Redskins hold the key to the White House

November 2, 7:39 AMWashington Redskins ExaminerMark Newgent

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(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

It is no secret that our beloved Washington Redskins have a hand in determining the presidential election, a Google search of “Redskins” and “presidential elections” returns 228,000 hits. The team has 17-1 record predicting the winner of the election since 1936. Only my old American University professor, Allan Lichtman’s Keys to the White House model has a better record. Lichtman’s model goes all the way back to the election of 1860 and successfully predicts the winner of the popular vote. Twice in our history the winner of the popular vote did not prevail in the Electoral College: Al Gore in 2000 and Samuel Tilden in 1876.
 

Photo cred ExtremeSkins

Here’s how the Redskins Model works. If the Redskins win their last home game before the election, the incumbent party retains the White House. If the Redskins lose that game the challenging party wins.  National Sports Examiner, Paula Duffy touched on this a while back.

The only failure of the model was in 2004 when the Redskins lost to the Packers 28-14, which should have foretold a victory for the human toothache John Kerry. However, the outcome of that game swung on a ninnyish illegal motion penalty called on James Thrash, which nullified a 43-yard touchdown pass from Mark Brunell to Clinton Portis. That score would have given the Redskins a one-point lead with just over two minutes remaining in the game. On the subsequent play, Brunell threw an interception, which the Packers turned into a touchdown. The Redskins should have won that game, thus keeping their predictive success rate at 100%. 
 

An election we can all get behind.

Obviously Redskins fandom crosses party lines. I’m a Reagan conservative, my pal Ben Folsom at the Curly R is very liberal. He told me while tailgating at the Arizona game that he won’t even wear a Nats hat because of the “W” logo. The leadership of the DTC is evenly split between McCain and Obama.

I’m curious as to the disposition of liberal Redskins fans. What is more important to them, politics or football? Do they want their team to lose so Barack Obama can take the White House?

Conservative Redskins fans don’t have that conundrum, neither do liberal Steelers fans.

I know of at least one Steelers fan who values football over politics. I played golf last month with my friend Danny, a diehard Steelers fan and ardent McCain supporter. He feels no conflict between politics and football. I said “you know if your Steelers win Obama is the next president.” Danny’s replied, “oh well, I guess Obama wins.”

Personally, my vote is not so much a vote for McCain as it is a vote against Obama. Do they make “Nose Holders for McCain” bumper stickers? While I am a political opinion monger, the Redskins are my first love and no matter who wins Tuesday, it is Monday night’s outcome matters more to me.

Either way, for dual political/football junkies the next two days will be manna from heaven.

The Redskins Model even made a cameo in Mad Men.