Feeling a little overwhelmed earlier this week I asked my friend Chas for advice who responded with an unexpected question; "Do you know the difference between a great pitcher and a big game pitcher?" I didn't. "A great pitcher, when the pressure is on, lets the game affect him and starts speeding up instead of executing his pitching strategy. A big game pitcher, slows the game down."

After this conversation it dawned on me that President Obama is a big game pitcher. He was a big game Senator, and a big game candidate and he's brought his cool to the White House. Throughout the campaign the chattering class and democratic operatives freaked out more times than I care to count. "Sarah Palin!" "Reverend Wright!" "Bill Ayers!" the bases were loaded and they demanded a change in strategy. Team Obama was down at the bottom of the ninth, but rather than acquiesce to the call of change, they stayed the course. In retrospect the strategy was brilliant; it inspired voter confidence and ultimately Team Obama ended up securing a grand slam victory.

Months have gone by since that night, and although the game continues, the parameters of the game have changed. This time, it's not a game between "Democrats" and "Republicans." Perhaps it's framed to appear as if it is, but it can't be. Right now, the big game pitcher is up against the world, playing against time and history; trying to amend past mistakes while remaining cognoscente of how present decisions might impact future generations. Right now, we're all on Team Obama whether or not we like him or agree with his policies, we need the all star to come through, to end this inning quickly so that America might get another chance at bat.

The bases are loaded; health care, foreign wars, the economy. The crowd is still on his side, urging him on, confident that his cool demeanor will result in another grand slam victory. Although won't change his general strategy, he's insisted on calling on representatives from both sides of the aisle to offer insight on how to make his vision come to fruition. Still, the GOP refuses to acknowledge that we're on the same team, and eagerly continue to go after the big game pitcher. John Boehner recently remarked that the GOP should stop thinking of themselves as "legislators" and instead as "communicators". Over the last few months they've developed a strategy where they say no first and explain alternatives...maybe later?

So to those GOP "communicators", I have a very simple message to relay to you. One that I've heard articulated by members of my own generation, particularly those who supported Barack Obama. To be clear, as you aim to inject some "hip-hop" into you're party, we didn't support him because he asked us to stand up and make some noise, we supported him because he asked the Democratic party to stand up for the next generation, and he asked us to stand up for our own futures.

The stakes are too high to allow the viability of the GOP to serve as a metric for the success of this country. So I ask you to put aside politics and re-branding your party until after we've struck out the economic crisis.

I don't know when the success of an ideology came to take precedence over the well-being of our country. Some of you have vocalized your desire to see the President fail, determining that his failure is just what your party needs to rebound. If that's the case, then don't say no and hope you're right, and in four years you can run on his failed policies. Otherwise, engage in the debate and help him, help us. The GOP strategy as it stands right now will only further marginalize my generation, we're asking "Why?" and we're demanding a more sufficient justification than, "Because I said so". Why is it okay to spend a trillion dollars on a war abroad when it's not okay to invest 800 billion dollars into our own country? Why do you feel the need to attack the person proposing a solution (Socialist, Marxist, Radical) rather than the substance of the proposal? Why haven't you proposed any viable alternatives to any of President Obama's policies? Why can't you put off finding a Presidential candidate for 2012 until 2011?

I don't know, and frankly these questions barely scratch the surface. I've outlined what I think you should do, but so far it seems like a strategy that you're unlikely to pursue. So ask yourselves what is you're intention? To say no, block legislation, and try to communicate the country out of this crisis? It doesn't really seem feasible now does it.

I ask you, to consider the alternative, to cooperate with the President and to make bipartisianship a central component of your new platform. Cooperating will do more to re-brand you're party than any one policy proposal ever could, perhaps it's time you tried that for a change and then shoot to make you're own comeback, next season.