Lost Political Capital

When I was younger, I used to play a game called "Blitzkreig." It was a board game that simulated the invasion of Russia by Nazi Germany. The game was set up so that if you were in the role of Germany, you needed to win early because the Russians resupplied at about triple your ability after a few turns.

In one game I was doing quite well. I was approaching Leningrad (St. Petersburg) and Moscow with large armies. Now the smart thing to do would have been to consolidate my armies and attack either Leningrad or Moscow. You always want to attack with overwhelming force. But I had large armies at both and wanted to win quickly. So I attacked both at the same time.

In Moscow, I was stalemated. At Leningrad, I was wiped out. I spent the rest of the game retreating since my armies were no longer large enough to mount a realist offensive.

The Obama Administration finds themselves in a similar situation. They gambled too much and lost too much political capital on a healthcare "war strategy" that has resulted in them losing any Republican support and they now have twice as many independents against them as they have for them. At the same time, the country felt they needed (and still need) to focus on the economy. As I did in the game, they have picked the wrong strategy.

And like Hitler after he was bogged down in Russia, they have taken the "don't retreat strategy" even after electoral losses in Virginia, New Jersey and the unbelieveable loss in Massachusetts. They have said they are going to focus on jobs, but Obama is calling a Healthcare summit. If nothing else, this administration has shown themselves to be completely tone deaf.

2010 midterm elections loom large for the Democrat Party. A year ago no one would dream that the Republicans might have a chance to take back the House and even the Senate. Yet now they look like they may be able to do just that.

I invite you to express your opinion in this weeks poll.