Obamabaseball**

You hit singles, you hit doubles; every once in a while we may be able to hit a home run.

President Obama at April 28, 2014 news conference on Ukraine

Think of the Presidency as a series of baseball games. Each game has hits, runs, and errors. Each game has a winner and loser.   Each game is part of a long season and a pennant race.  Each game has an opponent.  

The baseball field has an infield – domestic policy- and an outfield – foreign policy.  The infield players are members of the President's  administration.   The outfield players are the state department and your military advisors. The vast audience now at the park consists of 315 million Americans.

Now consider the current ObamaCare game.  It is the fourth inning (The President is just over half way through his second term).  The outcome remains in doubt.  The President's  opponents, the Republicans, a ragtag team with established players and rookie upstarts, are putting up a tough fight.   The President 's team  have just been up to bat, and they  have just scored  8 million runs.   The President claims  he has  hit a home run, and the game is over.  His opponents, and the umpires dispute his call, and so does the crowd at the park.

His troubles are twofold:   

·         The fat lady has yet to sing, and she will not sing under after the November midterms, which is analogous to the All-Star break half-way through the season.

·         The other side has still not had all its turns at bat.  They will swing for the fences until November, and no one   knows  how many  runs they will score.

For the President to declare he's the winner because his team has  8 million runs is a bit of a stretch.   Let’s call it the 5^th year stretch.    He may think you’ve crossed home plate, and that, as President, you’re the winner. But the outcome remains in doubt.

You will not know how much your 8 million runs mean until the statistician sorts out the  numbers behind your runs.  And the runs may look meaningless when the health plans announce their premium hikes in late May or early June, just halfway through the election season.   If premiums double, as WellPoint and health care agents expect,  8 million runs may  be inadequate to win the game.   

It’s a long season, Mr. President, and in this particular game. You have just hit a single.  You are now trying to steal  second base.     Your opponents hope to cut you down by executing  a double play by winning the House and Senate.    

The throw from the catcher may be on time or  late.  The catcher is right handed, and his vision is partially obscured by a left handed batter.   The outcome of the game hangs in the balance.     The other team is error-prone, and results of other games in other fields of play – the economy, other states, and foreign policy – may determine the outcome of this particular game.

Tweet:   Obama Care can be compared to a baseball game, with hits, runs, and errors, and an uncertain outcome until the final inning is played.

**To comment on this blog or contact the author, call 1-860-395-1501 or e-mail doctor. reece@gmail.com