Years ago, I wrote a Spades analogy to defend a decision President Obama made, illustrating how he was bound by house rules. Unfortunately, whether he liked or approved of the house rules, when playing at their table he had two choices: he could give them the game, or he could beat them at their own game and change the rules when he was host.
After watching fair-weather friends say ridiculously incorrect and very damaging things about President Obama and the people who supported him yesterday, late last night a Spades game provided another perfect analogy to represent the critics again.
In case anyone is in doubt, I'm as hard, if not harder, on terrible Spades partners as I am on political opponents. I own my competitiveness and lack of patience for ignorance and cheating as a huge part of who I am. My grandchildren probably learned every cuss word they know from listening to me play Spades with strangers on the internet. Their aunt will tell you she lost sleep over my late night Spades addiction.
Still, I keep on playing, often asking myself why. A few nights ago, a stranger on the internet reminded me why. He said he had honestly experienced an aha! moment and learned from watching me play. It was almost as gratifying as the time a friend changed his voter registration from Republican to Democrat after my response to his making fun of our candidates--who he said were nothing alike--was to explain to him how much I appreciated the wide range of great candidates I had to choose from while he only had a large group of ignorant clones on his ballot. There are some people willing to think and try, and I continue to seek them out.
Last night, I was in a game from hell with the perfect example of the stupid partner who makes me have to play three against one and growl every cuss word I know. (And be a bad influence on grandchildren, and keep daughters awake at night.)
The score was close enough that either side could have ended the game with a six bid. Our opponents
The player to my right was first bid and he chose nil. I might possibly have been able to take two but a one bid left room to bag the opponents. I chose one since I didn't know who was loaded, my partner or the nil's partner.
The opponent to my left bid two, also. My partner, last bidder, went four. Our total bid was not enough to win the game and there were six bags out. SIX. Should have been easy to either set the nil or bag his partner – or both. They would go back one hundred and eighty points if we did both, and we would only need one trick the next hand to win the game. Great position to be in.
First-bid, nil guy, led with a nine of clubs. I played an eight. The opponent to my left, who should have been covering the nil, played a three. And my partner took it with an ace. Damn. What rotten luck that he didn't have anything lower than a nine.
But he did. He led the two after taking that trick with an ace. The nil played his ace of hearts on that two of clubs, his partner took it with a king, and led a two of hearts. My partner took that one with a king of hearts and the nil played a ten. My partner proceeded to cover the nil and take the bags. When I asked him why he did that, he said he had to get his bid.
This happens often, with people who could really be five years old using adult faces for their profile pictures. Sadly, I doubt any of them are children. They are idiots who can't be bothered with thinking.
Just like the people who refuse to think about why the Democrats had to take the CRomnibus deal. Their short-sightedness will be accompanied by in-the-moment forgetfulness next campaign season when they don't remember that the comments they are making today set the stage for another round of 'both parties suck' and 'nobody cares so why vote' defeat.
Looking for a good Spades partner.
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