Lessons of the NBA

Lessons of the NBA

One of the big sports stories of the year was the Detroit Pistons’ amazing upset of the formidable LA Lakers in the NBA championship series. Paul Richards, veteran Democratic Party activist and onetime member of the Montana House of Representatives, thinks the Pistons’ win has lessons for his party in this November’s battle.

What I Learned From the NBA Finals
(Detroit Pistons 4-1 over the Los Angeles Lakers)

* That ordinary guys who get in shape, hustle and persevere can win

* That blue collar workers playing pristine ball can upset spoiled rich prima donnas

* That reality can outshine glitter, despite all the PR to the contrary

* That dynasties can fail and storied empires fall

* That radical restructuring can occur at a moment’s notice

* That hard work, courage and initiative can create windows of opportunity

* That if we play cohesively as a team and contest every single possession, we can dominate

* That, given the above, domestic regime change is inevitable

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One of the big sports stories of the year was the Detroit Pistons’ amazing upset of the formidable LA Lakers in the NBA championship series. Paul Richards, veteran Democratic Party activist and onetime member of the Montana House of Representatives, thinks the Pistons’ win has lessons for his party in this November’s battle.

What I Learned From the NBA Finals
(Detroit Pistons 4-1 over the Los Angeles Lakers)

* That ordinary guys who get in shape, hustle and persevere can win

* That blue collar workers playing pristine ball can upset spoiled rich prima donnas

* That reality can outshine glitter, despite all the PR to the contrary

* That dynasties can fail and storied empires fall

* That radical restructuring can occur at a moment’s notice

* That hard work, courage and initiative can create windows of opportunity

* That if we play cohesively as a team and contest every single possession, we can dominate

* That, given the above, domestic regime change is inevitable

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Between the reemergence of right-wing red-baiting and Donald Trump’s use of the chilling National Security Presidential Memorandum–7 to criminalize left political organizing, we’re seeing McCarthyism reborn before our eyes.

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Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

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