Election politics is like a chess game. Television coverage, newspaper coverage, sound bites, speechwriters, campaign managers, briefing on issues, oratory, polling, pundits on CNN and on and on. It all adds up to one large chess game. Election 2008 has been an exciting and historical one but the blunder of the entire game was the Democrats not anticipating Sarah Palin. In chess, one of the rarest moves to see is the surprise move of getting a pawn to the end of the board and turning it into a Queen.

That is exactly what the Republicans have done in this election with Sarah Palin. The Democrats with a full board of knights and bishops were in such a hurry to finish off the rest of the Republican chess pieces that they failed to notice that they were slowly moving a pawn to the end of the board. That pawn made it and it was queen me and check at the same time on King Obama and the game immediately became defensive for the Democrats.

In chess one player is always on the offensive, the other on the defensive and for the first time the Democrats are on the defensive. They also have no pawns in play (Obama’s grassroots have peaked and they are in solid states, not where he really needs them) they are off the board and cheering from the sideline) while the Republicans have a full board of new pawns in the key states energizied. The Democrat team sacrificed their Queen (Hillary) in a rush to checkmate McCain as the Republican King piece too early. 

What is completely paralyzing the Democrats though is the gender issue. They don’t know how to move, they are largely to blame because they brought the issue front and center for the last 8 months. It is ingrained in the minds of voters now. My advice to Democrats, don’t forget the ultimate point of chess is not to slowly take out the other pieces of the opposing team. The point is the Checkmate move. The only goal they should have on their mind is the King, McCain.

I’m not saying that Democratic knights, bishops, rooks are not going to have to fall by the wayside. They are but at the moment King McCain is in the middle of the Board and Queen Palin is right beside him waiting to force yet another sacrifice move for the opposing team. She has already forced several piece losses for the Democrats but in chess you have to think several moves forward and also anticipate what your opponent will do. The ultimate goal is to get McCain to the side and in a corner, even with his Queen moving to counter, this can be achieved but the Democrat King Piece Obama, it remains to be seen if they are forced to huddle a defense around him.

For the Democrat players, don’t forget the point of Chess is to get the opposing King, not protect your own. The Republicans certainly know this…

  Centreman