imreallyperplexed
Council Member
I like to compare the political season to the baseball season. There are some major differences of course. The baseball season has a definite opening day as well as the World Series when the champion is crowned. The political season does not have a clear opening day and lasts longer. But there are some similarities in my mind. In particular, over the course of a season, a championship is won day by day and game by game, series by series and week by week. If things go less than well one day, you pick yourself up and play the next game. Things go up and things go down.
With this metaphor in mind, there are two points worth mentioning. IMHO, though the Republican primary fight has been entertaining, we are only now really approaching Spring training. The Republicans have been battling to find a positive message (to accompany ABO) and to choose a messenger. It looks more like Romney will be the nominee at this point (though the fat lady has not yet sung) and his victory speech last night seemed like a dry run on his stump campaign speech. That said, the President - despite a few feints - has really just been scouting the competition and been focused primarily - as he should be - on governing. I expect the President to get more fully into joint campaigning/governing mode when the Congress opens next week and he delivers the State of the Union on January 24. The State of the Union speech will represent the opening of Spring training. The end of Spring training comes when the Republicans finally settle on a nominee (and it looks like it will be Romney.) At that point, the season begins.
PJers are political junkies so we have been paying close attention even before Spring training. Most Americans have not been paying that much attention. As Spring training starts, more attention will be paid. Once the regular season starts, more people will pay attention. As the season progresses, more and more "fans" will be drawn in.
It will be interesting to watch the games being played game by game and series by series and see how the season emerges.
With this metaphor in mind, there are two points worth mentioning. IMHO, though the Republican primary fight has been entertaining, we are only now really approaching Spring training. The Republicans have been battling to find a positive message (to accompany ABO) and to choose a messenger. It looks more like Romney will be the nominee at this point (though the fat lady has not yet sung) and his victory speech last night seemed like a dry run on his stump campaign speech. That said, the President - despite a few feints - has really just been scouting the competition and been focused primarily - as he should be - on governing. I expect the President to get more fully into joint campaigning/governing mode when the Congress opens next week and he delivers the State of the Union on January 24. The State of the Union speech will represent the opening of Spring training. The end of Spring training comes when the Republicans finally settle on a nominee (and it looks like it will be Romney.) At that point, the season begins.
PJers are political junkies so we have been paying close attention even before Spring training. Most Americans have not been paying that much attention. As Spring training starts, more attention will be paid. Once the regular season starts, more people will pay attention. As the season progresses, more and more "fans" will be drawn in.
It will be interesting to watch the games being played game by game and series by series and see how the season emerges.