College basketball didn't have a shot clock. It had the Four Corners offense, a stall tactic to run down the game clock so the trailing team couldn't catch up. The stall only worked if there were no turnovers. It was boring to watch, and the college game now has a shot clock. The Four Corners offense is still used in hockey, a game played with pads, and politics, a game played without them.
Hillary Clinton went into a Four Corners set yesterday, naming Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her running mate. She might think if she plays mistake-free till November she will beat Donald Trump. She's not clearly ahead in many polls but she is ahead in most of them. She expects Trump to continue to have fiascoes, as he did all this week. The RNC was entertaining as Trump predicted. Instead of a Beauty Pageant, however, it was Demolition Derby. Clinton shouldn't count on Trump's continued self-destruction, although he is not a quick learner. .
Clinton of all people shouldn't feel safe. In 2008, then-Senator Obama came out of nowhere, overwhelmed and outperformed her. The Coronation was suspended due to a leaky foundation. Clinton was outdone by a superb, unflappable politician, who as President has presided over eight stormy years of American life.
"The best person did not win," a Hillary supporter has said. "You are what your record says you are," Bill Parcells said. The better campaign won.
In 2008, her campaign staff was a shambles. In 2016, Clinton's entire organization has run smoothly. Their ground-game and strategy have kept her ahead in the delegate count from the beginning. She had the super-delegates and kept them. Bernie is a Johnny-Come-Lately to the Party. Hillary is the Queen of Clubs. Props to Bernie Sanders for making it a close race, but she played the system better. Her political team has been out in front since the beginning, and there have been no new mistakes. Clinton's challenge is neutralizing her past mistakes and reining in Mr. Bill, a heat-seeking missile with faulty guidance.
Tim Kaine was sent over from Central Casting. He looks old enough to be President and has the requisite experience in federal and state government, executive and legislative. He is a Liberal who can win in Virginia, a big purple blotch on the electoral map. He is neutral enough to make Bernie's supporters squeal with disappointment. With a Democrat now in the Virginia Governor's mansion, Kaine's Senate seat is safe if he has to be replaced after the election. It's a smart political move. Not edgy or inspired, not desperate or impulsive. Hillary made a high percentage pass, but there is still plenty of time on the game clock.
