For a while now, I've been bothered by the same things as most of you on this site: the Republican personal attacks on anyone and anything Democratic, the lies, the media spin, the emails that are blatantly false when fact-checked, and the dogged refusal of our opponents to face facts, to consider the legitimacy of a differing view, or to have a respectful, open discussion of what is best for our country. After hearing about the latest outrage, the disgusting display of Glenn Beck punching an image of President Obama every time he reads something that he disagrees with, I finally realized what's going on. The Republicans apparently don't understand it, but the days of being the bully, wading into any crowd or issue to start swinging fists, and insisting on one's own demands with a swift kick in the shins for anyone who won't submit - those days are over.
With some foresight, it looks to me like the Nobel committee realized it and the Republicans can't or won't. There's a new game in town.
Barack Obama is a basketball player, and apparently a pretty good one. It's now his game, and the world seems to agree that the boxing ring dominated by the bully is now a much larger court. There's a pattern to winning at basketball. You pass, cut, get denied, pass, cut, get denied, pass, cut, and score. We're not even out of the first quarter yet, and we've scored on a Supreme Court nominee, an economic recovery plan that has stopped the free-fall, a Cash for Clunkers plan that was successful beyond anyone's expectations, a reversal of the American image abroad, and now the Nobel Prize. It doesn't mean that the other side won't score a few lucky points or that every shot Obama takes will be a slam dunk. The Republicans have shown they don't even understand what a slam dunk is. In this game, though, there's no way a slow, mitt-fisted bully can keep up with a pass, cut and score strategy.
By the end of the fourth quarter, I predict we will have an economy on the way to recovery, new regulations to oversee corporations and investments, the closing of Gitmo, a new military policy for Gays, help for students and parents trying to deal with college costs, a tax code that is more fair, and real health care. I don't need, nor do I expect a layup on every play, but I intend to watch the game with much more excitement now.
Here we go.... pass, cut, denied (that's okay), pass, cut, denied (they're now out of position), pass, cut, score!