Politics and Football: Fall’s Two Most Competitive American Sports

“People who work together will win,” Vince Lombardi says, “whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society.”  Seems awfully fitting to quote the great coach, considering this time of year marks the beginning of an unbridled passion in two sports – football and politics.  Next year, the Georgia Young Republicans will be in the thick of a battle for the future of America, and in many cases our own communities.

All told, the games of politics and football are not very different.  Football, in all the intricacies of planning and execution, often takes a higher degree of thinking and focus to execute a game plan.  A political campaign is no less daunting, as years of accumulated research and data are poured into formulating successful campaign plans.  The impact is clear – our goal is to win.  From the glory of winning a title game or the honor of serving the great people of Georgia, crossing the goal line or filling the ballot box is just the means to that end.

Heated redistricting battles have drawn new districts for the next ten years.  The addition of a new congressional seat, plus the reapportionment of numerous seats from southern Georgia to the northern part of the state, means pitched campaigns will seek your vote.  Just as importantly for us, the Georgia Young Republicans will be electing a new leadership team in May that will define those efforts for our organization.

So it becomes important moving forward that we understand the intensity our preparations should take.  We must train ourselves to become better Republicans.  We must learn the issues with a depth of knowledge our opponents simply won’t have.  Most importantly, we must innovate and find new ways to mobilize young professionals and families in our communities.  Barack Obama narrowly missed out on winning Georgia by 5.2%, pretty close for a state that boasts the Republican base we have.

So, going forward, will you work with the Georgia Young Republicans so that together we can win in 2012 and beyond?