It's Not About "Winning"

[Wetzelbill]

It's Not About "Winning"
by Bill Wetzel

http://www.opednews.com

The other day I got a reply from one of my best friends, who is an authoritarian Republican, regarding my last column and the recent Democratic party election victory.

He said:" Got to give it to you Bill, you won...... See you again in 2008!"

My reply to this was something like: "I didn't win anything, the people of our country did."

Now in 2004 on election night, he called me, gloating over Republican victories, bragging about how "He won" and how "more people think like me." Now it is all in relatively good fun, we have gone back and forth over this stuff for the better part of four years now, but notice the context in which he puts these election cycles in. It is always in a "Me vs. You "or an "Us vs. Them" manner.

Recall the other week on MSNBC when Democratic strategist Cliff Schecter was on some program with Republican strategist Brad Blakeman. Schecter is notoriously prickly, but he's whip smart and does not back down about anything. So in the midst of several heated exchanges Blakeman says, and I am paraphrasing," For somebody whose side won you don't seem very happy, Cliff." Notice again, it is all about US vs. THEM. Blakeman looks at this election as if it is a football game or something. YOUR SIDE WON!

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_bill_wet_061115_it_s_not_about__22winn.htm

[Quantess]

1. How noble of you.

However, at this particular time, in this political environment, it is about winning and competing.

[Wetzelbill]

3. not at all

look where winning got Republicans. When you are all about winning and not about anything else you end up losing anyway.

I should also add, I am not advocating wishy-washy bipartisanship or anything. I am advocating good policy. Elections themselves on not the be all and end all. Elections do not define anything. Bush will not be defined by his wins, nor will he be defined by the Congressional wins for Republicans in 2002 and 2004. He will be remembered for his disastrous policies. I think Dems should kick ass on the GOP in Congress, for sure. But they should do it for the good of the people. Being competitive in an election is worthless if nobody ever does anything.

[kenny blankenship]

2. Here's how your friend heard you:

I WON I WON I WON !!! You lost and I WON !!!

Republican base types believe that life is a Noah Cross¹ style winner-take-all fight to the death. Not only is winning everything but their victims must be stripped of all hope of ever not-losing. It's not sufficient to win the present, the past must be rewritten and the future must be colonized and monopolized as well.

(1) Noah Cross, the patriarch and villain of Chinatown.

[Wetzelbill]

4. I am extremely competitive

but yeah, people on the Right think politics is a game, where elections are what matter. They could care less about policy really. They not only think winning is everything, but you must do it at all costs. Ends justify the means. It is ridiculous.

Nice film reference. :)