Life, croquet and politics...

[CoffeeCat]

On the last day of my senior year in high school, my history teacher announced an unexpected
final exam. Amid groans, we headed outside to the football practice field.

Not knowing what awaited us, our teacher guided us into the grass, where several croquet
games were set up--with wickets braced in the ground, and mallets and colored balls strewn about the
lawn.

Explaining the rules, our teacher told us how "bonus points" were played in croquet: We could hit
own ball ahead that number of points; or smack someone else's ball back that number of points.

After watching us play and keeping tabs on each game, our teacher called us to sit underneath a nearby
tree--where we learned about the intersection of croquet and life.

"I've asked you to play croquet today, because life is like a game of croquet," he said. "After graduation,
you will continually face life choices. How you handle those choices is important."

He continued, "As you stake your claim in this world, you will make thousands of choices---some big, some small.
Before you go out into that world, it's important to know the answer to this question--'Am I a person who gets ahead in
life by moving myself forward or by moving others backward?'"

That "final exam" happened many years ago, but it still has a profound impact in my life today.

If you look around, life truly is an ongoing croquet game.

Last Saturday, the lessons of croquet were played out in Iowa's Democratic District Conventions, when delegates
gathered in five Iowa districts to determine delegate counts. In Iowa's first district, in Dubuque Iowa--after
the delegates were counted and the numbers calculated, Obama garnered 4 delegates and Hillary 2. Edwards had many
supporters, but he did not reach the viability threshold, and he earned 0.

According to the Des Moines Register, after the delegates were counted, Clinton snatched a delegate from Obama.
Clinton supporters sent several of their supporters into the Edwards camp--which switched a delegate from Obama
and into the Edwards camp--creating a tighter race between Clinton and Obama.

This deliberate move by the Clinton camp, denied Obama a delegate that he had earned.

The Des Moines Register reported that, "Clinton had dispatched veteran Iowa organizer Teresa Vilmain, who ran
Clinton's third-place Iowa caucus campaign, to the convention in Dubuque."

In effect, Clinton had an operative in Dubuque, Iowa that day--instructing Hillary delegates to smack that proverbial
croquet mallet and hit their opponent backward--in order to gain for themselves.

After the Convention, Clinton's Midwest campaign chairman, Jerry Crawford, was asked about what that one lost delegate
meant for Obama. Clinton's chairman told the Des Moines Register that "Senator Clinton benefited from momentum coming
out of Pennsylvania." When asked, Clinton's supporters, who worked to deny Obama the one delegate, described the
results as "an affirmation of her candidacy"

Crawford, and those Clinton supporters failed to mention that the lessening gap between Clinton and Obama was not
about anything positive Clinton had done--but by the back door moves they played out--which smacked Obama backward.

One could argue that politics--like croquet--is a game, and that the game of politics can get rough at times.
That's true. However, politicians are people , and we discover a great deal about the person behind the
politics--by how they play the game.

Obama supporters have watched Clinton "play the game" for months now.

We've watched Hillary plant questions in Iowa. We've watched Hillary use surrogates to email "Obama is a Muslim"
messages; and exploit Obama's drug use and suggest that he may have been a drug dealer. We've watched Clinton
suggest that caucus states don't count, small states don't count and that North Carolina doesn't count because,
"Jesse Jackson won there too."

We've watched Hillary insist that Michigan primary votes count--even though Obama's name was not on the ballot--and
after all candidates, including Hillary, signed a pledge, stating that the delegatesin Michigan and Florda
wouldn't count.

We've watched Hillary suggest that the Super delegates can--and should--usurp the will of the people. We've
watched as she changes the rules, and asserts that the popular vote--not the delegate count--should determine
the winner.

We've watched Hillary mock Obama and his supporters--by wilding gesticulating about "celestial choirs." We've
watched as inspiring speeches have been positioned as something repugnant. We've watched the Clinton camp suggest
that hope and positive energy are the ramblings of misguided lemmings. We've watched as Hillary Clinton claims that
she and Senator McCain "bring a lifetime of experience to the Presidency...while Senator Obama only brings
a speech."

We've watched Hillary Clinton continually swing her mallet, in an attempt to move Barack Obama backward.

During the last debate, Obama was asked about the lies that Hillary told about being under sniper fire in Bosnia.
Obama reminded our nation that candidates are under the media spotlight non-stop--and that he would not engage
in judging Hillary on her Bosnia comments. He could have hit back her back a few notches.

He didn't.

Most people didn't play croquet as part of a senior-year final exam. However, it is my hope that as these
Democratic campaigns continue--that we will pay attention to how these candidates "play the game" because it
reveals the essence of who they are and showcases how they will lead our nation.

We stand at a crossroads in this country--with our democracy crumbling, a war raging, our standing in the world
eroding and our economy tanking. We need authentic change. We don't need the leadership that is lauded for
their well-oiled "attack machine." We don't need a leader person who pays homage to dirty, tear-down, Rovian politics.

We need hope. We need an honesty. We need integrity. We need a leader who will deliver real change--by lifting us
to a higher standard and healing the damage that has wounded our nation.

We need Barack Obama--a man and a politician--who lives his life playing forward.

[livetohike]

1. Excellent post!

:hi:

[Tesha]

2. "Plock!" (The sound of a well-hit croquet ball...) (NT)

[azmouse]

3. Very nicely said!

[cliffordu]

4. YEP - absolutely.