"Hope is the Thing with Feathers..."

Quick. What do horse racing and politics have in common other than the terminology (i.e., describing an political race as a horse race and/or a candidate as a dark horse...)?

Give up? The answer, I believe, is that they are both industries that sell hope.

Most thoroughbred breeders will tell you that hope drives what they do. They fiddle with pedigrees and bloodstock to try and arrive at that elusive combination of stamina and speed that will produce the Next Great Horse. And then they market it as the Next Great Opportunity to Own the Next Great Horse.

It's all about hope that first Saturday in May when the birds are singing and the flowers are blooming and the three year olds are running for the roses. Twenty horses, riders, owners and trainers are each hoping for the immortality that comes with winning the premiere prize in their sport. And everyone thinks they can do it.

Hope springs eternal in racing. There is always spring. There is always the Kentucky Derby and there are always foals romping in the blue grass paddocks.

Politicians are selling the same thing. Vote for me and you'll get everything I promised. Vote for me and you'll see that I am better than the person who came before me. Vote for me and I'll bring you what you want--change or more of the same. A vote for me is your best hope for a better tomorrow.

As we all know, very few deliver when confronted with the realities of the system which is why, after too many hollow promises, it all begins to sound the same.

But every once in a while, and sometimes not even in one's lifetime, all the pieces fall into place. All the stars seem aligned and the real deal comes along. I think, on this inauguration day, that we are poised for that Next Great Opportunity. And I think our new president, who dares to have the audacity of hope, is going to deliver.

More than anything, I hope I am right. Because hope is both an incredibly powerful motivator and as Emily Dickinson noted (my title is from her), elusive. If we lose hope, we lose what makes us human and I think we finally have a president that understands what this race is all about.