It's about your republic, not about your team.

"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."

- Vince Lombardi, NFL coaching legend

That quote is ingrained in the American psyche. It's the mission statement of the country. "Just win, Baby," says infamous Raiders owner Al Davis. It's all about the winner, and if you criticize the winner you're just being a poor sport. "Get over it! We won!" We here in Seattle heard a lot of that message from Steelers fans after the refs had their way with Super Bowl XL. It's also a phrase those of us on the political left have been hearing a lot lately. Unfortunately, in politics we are talking about the republic and not just a football game.

Living in Seattle I still have visions of Steelers fans running about screaming, "We won! We won!" Congratulations. The team you root for won. Enjoy it. It doesn't happen that often. Take a moment, however, and think about it. Were you directly involved with the team? Will you get any compensation for it (outside of a bet on the game)? Yeah, your team won, but you're not gonna get anything out of it except the honor of wearing an overpriced sweat shirt. That Visa bill is going to hurt.

Now think about voting for George W. Bush. Yeah, the guy you voted for won the election, but trust me, YOU didn't win anything. You lost big time. Everyone not in the 99.999th economic percentile lost big time. You didn't even get a sweat shirt out of the deal.

Sadly, trying to convince a Bush fan that she/he isn't a winner by association is like trying to convince a Steelers fan that she/he isn't a winner by association. It's all about winning, but the victory will be hollow when the bills come due.