This spring, two seasons are underway along the Potomac: Baseball and Politics. They share many similarities, including "worlds series" in November. Some readers may remember the Washington Senators, a team with a great fast ball pitcher named Walter Johnson. He couldn't win alone, so those Senators escaped to Minnesota, after defining the name Washington as "First in War, First in Peace, and Last in the American League." The other Senators (Capitol Hill variety) remained, and soon acquired a member, also named Johnson, who gained fame and high office using his arm to twist the appendages of others. Any family connection between the two strong-armed Johnsons – Walter and Lyndon – is undisclosed.

Years later, Washington (the city) imported the Montreal Expos, renamed the Nationals to discourage comparisons with their predecessors. Fast forward to today. The Nationals are 3-4 this season, already trailing Philadelphia by three games. The political season is also underway, with voters the scorekeepers. In both sports a good defense usually beats a good offense – pitchers over hitters, filibusters over public policy.

Politics' leadoff hitter, Health Care, reached base by enacting a national health care plan. You decide whether that was an error (the Red view) or a clean single (Blue). Universal health care coverage, characteristic of developed nations, has been achieved. Bringing costs into line has mostly been left to the future. Purple scores it as a scratch hit, faulting both Parties' partisanship.

Unfortunately, Health Care invective will persist until Election Day. Meanwhile, important issues - big hitters - impend. Financial Regulation seems on deck as Politics' number two batter. An obvious and well understood need, its shortcomings leave unhappy memories with countless recent victims. Fixing the system should be a bi-partisan nobrainer, scored as a walk in our political ball game. But a walk would mean two Blue successes leading up to the next big hitters, Fiscal Overhaul and Climate Change/Energy. Lobbyists for banks and hedge funds preserved huge bonuses to reward disastrous management. They plan to defend this cookie jar. While Red doesn't want an election with two Blues on base, Blue needs political momentum to give its big hitters a chance to score policy "runs." Candidates seeking campaign "gotchas" will exploit every policy difference as grist for divisive rhetoric.

Baseball and politics write their own rules. The pitcher's mound is 60' 6" from home plate. Bases are 90' apart (forget the more efficient metric system). Rich teams soak up the best players. Baseball winks at steroids because they produce home runs. The Senate cannot pass a bill if 41 of 100 senators object. A politicized Supreme Court decides 5-4 that huge corporations, with thousands of employees and shareholders of varying political beliefs, can give unlimited money to politicians management favors. Taxpayers are asked to support new baseball stadiums while school funding is cut. The propriety of these actions goes unchallenged.

The language of baseball is instructive: High hard one, brush back, cutter, steal, force play, slider, balk, double play, run-down, deceptively fast, intimidation, curve ball. Might some of those also describe politics?

Winning puts more points on each scoreboard than does fairness or good public policy.

How can citizens upset this trend from representative government to domination by radical extremes, or gridlock with nothing resolved? Purple believes: No One Has All the Answers, and Money Talks. When solicited, decline if the politician has voted over 80% along party lines, and tell him that he/she isn't representing you, just party bosses. Shareholders, ask management how they decide contributions. It's your money. Let them know if you dislike the answers.

It's an unhappy time for good government. Money floods into politics. Make no mistake; it buys votes, just as the Yankees buy great players. Why would it flow if it didn't? The best defense is an informed, active electorate. I know talking politics can damage friendships. But you needn't dwell on the issues. It is the system that needs fixing. When it is repaired the issues will take care of themselves.