Last Sunday I watched the Green Bay Packers play the Seattle Seahawks for the NFC berth in the Super Bowl next Sunday. Most folks who saw that game will tell you they saw one of the greatest comebacks in the history of football. I will give you an entirely different point of view. What I saw was a Green Bay team that stopped playing to win with 5 minutes left in the game and started playing not to lose. This is one of the banes of my life. When people or teams or political parties or any other competitor in a competitive situation stops playing to win and starts playing not to lose, they lose.

Let me tell you what I saw. With about 5 minutes left, Seattle was down 22 – 7. Their quarterback threw an interception around the 50 yard line and the interceptor went to the ground rather than running it back. He then started celebrating. The Green Bay offense then came in and ran three running plays that did nothing but were only designed to run time off the clock. I looked at my wife and said “Oh my God – they are playing not to lose – they’re going to lose.”

We then sat back and watched Green Bay blow it. Seattle came out aggressive on offense, Green Bay went in to a tentative prevent defense. Thus they gave Seattle room to work and didn’t tackle crisply. Seattle scored quickly. Then they went for two points while Green Bay looked to be in shock and unable to recover from the TD. Boom! 22 – 15.

Seattle then hit an onside kick. Everyone knew what was going to happen. Even though Green Bay knew what was coming, the Green Bay player was so afraid of screwing up that he screwed up big time. Seattle recovered. Green Bay was now a team scared of its own shadow and BAM!, Seattle scores again quickly. Tie game.

Green Bay gets the ball back, does nothing and time runs out. The game goes into overtime with Seattle on the all out offensive and Green Bay scared to see what will happen next. What happened next is just what Green Bay feared. Seattle went for the big play. Green Bay continued to play tentative, afraid to make a mistake and BANG! Seattle went for the big play, Green Bay let it happen, Seattle scores – game over – Seattle wins!

I have seen this happen so many times. Just two weeks ago, I saw the Iowa men’s basketball team lose badly after running up a big lead against Michigan State. It even happened to me once in a racket ball game. I was behind 19 – 2 in a game to 21, win by 2. I saw my opponent let his heels down and thought to myself “He’s playing not to lose – I think I can get him.” Won the game 25 – 23.

What is the relation of athletic contests to things that really matter – selecting and electing people who make decisions that affect our lives greatly on a day to day basis? You can’t deny that the difference between a Republican and Democrats is the difference between decent paying jobs and jobs that pay well below a living wage. It is the difference between being able to access health care without going bankrupt or no. It is the difference between good public education and public money going to education privatizers. It is the difference between insured savings and banks that act like casinos with your money.

Yet, despite such stark differences voters chose to vote for candidates that expressly said they would vote against what voters truly wanted. Now we are facing two years of Republicans doing all they can to destroy all Democratic legacy from both 20th and 21st centuries. Won’t voters be surprised when they find out what Republicans are all about.

For some reason voters seemed to have no idea what the Republicans truly stand for. Thank the media and the advertising blitz that all that money bought. It so confused voters that they voted for liberal issues and against the politicians who could make them happen. Or for the most part they didn’t vote at all because they were so turned off by the process wishing a pox on both their houses. Unfortunately in a political race even if only one person votes, someone wins.

Democrats need to quit looking over their shoulders to see what Republicans are doing. Forget them. Go to the people. Tell them what your plans are and how they can be accomplished, and how citizen involvement is a major part of making it happen. Let Republicans scramble as Democrats forge ahead for with policies FOR people. PLAY TO WIN – do not play not to lose

No more support for Republican policies. Let them now be exposed for the charlatans they are. Don’t give them a chance to claim their legislation is bipartisan because one Democrat in either house voted for it. Believe me there will never be enough good in a Republican sponsored bill to outweigh the damage it will do. Let them compromise a before we give away the store.

Play to win. Get to the press. Demand a seat on the Sunday shows and put someone on there that speaks democratic. Someone who can articulate what Democrats can do and what real harm Republican legislation. Be forceful, be truthful and be fully prepared to confront and refute lies, not only from Republicans but also from the network talking heads.

Now is the time to go to battle and play the very best game you can. And play to win to the very end. The world – its economy, its climate, its peace – is literally depending on you.

And remember democratic policies worked well before and brought peace and prosperity and they will work again.