President Obama’s September 9 address before a joint session of Congress may have been his last chance to salvage his health care plan. Listening to Obama’s speech that night reminded me of the end of a famous poem, Casey at the Bat, about a baseball slugger who strikes out with the game on the line.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out.
In the poem, the Mudville baseball team is losing 4-2 with two outs and two runners on in the last inning. Casey’s at bat is the team’s last chance to win the game, and he valiantly strides to the plate, doffing his hat as he settles in to hit. But Casey’s overconfidence foolishly leads him to not swing at strike one or two, leaving just one pitch to swing at. When that pitch comes, “the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow,” but he misses the ball and strikes out.