Do you remember the pundits and knobheads who, only a few short months ago, compared Barack Obama to LeBron James? Their major point was that both of them were overhyped, overpriced, underperforming, middling losers who were somehow primed to disappoint their fans and constituents. These know-nothings were sure that neither man would ever rise to greatness.
Look how that turned out.
I can understand disagreeing with a politician over issues or policy or implementation and not liking an athlete because of his style, team or relations with the public. But the comparison of these two obviously talented men moves beyond these fair points and veers off into, well, what? Jealousy? Contempt? Disdain? Outright hatred? Where’s the respect for what they’ve accomplished? Obama’s rivals give some grudging admission that he’s a political force, but then dismiss him as a guy with a pretty voice. LeBron’s detractors focus on his subpar performance in last year’s NBA finals without regard to his place as the game’s number one attraction and performer (on both ends of the court).
It’s disturbing, and now that LeBron has forever earned his place in NBA history and Obama his obvious place in the political realm, it’s time to expose the naysayers as the bad losers they are. Clearly they underestimate these two exceptional men who are at the pinnacle of their fields. It’s true that Obama might lose, but I’m not going to bet against him. He has more skill than Mitt Romney and right now we’re in the equivalent of the early playoffs in the presidential race. In September, you’ll see a different Obama; confident and pugnacious against an opponent who’s never played in the big leagues before. That’s a mismatch.
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