Posted by
Darrick Johnson on Thursday, November 06, 2008 11:29:38 PM
Every Denver Bronco fan remembers their devastating defeat at the hands of Jacksonville in 1996. Many thought it was John Elway's last chance to win a Super Bowl. Denver was sloppy and inconsistent, and deserved their defeat. It was, in many respects the lowest point in the history of the Franchise. Few expected that the devastating defeat would be followed by consecutive Super Bowl wins. And every NFL Films memoir of Denver's championships begins with that devastating loss to Jacksonville.
It is a low week for the Republican Party, and conservatism. But it will also be pivotal. If we take the right action to reform and improve our party, we can come back with a strength and passion that would be impossible absent Tuesday's defeat. If we do the right things, future documentaries of the next great conservative leader will begin here.
Defeat hurts, but it is sometimes necessary. Do we learn the right lessons from it?
Winston Churchill said there was nothing so exhilerating as being shot at with no effect. The converse is true...there is a certain calm about being shot at and feeling the full effect. For years our party has won, but barely. And in many respects, that made us too afraid to lose...to afraid to be bold. We were nervous, not confident.
One more football story:
Young quarterbacks are sometimes instructed to take a hit early in the game, to get over their nerves. The fear of being hit is often worse than the hit. Paralyzing fear is replaced by calm confidence, having taken the hit, and knowing it can be withstood.
We have taken the hit. It hurts. But now, hopefully, we can leave nervous, timid campaigns behind, and play in hope of winning, not in fear of losing.