If you want to win you have to swing for the fence!

When I was a kid my friends and I would play baseball. It was unorganized. In fact, often it was downright chaotic. It was loud and argumentative and lacking in finesse. One thing could be counted on, however…we were going for the big plays. We always hit the ball hard, threw the ball fast and slid head-first when we stole a base (except when we played on the street. We were crazy, not stupid). We ended each game with torn clothes, bruised bodies and bleeding knees and elbows. Often, we were grounded for something. But no one could say we didn’t play hard. And when we lost, at least we had some cool scars to brag about.

My first year playing organized baseball our coach sat us down and, without even a hint of irony, informed us that we were going to be a bunting team. Yes, a bunting team! Boy I can’t tell you how exciting that was! Name one great baseball player who was famous for his bunting. You can’t, can you. Well, there’s a reason for that. Whereas bunting can be a useful strategy to advance a runner, it is by no means a technique on which to build a team to win. Our team was 0-14 for the season. We would have been 0-15, but one game only eight of us showed up. I played center right field (the only time I’ve ever been center right in anything). The game was called after two and a half innings with a score of 20-0, not enough innings to count as an official game.

I can tell you with certainty that there is nothing more dispiriting than being on a bunting team!

This midterm election Democrats are afraid that they their liberal base will not show up to vote for them. Well, that could be true. If it works out that way then Democrats have no one to blame but themselves. This was their election to lose. With a left of center Democratic president and solid majorities in both houses the Democrats could have been a World Series team. Instead, they chose to be a bunting team…

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