If politics were a ballgame, how would describe the present situation?

[Armstead]

Since the medias likes to trreat politics as nothing more than a team sport, I figure if you can;t beat 'em join 'em.

So here's my color commentary on the current situation if it were a baseball game...Please add your own analogy, if you feel so inclined.

It's the 9th inning in the game between DC Donkeys and the GOP Hogsters.

The Hogsters had played a more aggressive game while the Donkeys had been hapless and ineffective. So the score was 3-0 for the Hogsters going into the the ninth,

But then the Hogsters had suddenly lost it, not scoring when they were up, and then making a bunch of fumbles, and the Donkeys now have three men on base.
The final batter of the inning is up, and has so far had two strikes.

So we're ready for the final pitch. If the Donkey at bat makes a solid hit and the Hogsters fail to catch the ball, we're on the verge of a major upset victory. But if the Donkey strikes out -- of if the Hogsters manage to pull off a 9th Inning Surprise -- it'll be a loss for the Donkeys. Close but no seegar.

And the Hogster pitcher winds up for the pitch.....

[Deja Q]

1. The 7th inning grope

.

[MessiahRp]

2. If this were football

We'd be up a bunch of touchdowns and looking to win a rout... unless the biased Diebold Referees decide that before the final gun sounds they're going to call back all the touchdowns and give the game to the losing team.

Rp

[Hippo_Tron]

6. I think at this point we're up and just trying to run down the clock

[Monkeyman]

3. The Bears Game down by 20 and we come back to win

[Norquist Nemesis]

4. Brawl on the field

Kicking, punching, swearing, and the GOP sucker punching at every turn.

[Armstead]

11. LOL -- Perfect

[Ian David]

5. Democrats are playing baseball in the middle of a Rugby game. n/t

[conscious evolution]

7. Fourth down and

the it looks like the DC DEMS are lining up to block the punt.

[BootinUp]

8. Safe lead in the 7th or 8th inning.

A couple more innings to go. The opposition hasn't had a hit since the 3rd and they are making defensive errors. They are on their 2 relief pitcher.

[Armstead]

16. And the relief pitcher is....

Dennis Hastert.

"Doin' a heck of a job Denny..."

[TechBear_Seattle]

9. I am reminded of the pirate baseball game in "Hook"

With blatant cheating and the use of guns.

[havocmom]

10. bench-clearing brawl...

masks and gloves off everywhere

[napi21]

12. It's the 2nd qtr, Donkeys have the ball on the 30 yd line.

The Donkeys have lost4 games straight, and have lost all their confidence, but they're going to try for this one.

The Elephants have the bigger and stronger team, but they've had 30 fumbles so far in this game alone!

CLOCK RUNS OUT, AND IT'S HALF TIME!!!!!

Game to continue in 2 1/2 weeks!

[Kingofalldems]

13. The hogsters have a spitball thrower in the bullpen

Karl Rove is his name.

[THUNDER HANDS]

14. well, if you look at the entire Bush presidency as a 9 inning game

With the runup to the 2000 election as the first inning and Bush's first full year being inning No. 2 - we're in the 7th inning stretch right now.

The first inning - the GOP ran out to a 1-0 lead. Questionable officiating and bad calls led the Dems to be put in an early hole.

The second inning - the Dems got the first two outs of the inning, then 911 happened (ie, a grand slam), and the GOP capitolized, gaining a commanding 5-0 lead.

The third inning - the GOP suffers a setback when Jeffords switches sides and they lose control of the Senate. The game stands at 5-1.

The fourth inning, the GOP regain control of congress. The Iraq war starts, Dems are cowed once again. 6-1.

The fifth inning, Bush is back in office, the GOP still controls congress, the Dems look lost. 8-1.

The sixth inning, Iraq turns bad, voters turn sour, the game turns on a dime. 8-4.

The seventh inning, the Dems come out swinging, the GOP is back on their heels and looks clueless in the field as Iraq, Foley and scandals galore wash away whatever huge lead they had. 8-7. The Dems have the bases loaded and are looking to take the lead.



And here we are now. One run down, bases packed and our best hitter coming to the plate. The GOP pitcher looks shakey, he's sweating, his body language is awful. The fans are starting to head for the exits.

Can we get that big hit?

[Armstead]

19. Hopefully the Donkey fans are headed to the voting booths

And the Hogster fans are going home in disgust.

[Paulie]

15. The Cubs...

only hope is firing the manager....

[Warpy]

17. He spits on the ball

and prepares to launch it straight at the batter's head. He knows the umpire has just taken a big payoff, so the fractured skull will be blamed on the batter who failed to get out of the way.

He also knows that there's a rack full of corked bats ready for the Hogsters should the Donkeys manage to get a couple of runs despite his best effort, and that those corked bats will never be checked by the paid off officials. Plus the umpire can be counted on to call strikes as balls.

That's how they play the game.

[Sammy Pepys]

18. If it were baseball

Dems are up to bat, down one run. 6th inning. Men on first and second, one out.

Rep starter has been pulled and they are now going to a shaky bullpen.

Interpretation:

The two runs on base represent the House and Senate. The Reps can end the threat, but they essentially need to be flawless, something not likely with the "shaky bullpen." The chances are good that Dems can tie up the game (win one house) or go ahead (win both houses) during this "inning."

After this inning though, we've still got a few innings to go. How those innings are played will depend on what happens in this one (the Congressional races). But even if the Dems score both runs and take the lead, it's still a close game...in other words, no time to let up.

[me b zola]

20. The future doesn't seem so bright from the bleachers...

Bottom of the ninth, two outs, and the Hogsters have a ten point lead.

I really feel as though these are the odds of our Constitutional government surviving, at least for the next several generations. I expect that rather soon another SC Justice will unexpectedly be announcing their retirement.

[stillcool]

21. steroids..

[iamahaingttta]

22. Rollerball!!!

From wikipedia:

"In the film, the world of 2018 is a global corporate state, containing entities such as the Energy Corporation, a global energy monopoly based in Houston which deals with nominally-peer corporations controlling access to all Transport, Luxury, Housing and Food on a global basis.

"The film's title is the name of a violent, internationally popular sport around which the events of the film take place... It is a full-contact sport in which players have considerable leeway to attack opposing players in order to take or maintain possession of the ball and to score points; in fact, in this overpopulated future, the object of the game in the original short story is to kill off the players.

"Rollerball teams, named after the cities in which they are based, are owned by the various global corporations. Energy Corporation sponsors the Houston team. The game is a substitute for all current team sports, and for war. While its ostensible purpose is entertainment, it also serves to demonstrate a valuable lesson: the individual athletes pale in importance to the team itself (evident in the fact that only their numbers appear on their uniforms, and not their names), just as the individual is meaningless compared with the coporation-centered society, which is paramount. Or, as Mr. Bartholomew puts it, it is a sport designed to show the futility of individual effort..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rollerball_%281975_film%29

[Armstead]

24. That too...

[Solly Mack]

23. Worst sport ever

and totally fitting that it's called "America's sport"