Former President Bill Clinton used some interesting sports metaphors at some events last night for New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine — which may have had some unintended double meanings in this race.
Clinton explained how when times are tough, people feel frustrated and can act rashly in an election, but that it’s important to remain calm, likening it to things he’s seen watching sports on TV, particularly race-cars and football. “And the great drivers, when the cars get close, the turns get hairy, they calm down, and they see everything, and they act. The ones who are fearful and can’t concentrate and can’t calm down, run into the wall,” said Bill.
His other metaphor: “You watch these football games on the weekend, the great quarterbacks are the ones that keep looking at the field, even when these 300-pound behemoths are about to crush them, right. They are, they’re calm, and they complete the pass. That’s what voting is for people in trouble this year. You cannot let people let their fears, their frustrations, their discouragement, keep them from the polls.”
Both of these metaphors seem a bit odd, applied to this race. Corzine himself has “run into the wall,” in a 2007 car accident that seriously injured him and nearly cost him his life. (He was not driving, but had instructed his driver to speed them to their destination, and he was not wearing a seatbelt.) As for the football metaphor, the “300-pound behemoths are about to crush them” line could come across the wrong way in a race where Democrats have been accused of making fun of Republican nominee Chris Christie’s weight problem.
