It is not a good time to be competing under the banner of Massachusetts. This February has provided a bruising reality check to two Bay Staters in two very different fields of competition. Both are unusually handsome men. Both have experienced phenomenal success in their careers. Each was born out of state, but achieved his highest success in Boston. Both lost four years ago, and both expected to win in 2012. Yes, February has been unkind to Tom Brady and Mitt Romney.
Unfortunately, each might well have done better with the other man's playbook. Messrs Brady and Romney might enjoy shared drinks and commiseration, but they would have done well to have swapped game plans before and forgotten hindsight and hand wringing now. From this humble observer's perspective, each got it wrong in a way that would have worked for the other.
There is no question that the New England Patriots under Bill Belichick are one of the NFL's best franchises of this century, if not ever. They have found more success in a more concentrated time frame than anyone would have believed possible before they did it. There is even less question about Tom Brady's key role in this success. He is a hall of fame quarterback with so many super bowl rings he couldn't wear them all comfortably. Beyond that he has a glamorous life to match. He doesn't limit himself to sports magazine covers, but graces fashion mags and stylish advertisements with ease. He passed on a beautiful actress to marry a super-model. It is fair to say he's lived a charmed life.
There is no question that the Romney family starting with Mitt's father has established itself among the upper echelon of business and politics in this country. George Romney was an automotive CEO, a three term governor, and a credible presidential candidate who lost a primary to Richard Nixon. Mitt is a successful venture capital CEO, former governor, and lauded savior of the 1996 Olympic games in Salt Lake City. Mr. Romney has the family life to match. He has a beautiful wife who has overcome adversity and stayed by his side for decades. He's made hundreds of millions of dollars. He has a staggering five sons, each of whom is handsome and successful in his own right. It is fair to say he's lived a charmed life.
Yet neither of these men has had a win at the height of their fields in quite awhile. Mitt Romney was elected governor of Massachusetts in 2002. Tom Brady won his last Super Bowl in 2004. February 2012 was theirs for the taking. And then they didn't.
I'll suggest here that Tom Brady failed by counting too much on his platinum resume and his profound ability to make big plays. He saw himself as a champion and expected to seize the moment. His was a confident strategy based on being bigger than life. His team had the far superior record and the tide of history on its side. His opponents had fought a hard scrabble fight just to make the playoffs. They had one of the worst records in the post-season. But they had momentum built on rising success and underscored by discipline. Brady and his team undervalued fundamentals and they lost.
I'll further suggest that Mitt Romney failed by counting too little on his platinum resume and his ability to take big positions. He learned from his father's presidential primary loss that one misstatement could ruin a career. He learned from losing his own presidential primary four years ago that the perfect resume didn't result in votes. As a result he strove for perfect discipline. His is a well oiled machine driven by ambition and distrustful of ability. He has ignored big plays and bold positions in favor of fund raising prowess and the stagecraft of endorsements. He'll leave nothing to chance. Nothing to ability. This is a competition of competence in his view, and he demands to win. The news media largely agree.
His opponents are less technocratic. Yet they have bested him at every turn. With no money they knocked on enough doors to knock him off in Iowa. With no hope they took on the media and mauled him in South Carolina. In February they simply threw the hail Mary and won. Romney and his team overvalued fundamentals and they lost.
Politics calls for more daring, football for more discipline. Had the Patriots had the latter they would have won, had Romney had the former he would be the nominee by now. It is amazing how we learn lessons, and how often we get the lessons wrong.
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