayer. He understand that economic tweaks or reforms won’t get us anywhere if we are not right with God as a people. Talk about inspiring hope and change!
That leads me to my first flashback: Rick Perry reminds me an awful lot of Ronald Reagan–who, in my book, was the greatest president of the 20th century. Perry has Reagan’s faith, worldview, executive experience in a large state, charisma, humility, and potential.
Rick Perry is a game-changer for the 2012 elections.
Then there is the rising star of Michelle Bachmann. She is one of the most principled voices of the current GOP candidates. She is also a strong evangelical, a mother who has raised 26 foster children, an attorney, an effective legislator–and in her words–a woman with a “titanium spine” who will stop the disease of runaway spending and over dependence on government.
She’s not only articulate on the stump–but she’s fearless in her positions and the causes that she believes in. This is the reason that America appears to be falling in love with her: They know that she is an uncompromising leader who could also bring us some true hope for the future.
Michelle Bachmann reminds me of another flashback–Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of Great Britain. Mrs. Thatcher was known for her strong faith and conservative principles. During her tenure as English PM from 1979-1990, she earned the nickname of “The Iron Lady.”
Michelle Bachmann fits the same bill. And God knows we need some leaders with spine to take us through the difficult days ahead.
Then there is Mitt Mitt Romney, a leading contender for the Republican nomination. Mitt is a Mormon with good principles and strong executive experience as governor of Massachusetts. Probably his greatest asset is his business acumen and experience which is definitely needed in the government sphere.
Mitt Romney brings me a flashback of businessman Ross Perot. He also ran for president to bring good business sense back into the public domain.
Watch for the “Impalinization” for all three of these candidates in the coming months. That’s a made-up word. It’s a combination of “impale” which means to: a. To pierce with a sharp stake or point.b. To torture or kill by impaling.” And it refers to the unfair but successful media destruction of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin during the 2008 presidential campaign and years following.
The secular press, which wants the United States to continue heading in a secular/socialist direction, will use every tactic of “Impalinization” to destroy these three leaders between now and November 2012.
Let’s pray against the bias, and ask God for his truth to prevail.
I’m having a flashback of Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Ross Perot in Rick Perry, Michelle Bachmann, and Mitt Romney–all in one party and election. Call it a Dream Team.
I don’t know if the comparisons fit, but time will tell. The other conservative candidates are also very attractive and deserve a chance to compete.
May God guide us in our choice of leaders, forgive us as a people for turning from Him and His ways, and bring blessing and renewal to these United States of America.