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Friday, November 21, 2008

The Crowd Goes Wild.
World Series? No, Just Politics


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For nearly a year my husband, a diehard Obama supporter from day one, has been completely obsessed with news coverage of the national presidential election. He reads the newspaper from cover to cover, then reads more papers online. His favorite form of relaxation? -- Sitting in front of MSNBC news munching Kettle Chips while guzzling a can of Diet Coca-Cola.

“It’s like you’re following your favorite sports team,” I said to him, one day this summer.

“Yeah, I guess it is like that,” he agreed.

Consider the comparisons:

PRIMARIES AND PLAYOFFS

Since January, Presidential candidates have competed with each other to win two coveted spots, the Republican or Democratic party nominations. Likewise, since April, Major League Baseball teams have competed with each other to win two coveted spots, the American or National League Championships.

The winners of the political party nominations go on to compete in the national election for the United States Presidency. The winners of the baseball league championships go on to compete in the World Series.

STATISTICS AND SCORECARDS


Charts and maps are published. CNN posts a “racehorse” scorecard with red-white-and-blue Democrat donkeys running neck and neck. Bets are placed in Las Vegas. The news media goes wild. John Edwards, the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate from the 2004 election, drops out at the end of January after receiving a handful of delegates. Hillary Clinton wins California in the Super Tuesday, February 5 primary election and must simply defeat Obama to go on to compete in the World Series of politics, the National Election.

It’s September 30, 2008 and the Chicago White Sox of Illinois have just beaten the Minnesota Twins to advance to the American League Division Series championship. They are favored to beat the Tampa Bay Rays, the worst ranked team of 2007.

Statistics are recorded. A June 2, 2008 poll by the Daily Yonder shows that rural voters favor Clinton 56.6% to 43.4% for Obama. I don’t see how Obama can pull it off.

But wait a minute. Does Barack Obama still have a chance? Will the underdog defeat the favorite? I think so. He’s still in the running. Look at ‘em go! February 12 primaries earn him the delegates from Virginia, Maryland, and DC, enough to push him slightly ahead of Clinton.

In a surprise upset Tampa wipes out the Chicago White Sox on October 6, 2008 by winning all of the first four games in a row. They’ve advanced to play the Boston Red Sox on October 10.

ONLY ONE STAR PLAYER

In January of 2008, Rudy Giuliani attempted to win the Republican party nomination by campaigning only across the state of Florida. The headline of the St. Petersburg Times reads, “Giuliani bets all on Florida.” (Photo from CNN).


That’s kind of like China putting all of their faith in Yao Ming at the Olympics this summer. He’s a great player and towers over most competitors, just as Florida has a lot of delegate votes. But putting all your eggs in one basket rarely works. The United States defeated China 101 to 70. Rudy Guliani only earned 15 percent of Florida’s delegate votes, compared to McCain’s 35 percent and Mitt Romney’s 31 percent (according to the Jan. 29, 2008 New York Post).

CONFLICTED LOYALTIES

Eenie-Meenie-Minie-Moe

I myself, am conflicted. Early in the election, I am rooting for my longtime-favorite, Hillary Clinton, but I do admire my “homeboy,” former NC Senator, John Edwards. My husband, on the other hand, is a staunch Obama supporter.

In the 2006 Superbowl, I was also torn. Four teams were in the playoffs and I had allegiances to three of them. I grew up in North Carolina where we had no team at the time, so I became a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan instead. I still have my black and gold Steelers knit cuffed hat with a tassel, practically a relic, from the 1970s Superbowl wins. However, North Carolina, the place where I was born and raised and where most of my family still reside, now has its own NFL team, the Panthers, who will also compete in the playoffs. To divide allegiances further, my husband was rooting for the Seattle Seahawks, the team he grew up with in Seattle.

In the end, I didn’t care if any of my three teams won. I would still be happy. Similarly, I didn’t care if Clinton, Edwards, Obama, or any other candidate won the Democratic primary, as long as they won the big race, the White House. Any Democrat is better than none.

OUTRAGEOUS SELLS


The Republican party Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, has been branded “Caribou Barbie” after the news media learns that she is a gun-toting former beauty queen. She is parodied on Saturday Night Live, earning the comedy show its best ratings ever of a estimated 14 million viewers, according to the NY Daily News.

Dennis Rodman – AP photo from 1996

It’s 1993 and NBA basketball star, Dennis Rodman, best known for playing for the San Antonio Spurs and later for the Chicago Bulls, has begun to dye his hair red, blue, and purple. His flamboyant lifestyle attracts the attention of the rich and famous and he has an affair with Madonna as well as a ten-day marriage to Carmen Electra. He publishes an autobiography, “Bad As I Wanna Be,” and wears a wedding dress to promote the book. Despite leaving the NBA in 2000, he is still a huge crowd pleaser to this very day. He’s starred in movies, wrestled professionally, and been a contestant on numerous reality TV shows, including Celebrity Mole where he won the $220,000 grand prize. He currently hosts a blog on Opensports.com.

