The Shooter and the Gambler in the US presidential election
Columnist I’ve long held the theory that you can tell a lot about the mindset and character of a person by their favourite game. And this theory applies as well to the way that person likes to play their favourite game.
Indians, for instance, play cricket, especially when batting, with strokes of more wristy elegance than the majority of Australian batsmen have played over the ages.
The best of the Australian batsmen have tended to have a more pragmatic, outcome-based style than most of their Indian counterparts.
There are exceptions, of course.
Sachin Tendulkar has been more ‘Australian’ with his batting technique and Suni Gavaskar was very much like Geoffrey Boycott in his ‘English’ blocking and negative batting style.
This theory can be applied to the US presidential election.
In his younger years, Barack Obama was a gifted and enthusiastic basketball player. And he showed he still has the swish when he was asked in Iraq to shoot baskets with the troops.
He effortlessly sank a long basket, even though he was wearing a suit.
John McCain is a dedicated poker player. He plays for hours, is very determined about winning and is apparently a fearless gambler.
I think this gambling, one-hand-turns-everything-around style reflects McCain’s instinct to go for king-hits in this presidential campaign, with the choice of Sarah Palin being an outstanding (foolhardy?) example of the big kill instinct that poker players develop.
The basketball ethic is that gifted individuals (such as Michael Jordan) take the big shots but play within a team environment. Obama plays the part of Jordan while looking to both sides of politics to find a common ground for policies.
Is politics a game of poker, or more like a basketball game? My guess is that the truer analogy is the basketball metaphor.
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The Crowd Says (4) | Page 1 of Comments
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October 2nd 2008 @ 9:38am
Rickety Knees said | October 2nd 2008 @ 9:38am | Report comment
Laura Bush the other night was overheard to say to Dubya “hey darlin can you do to me what you are doing to the country – only slower”.
McCain/Palin represents more of the Bush/Cheney cowboy poker/shooters game where everything can be gambled and when you don’t win, well you just blow the opposition away.
Obama on the other hand represents a fresh consultative and engaging style that presents some hope for a more peaceful future.
God help America and the rest world if the cowboys win again.
October 2nd 2008 @ 10:47am
Millster said | October 2nd 2008 @ 10:47am | Report comment
You have a strange mind Spiro… strange indeed. I have lots to say on your post and rickety’s awfully biased response, but last time I checked this site was about sports not politics.
October 2nd 2008 @ 1:49pm
Mart said | October 2nd 2008 @ 1:49pm | Report comment
Slow day at the office then Spiro ? I’ll have a pint of whatever you’re drinking mate, it’s obviously working. So just where would Sarah Palin’s penchant for shooting mooses (is the plural mice ?) come into the equation here ? And if she shoots more like an indian than an Australian are we mixing our metaphors by calling her a cowboy and an indian in the same breath ? Answers on a postcard to the usual address…….
October 2nd 2008 @ 1:56pm
Hano said | October 2nd 2008 @ 1:56pm | Report comment
I actually like the way Spiro inter-related the two topics that are always hot and a current affairs. I agree with the syle of McCain does seem bit of poker player. He blindly chosen someone he doesn’t know much about and have met once before. In fact, the whole Republican Party didn’t now much about here let alone the media. He was like ” I want women vote, all in”
Go Spiro!
PS: “The perfect Storm is on the way”