With the recent death of RBG and President Trump’s nomination of ACB, the Democratic Party finds itself facing the football equivalent of a 4th and long with time running out. While ACB’s nomination raises reasonable concerns about women’s reproductive rights, the immediate concern is that unless Biden wins the electoral college 538 — 0, Trump is going to sow dissent about the validity of this election, and that question will likely and ultimately be answered by a Supreme Court upon which he will have placed three judges. 

So Democrats are facing a 4th and really, really long. 

As far as football goes — I don’t know what play to run in such a 4th and long situation. But then, that’s not my job. That’s the job of the coach and his staff. That’s what they’re paid to do. If they call a great play they’re lauded as heroes. If they can’t figure something out, generally they get fired.

As far as politics goes — I also don’t know what play to call when facing a highly rushed and manipulated Supreme Court confirmation. But once again, that’s not my job. That’s the job of the leadership of the Democratic Party, who so far have called…, well, no visible plays. Instead they’ve thrown up their hands and complained that the other team isn’t playing fair.

Imagine, for a moment, what would happen if your team’s coach, when confronted with a 4th and long as the clock wound down, threw up his hands and whined… With that in mind, I’d like to share a couple thoughts for those Democratic coaches out there: 

First — Grow up, because 

Second — Were you honesty thinking Republicans would play fair? (That sounds rhetorical but it’s a sincere question: What evidence did you have that Senate Republicans were ready to be reasonable, decent and rational actors??) 

Third — Stop complaining. Stop trying to appeal to abstractions like civility or shame Trump and his followers — they’re un-civil and equally shameless. (As with the above — honestly, were you thinking he’d act otherwise??) 

Fourth — Devise a solution. Any solution. Remember that a coach facing a 4th and long doesn’t get to whine that his job is difficult. In the same spirit: do your job. Find an obscure parliamentarian procedure, pull the Senate fire alarm, tie Mitt Romney to the roof of the family sedan and drive to Canada. (Look at that — I’ve already come up with three more options than you.)

Lastly, I’ve heard multiple refrains from Democrats reminding Republicans that there’s an election right around the corner and voters are watching. Democrats are correct — we voters are in fact watching, and right now our eyes are on you. 

Your job — the reason we have elected you — is to deliver a win. So far, you’re failing miserably, and by just about any objective standards you’ve been failing for quite some time. If you don’t remember, you lost an election to a casino owner and are on the cusp of flubbing two (2!) Supreme Court justices. If this were pro football, not only would you be immediately fired, but you’d be hard pressed to find a subsequent job coaching middle school.

Democrats — we really are watching. If you can’t pull out a win, it’s definitely time for us to find another coach.