SCANDALS

During the presidential campaign on October 10, 2007, the National Enquirer accused Democratic candidate John Edwards of having a secret extramarital affair with Reille Hunter, a documentary filmmaker he hired to film his campaign. In December, an Enquirer article accused Edwards of fathering Reille’s child, and said that one of his aides, Andrew Young, had set up house for her in a posh home supplied by a campaign donor. Although Edwards denied the allegations, the rumor handicapped his performance and he quit the presidential race in late January, 2008 after voters put him in a distant third to Hillary and Obama. (NOTE: In an August 2008 ABC interview with Bob Woodruff, Edwards admitted to the affair, but said the child was not his.)

L’Equipe cover, “Armstrong, the lie”

Bicyclist Lance Armstrong, seven time winner of the Tour De France from 1999 to 2005, and cancer survivor, is accused of doping. A book titled L.A. Confidential is released in 2004 where Armstrong’s former masseuse, Emma O’Reilly, claims she helped cover signs of his drug use by disposing of syringes and covering needle marks with makeup. A former teammate, Steve Swart, claims he and Armstrong began using drugs in 1995. Also, a test in 1999 did show traces of steroid use. Armstrong agrees to more drug testing, denies any drug use, and argues that his rigorous training schedule and self-discipline are what really led to his victories. However, Armstrong retires from bicycle racing -- the negative publicity isn’t worth the hassle. (Info from Wikipedia)

INJURIES

After the 134th Kentucky Derby on May 3, 2008, second place winner Eight Belles, a crowd favorite, had to be euthanized after losing the race to Big Brown. She has broken both her front ankles during the post-race cool down.

Only four weeks before the election, Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani backs out of the 2000 Senate race against Hillary Clinton after discovering he has developed prostate cancer. Clinton, already leading slightly, is able to race past Giuliani and win the NY State Senate seat. Fortunately, Giuliani recovers from his cancer, but to this day, Clinton is still secure in the coveted Senate seat. (Giuliani may have an opportunity to win the seat if Clinton leaves for a position in Obama’s cabinet.) 

THE UNDERDOG SQUEAKS BY

It’s June 3, 2008 and the presidential race is still on. After competing neck and neck, Obama has pulled away in burst of energy and just won North Carolina. Obama has 2201 delegate votes to Hillary’s 1896. Hillary is out. Obama is the Democratic candidate! What an upset! Obama will run against Rebublican candidate, John McCain in the national Presidential election.

It’s October 19, 2008 and the Tampa Bay Rays of Florida have beaten the Boston Red Sox of Massachusetts in game seven of the American League Playoffs! By golly, the underdog has done it! Tampa will play its first World Series! Whoopie!

MARKETING AND MOTTOS

The new Tampa Bay Rays logo features sun rays. 
The new Obama logo features a rising sun.
The new Tampa motto is, “We are one team.” 
Obama says, “We are one nation.”

The year before the season began, Tampa Bay decided to revamp their image. They dropped the name, “Devil” and became simply, “The Rays.” Their team colors are now navy and Columbia blue with gold accents. The iridescent green and pterodactyl-like stingray are gone. Their new logo is cleaner and brighter and evicts sun rays instead of sting rays.

Rays owner Stuart Sternberg announces in a press release, “We are now the Rays.” Tampa Bay Rays president announces the new team motto in the St. Petersburg Times, “We are one team!”

Similarily, Barack Obama has also revamped his campaign image. Marketing firms Sender LLC and mo/de worked together to create the ingenious, “O” logo, an “O” for Obama containing a rising sun evoking a sense of hope. (see Jan. 3, 2008 Under Consideration.) The logo proves extremely versatile and can be used not only in place of the letter “O” in the spelling of states, such as in flOrida, and Ohio, but can also be customized to promote individual pack support groups, such as adding stars for Veterans, or a rainbow for Gay and Lesbians.

“We are one people,” and “We are one nation,” says Obama in his campaign speeches.

MERCHANDISING

Christina, Denise, and Elizabeth Cabicano celebrate a Rays victory. MLB photo.

In September 2008, Tampa Bay Online reports that the Tampa Bay Rays have sold nearly double the merchandise in 2008 over the previous year due to the new logo and team colors. This years winning season is attributed with increasing sales further another 25 percent.

Floridians are getting ready for the Major League playoffs. Businesses deck themselves in Tampa Rays regalia in preparation for the seven game World Series. The Clearwater Publix grocery stores are selling shirts reading, “Beat the Phillies.”

Websites featuring Obama merchandise are created. The August 17, 2008 Boston Globe reports that Obama merchandise is flying off store shelves. Entrepreneurial t-shirt designers and printers walk among crowds at Obama rallies, hawking their wares. On November 4, 2008, At the DNC headquarters where I worked, a woman was offered $50 for a campaign button she got for $1. While at an Orlando Magic Game, I am offered an autographed Dwight Howard jersey, a $300 value, in exchange for my official Obama t-shirt I received for a $15 donation.

