Mark Sanchez: A Model For America?

Mark Sanchez: A Model For America?
by Tom Ruff
July 27, 2011

I want to make it very clear that I know the title of this entry will right off the bat earn some ridicule, but I want to make a case for how Mark Sanchez should be a model for how the debt ceiling crisis... and politics in general... gets handled.

Just hours after the end of the 130+ day NFL lockout, the 2011 free agent frenzy kicked off, and the New York Jets found themselves scrambling to put their team together. Mark Sanchez came out almost instantly to make it clear that he would be willing to restructure his contract in order for his team to sign and resign the best possible players. You might be asking yourself, why would any player voluntarily offer to give up guaranteed money, but the answer is simple... he wants to win a Super Bowl. Whether or not the Jets take him up on his offer remains to be seen, but up against a decreased salary cap (thanks to the new CBA) and with 16 unrestricted free agents, Sanchez has shown fans that he is part of something bigger then himself. He's part of an organization that has the best chance of success if "me, me, me" doesn't factor into decision making. Coming off a lockout, and with so many athletes making record money, it's refreshing to hear this attitude coming off a major franchise's quarterback.

And this brings us to politics and the debt ceiling crisis. People who are disengaged, or uninformed can argue all they want that there is no difference between the two parties, but the fact of the matter is that one party is the "party of we" and the other party is the "party of me". The biggest debate going on now is that the Democratic Party, as flawed as it is, does believe the governments job is to improve the lives of its citizens, and the Republican Party does not. Obama and the Democrats are more willing to compromise because they know they have to. The GOP and the Tea Party have no interest in compromising because they protect only the interests of the people least likely to be hurt by a bad economy. The rhetoric in this country is out of control, and the fact that so many in Congress would rather let the U.S. default, and risk a depression, then compromise on any level, really shows how different the two philosophies are. Obama has made a great deal of mistakes in the last few years, and has alienated a great deal of liberals by compromising too much, but the fact of the matter is he recognizes that he has so much more to lose by not compromising. It's easy for Republicans to keep saying "no" when all they care about is protecting the nation's most wealthy. It's easy to win public opinion when your entire argument is "we promise no taxes", but that doesn't make their position right... no pun intended.

As for how this relates to Sanchez and the Jets; the real argument Obama should be making now is that its time for the American people to focus on more then just themselves again. Kennedy, FDR, and so many others recognized for America to prosper, everyone has to contribute, and when America is prospering, everyone is better off. Obama needs to call on all Americans to start rebuilding our country, to make decisions based on how everyone will be effected, and to think more big picture than "my personal tax rate". Everyone stands to lose if our economy doesn't get back on track, and everyone stands to lose big if we don't find a way to get this all-or-nothing thinking out of our government. For us to get out of this vicious cycle of decline, we have to start thinking about how our actions impact everyone... only then will we find our nation winning again...


Oh, and J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!!!