My tennis game has improved a lot over the last few years. Some of that has to do with playing more often but most of it is the result of changing my attitude towards taking shots. For the longest time I simply could not keep myself from hitting the ball hard all the time and trying to win a point quickly. That resulted in many beautiful shots but even more unforced errors. I am simply not good enough to hit the ball hard when I am not well positioned. People would often congratulate me on how beautifully I played – after they had won!
What does any of this have to do with the title of this post? Well, I believe that the changes Barack Obama has made in his campaign are all about winning the election rather than playing beautifully. Softening up some of his positions or even changing in some instances to move more towards the center ain’t pretty. It’s the equivalent of my returning a backhand as a high and soft slice instead of an aggressive top spin. But I don’t care. It’s not about pretty, it’s about winning the election.
Some will say that Barack Obama could stick exactly to his primary messages and win and that’s what he should do. I certainly wish that were true, but I don’t think this is the time to try to have your cake and eat it too. It is well established both theoretically and empirically that in two candidate elections (and despite Nader and a few other fringe candidates this is a two candidate election), the winning strategy is to move towards the center. John McCain clearly understands this and has acted accordingly. I, for one, am inspired that Barack Obama is playing for the win.
