Back on October 3rd, following Debate #1, I wrote a diary stating that The Boss had performed a great Rope-a-Dope on Rmoney. At the time, it just seemed too out-of-character for this great, bright man to be so apparently listless in Round One of the Quad Debate cage match. Sumpin' was up. There was some splainin' to do. Rope-a-dope seemed a more reasonable splainin' than, "Well, Barack just had a bad night." This is a guy who hasn't had a bad night since about age 19 -- he's a consistent winner. Winners like the president just don't have bad nights, especially not like that one.
I suspected something at the time, and I think it's even a stronger theory now:
The Boss Rope-a-Doped Rmoney to sop up some of the money that was starting to leak out of the top of the card and into down-ticket races.
Hear me out on this one.
As September drew to a close, the poll margins were widening in favor of the Good Guy at the top of the ticket.
Punditry wisdom, such as it is, was starting to run stories and parodies about "The Stench", sure loserdom for Rmoney/Eddie Munster, what was Eddie going to do next, circular firing squads, the whole lot. There were a number of stories about The REAL MONEY seeking other targets, going after PROFESSOR Warren, Joe Donnelly, Tester, Claire and the other on-the-bubble Senate races, or heading into House races and even into state level races.
Here's the punchline:
I thought, and I still think, that the president was extremely confident of winning, so much so that he could throw Round One and sop up more of that money back into a race he knew he could win, AND PULL IT OUT OF THE DOWNBALLOT RACES.
OK, here's where you get to start smacking me around for being so idolatrous of Barack Obama.
However, this is a guy who plays the long game better than any politician I've ever seen. It's no compliment, but the next best was probably Nixon. For all his character flaws, he could play ahead like no one else on the national or world stage.
But this president is better in all regards, particularly in his lack of cynicism and base evil.
So...go ahead, start smacking.
I'm still gonna choose to believe this, myth or not.
Maybe in about 10 years on the Discovery Channel, there'll be one of those crazy conspiracy shows that includes, "Exclusive! Never explained before now! Barack Obama Rope-a-Doped whatzizname in 2012 to soak up the billions coming into national politics with that since-overturned relic, "Citizens United", helping to expand the Senate majority and eat into the NutHouse majority!".
I have my little propeller hat here somewhere.