Tim Deserves a Touchdown Dance. Where's the Cheering Section?

One of the things I've noticed today is a certain glumness and amazingly out-of-synch self-reflection (actually chest-beating) from some bloggers who saw the debate. Many of us have legitimate concerns about the debates. First, they aren't debates at all. The rapid fire format was designed for rapid-fire character assassination with no time for response. Relative to issues that matter to most citizens, the questions were inane. A few hot-button issues were stirred up to throw red meat to some factions. Kilgore was as inarticulate and pathetic as one can be and still be standing, but the media doesn't tell it like it is. Most questions for Kilgore were of the kid-gove variety.

But here we are today with many acting for all the world like we didn't win. It's stunning. Look how some have allowed Kilgore's spin-artists to redefine things. Has BUSHWORLD led to the recalibration of everything? Or the turning of everything upside down? Hard questions, unfair questions, the wrong questions, or even the hostility of a few journalists toward Tim doesn't change that Tim won. Bob Denton's spin that it's "a draw" doesn't make it a draw or mean that Kaine was just a little "bit" more articulate. And the fact that Larry Sabato thinks the debate was a draw doesn't mean it wasn't a KO.

So, in the interest of setting the record straight, no matter what your sport, Tim ran circles around Kilgore, cleaned his clock, boxed him out, performed a KO, deserves a touchdown dance, or played "wipeout" as dude Jerry fell into the drink of a fifty foot wave. (Fade oo to that old song by the Ventures--Wipeout!).

Tim won! He won big. So, why aren't we acting like it? Over at Commonwealth Conservative, you'd think they actually won. They appear to believe their own smoke. They all blogged together during and after the debate, all (or almost all, I should know better than to use absolutes) spoke with one voice--Kilgore's talking points. They created their own social psychology experiment, you know feigning agreement so everyone else would buy it. It's pretty funny, actually. If I were they, I'd be so completely ashamed that that's the best the Virginia Republican Party can do. (Actually, that's really good news for us.)

I am not saying we shouldn't express our opinions and ideas on blogs. Lord knows I do so, probably more than I should. But when victory is ours, why can't we celebrate it? I'm also not saying we should be more scripted. Most who know me know I'm too independent for that. But I must say we can do better than some of the entries I've read on Democratic and progressive blogs today. We can't accept a strong victory when it's handed to us. So, one more time, the questions were inane, but Tim won. The moderator wasn't fair, but Tim won. The moderator allowed personal attacks and insufficient response, but Tim won. Jerry didn't have to be carried out, but Tim won. He won so big that the only question I have is: Can we see victory when it's staring us in the face?