A few weeks before the general election, the nation becomes polarized. Republicans wear red. Democrats wear blue. Yard signs and bumper stickers announce the owner’s favorite “team.”

NON-STOP NEWS COVERAGE

Logo for Decision 2008 is from: TheTimesHerald.com

TV commercials and news broadcasts are dominated by politics and sports. As my grumpy Republican father noted, “You can’t turn on the television without seeing something about either the election or the World Series.”

On MSNBC, my husband discovers Countdown with Keith Olbermann, hosted by a former sportscaster and news anchor who has evolved into a liberal political news commentator. Olbermann delivers election news the way he used to deliver sports news -- with zest, passion, and fury.

My husband and I begin to only watch WKMG, Local6, since it is the only local news channel in our area that gives equal time to the Democratic candidate visits and isn’t biased in favor of the Republicans.

ACCUSATIONS OF CHEATING

My husband and I watched with dismay in 2006 as officials essentially hands the Superbowl to the crowd favorite, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although I had no allegiance to either team, it disturbed me that professional officials would be allowed to show blatent favoritism for one team over another. Videos are posted on Youtube showing proof of bad calls by officials. Newspapers publish angry letters. Petitions are circulated requesting a change in the way officials are paid so there cannot be a conflict of interest. Columnists and bloggers say the Seahawks were robbed. (See Feb. 6, 2006 Sports Pulse blog for a list of bad calls. See Feb. 8, 2006 ESPN Sports Nation, Feb. 6, 2006 Sportscolumn, Feb. 8, 2006 East Carolinian, Apr. 1, 2006 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Feb. 7, 2006 Seattle Times, Feb. 6, 2006 Washington Post, Feb. 5, 2006 Seattle Times.) 

The image of Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, giving a sheepish grin to the official almost as if to say, “You can’t blame me for trying,” after he edged forward to push the ball over the line after the play was already ended, will forever be burned in my brain. The official gave him the touchdown. It was an eye opening moment for me and my delusions of fair play were crushed. Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren protested the call, but official Referee, Bill Leavy, upheld it. Even Roethlisberger himself later admitted it wasn’t a touchdown on David Letterman. (See Feb. 10, 2006 Oberlin Review)

After a very close presidential election in 2000 between Al Gore and George Bush, the outcome was finally decided by the Florida Secretary of State, Katherine Harris, a Republican and co-chair of Bush’s campaign. Voters had used paper punch ballots which lined up incorrectly and sometimes did not punch all the way through, jamming reader machines, and causing incorrect results. Recounts revealed several flaws in the system: there were more votes recorded than registered voters in one county, about 175,000 votes had been thrown out due to either two votes or no votes, and 58,000 suspected felons were not allowed to vote (only about 5,800 should have been removed) after being taken off voter registrations by Harris and Governor, Jeb Bush, George Bush’s brother (See investigation in Apr. 29, 2004 the Nation). Since Bush won by less than 600 votes, the 52,200 voters who were not allowed to vote might have given the election to Gore.

Fortunately, unlike professional football, many measures have been taken in Florida to help ensure that elections results are accurate. Florida now uses a paper ballot where the voter fills in their choices with a black pen. The forms are fed into a machine where they are read and locked inside so they cannot be fed again. Early Voting was instituted to give voters more time to work out registration problems. Democrats enlisted hundreds of lawyers to assist anyone turned away at the polls. 

Fraud caused by dual voting is still possible (although very illegal), by voting in two states, usually by absentee ballot or early voting. This problem could be solved with a national registry based on Social Security numbers instead of registering using names and addresses.

VICTORY PARTIES

World series victory photo from “Press of Atlantic City.

October 30, 2008 and the Phillies have cinched the World Series after several snow delays. Champagne corks are popped, fireworks explode, and fans gather in the streets to celebrate.

Obama victory party at Grant Park from the Windycitizen.com

November 4, 2008 and crowds gather in the street to celebrate Barack Obama’s election win. My friend Selma calls me from Seattle to let me know that people are partying on Capitol Hill. Television news stations show live shots of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Georgia, Times Square in NY, and Grant Park in Chicago.

AFTER THE ELECTION DEPRESSION

It’s been over a week since the election and I’ve found myself wallowing in “what do I do with myself, now,” pity. The excitement after winning has nearly worn off. The sign waving -- a distant memory. The new President is now picking his cabinet. I am finally ready to put away my Obama mementos for future placement in a scrapbook.

The let down is a bit like the “after the Superbowl” or “World Series” feeling. Your team won or lost. The media has hashed and rehashed it. Now, it’s time to get on with your life.

Good thing I bought Orlando Magic tickets. Mom, can you please knit me a bright blue and white hat for Christmas, one with a tassel?