When it is All, or Nothing

There are times when you have to go all-in, bet everything you have on the hope for success.  For America’s politicians, fueled by the political talking heads, it seems that every interview, every decision, every choice becomes an all-in proposition.

I was talking today with a younger friend who noted that during primaries the candidates have historically courted the extremes of the parties and then moved toward a more central position for the national campaign.  That appears to be a diminishing possibility as the media exerts pressure for the candidates to remain consistent with every position since high school.  It leads to great headlines and lousy politics.

We have seen for the last three years a President who is unable to moderate his position and leave his principle role as campaigner.  His style is not so much to govern, but to cast the opposition in a negative light.  The opposition plays into this as they struggle to find the theme that will lead to his defeat.

We cast aside the principle issue of how to recover the economy so we can play campaign games in the realm of government mandated and run health care, a supposed “war on woman,” and the us versus them strategies of “the 1%” and “#OWS.”

What concerns me most is the President has now set the standard for behavior for those who follow him, either in 2013 or 2017.