In this case, you might call them “swing-and-miss” states.
In the days leading up to Tuesday night’s presidential election, sources noted that Barack Obama was getting help from former president Bill Clinton in sealing the deal in a few key swing states. Clinton’s popularity in his post-presidency remains high, so the tactic isn’t all that surprising.
However, a comparison to Major League Baseball’s all-time greatest closer? That might have been a little bit out of left field.
The host of NBC News’ Sunday-morning program Meet the Press, David Gregory has long been known as a big baseball fan, and on Tuesday night he was a part of the network’s election coverage. Likewise, he managed to drop in a pretty interesting baseball analogy.
After the state of Pennsylvania was announced for Obama, Gregory noted that the president wasn’t doing so well in the state before Clinton stepped in to help out. As such, Gregory referred to Clinton as “the Mariano Rivera of the Obama campaign,” referencing the pitcher’s ability to protect a tight lead.
NBC’s David Gregory just compared Bill Clinton as “closer” for Obama to Mariano Rivera. For real.
— Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) November 7, 2012
