The sport of politics. The politics of sport.

by A.F. Cook © 2007
[This article has been edited from the original book chapter, by the author, for length.]_____________________________________________________
“When you’re playing for the national championship, it’s not a matter of life and death. It’s more important than that.” — Duffy Daugherty
The political red zone
Every football fan in America knows about the “red zone” — the […]

Senator Barack Obama has taken a lot of heat for his “bitter” statement, but I, for one, am very bitter about what has happened to our country. This bitterness may not be driving me to buy a gun or start going to church again, but it exists nevertheless. I also feel betrayed — by the […]

To my readers and friends:
Red Zone Blogitics is taking a short hiatus from the blogosphere until the Democratic nomination process for president is decided. Basically, with all of the hot-air speculation around the election, I got tired of hearing my own writing — along with everyone else’s. But I offer a few nuggets here in […]

All this talk of “Hillary’s” voters and “Obama’s” voters threatening to abandon the Democratic ticket in November if “their” gal or guy doesn’t get the nomination makes me wonder, yet again, if the Democratic Party is EVER going to be ready for political prime time.
I’ll admit that, as an Obama supporter and Hillary skeptic, I’ve […]

My dear friends and fellow Americans:
Barack Obama’s “big speech on race” was great, but it won’t erase the negative impressions of the black separatist mindset inspired by the words and images of Wright and even of all-black congregations generally. People are rightly asking why the candidate would want his young, impressionable children exposed to Wright’s […]

I don’t know about you, but I still don’t understand how the Democratic Party could have allowed itself to fall into a situation where presidential primaries in two major states, Florida and Michigan, would be rendered null and void. I mean, how dumb can Party leaders be?
Really dumb, it seems. There seems to be a […]

Barack Obama took a big perceptual hit this week, as videotape came to light showing his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, in full inflammatory, “fire and brimstone” mode. Obama has catapulted himself to the front of the Democratic presidential primary race on his strength as a black candidate who transcends race. As one white male […]

In honor of the racially-charged dynamics of the Democratic presidential primary, I offer this series of excerpts from my book, “Democrats in the Red Zone: an Independent voter’s take on the game of political perception.” I hope people will feel inspired to comment as we all consider the challenges facing the Democratic Party in general, and […]

The American press has done it again. Done what? Helped fuel a backlash to Barack Obama in the electorate last Tuesday. The usual suspects on CNN and MSNBC (you know who you are) couldn’t help INSINUATING LOUDLY over the past couple of weeks that Hillary Clinton should throw in the towel on her presidential bid […]

John McCain has had quite a week and-a-half. You almost get the sense that what we’re witnessing is a decent guy prone to occasional senior moments, all the while surrounded by questionable company. Not a great cocktail for presidential victory, along with the whole staying-in-Iraq-until-the-next-millennium thing.
First, Mr. Anti-Special Interests had to face questions about an […]