Politics as football

With football in preseason and the 2010 mid-term elections just around the corner it occured to me that there are some disturbing similarities. Football is a great American pastime and we love to root for the home team. It has become such an important part of our lives that we buy cars in the team colors, arrange our vacations around play-offs and send our kids to the schools of our favorite teams. That's a good thing, right? Well yes, but there is also the aspect of blind allegiance to our team regardless of weather they play well, abuse their players, take drugs, abuse animals or many other unsavory acts that we read about. This is where football and politics collide. Many Americans are rooting for their political team to win without really knowing or maybe even caring how they go about winning. In "political football" it has become "my team, right or wrong" with no consideration for what happens after the game. In sports if the coach video tapes the other team's signals (New England Patriots & Bill Belicheck) no real harm is done except to our sense of fair play, but in the job of governing our country, the results matter. Policy positions have become things candidates say to please the crowds and are easily changed when they don't suit them or are wrapped in the flag as patriotic to convince people that not thinking like they do is somehow un-American. What we truly need in the country is more people rooting for good policy and not just our team. There are many opinions out there but there are also facts, history and examples of good governance and if we care about our children's future and the health and well being of this great country we'll take a good hard look at what the people on our team or theirs are doing with our resources. Next from the Populist Tyrant: Why did we sell arms to Iran and who really benefited?