Upset versus steamrolled

I was just looking at the sports headlines and noticed that in the tennis section, when they reported a match result, they referred to it as an upset. In the football section, words like steamrolled and hunted were used.

I've watched several interviews of politicians this week and a few might be described as "upset" about how their constituents are reacting over the economy. A number feel steamrolled and, in describing their phones ringing, some sound hunted.

And I think it's a good thing that accountability levels have (finally) gone up for elected officials - because politics is much like sports. Results matter when people are paying attention. The larger the stadium, the more at stake in ticket sales. It's nowhere near as "upsetting" when no one is watching for many folks.

Some people opposed the original bail out, saying they had paid off their mortgages and others should do the same. But when the bill was struck down, they called their officials complaining that their stocks had fallen. The opposition from the public lessened after the House voted against the bill and the market fell. And Congress members reported that their phones rang when the market fell. They also reported that some of the same callers changed positions over the course of a few days.

People were upset. They felt steamrolled. Their savings, pension plans and stocks lost ground- and they wanted action and answers. Panic set in. And despite all the rhetoric flying around, people did not understand what Congress was doing, because we have a communication failure with our elected officials. That's what this crisis has shown us.

I was steamrolled a few times playing wheelchair tennis, outmatched by a more powerful opponent. It never feels pleasant to be steamrolled. But there are ways to do it that leave the one with less power feeling less steamrolled. I recall sitting at the net one day with a friend who was beating me, 6-1, 5-1 and I suspected she'd given me the two games. So I asked her if she did.

"If I had," she said, "I would never tell you."

She proceeded to win 6-1, 6-3. Perhaps my question unnerved her, or she decided to be more generous. I'll never know. But I didn't feel steamrolled. I felt good about the games I managed to win against a more powerful opponent and I didn't begrudge her the well deserved victory - or the fact that she was a more powerful player.

Of course, our economy is not a game, but the power plays surrounding it, as many Americans are finding out, often are. And it would behoove elected officials to note that steamrolling falls in the sport of football, where tackling people to the ground to win only teaches them to respond in kind.