Clock Management

I’m not a sports fan, but I was born into a family of them and then married into one. One of the things I learned early on is that whenever it’s a game where a time limit is involved, clock management near the end of the contest is critical. This is especially true in a close football game. The team that’s slightly ahead does everything it can to slow the game down and keep possession of the ball until the clock runs out and they win. If the losing team gets possession, the coach may have to decide in the short time remaining whether to call for the field-goal kicker or take the risk of going for a touchdown. Both teams use their limited number of time-outs, not to rest the players, but to rattle the other team, interrupting the opponent’s momentum. The legendary coach Bill Walsh was said to be especially good at clock management.


Right now, activist Democrats in the House are calling for opening an impeachment inquiry into the President, but party leaders,
 including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, aren’t ready to go there. She fears that impeachment proceedings would consume energy and allow the President to play the victim. And the Republican-dominated Senate wouldn’t vote right now for his removal anyway. In Pelosi’s view, House Democrats must first make the case against the President in order to flip Republicans, and most importantly, persuade the electorate that impeachment is necessary.


It seems, of course, that  there is not enough time before next year’s election for impeachment to be concluded. But do the Democrats look toothless if they don’t  impeach? If they do, and the proceedings drag on into next year, will the voters get tired of it all?


To me, it’s clear that the Democrats have the ball, and it looks like the best strategy is running out the clock. They certainly wouldn’t want a vote in the Senate too soon, handing the President the ball at the last minute. But an open impeachment inquiry would at least settle the go-or-no-go question and put a point on the spear. The drip-drip-drip of negative information arising from the investigation might persuade those who currently support the President or those still on the fence to carefully consider their votes in 2020, when it will finally be “game over,” and the fans of one team or the other can finally tear down the goal posts. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait.