The Republican Party Needs a Rabbit

And there’s only one man who can do it

I am a Democrat, and in 2024, assuming he is still alive, I will vote for Joe Biden. Ideologically, I am a liberal progressive who believes in the value and capabilities of a robust and competent government as the best approach to delivering the greatest good to our country. But like many Democrats, I don’t believe in one-party rule. Our best prospects for the future demand a constructive balance of power between two competent, functional parties operating in good faith. And while the detriment of one might lead to the short-term success of the other, over the long term, all of us lose.

Right now, the Republican Party as we once knew it has been body-snatched and zombified by a violent and virulent MAGA lifeform — a parasitic organism that seems to have entered the gray matter of once principled Republicans and made words come out of their mouths that they don’t really believe. Blowtorching the party won’t work. What we actually need is a rabbit.

A rabbit? Great achievements require great teamwork, and one of the greatest milestones in sports history was the track and field triumph of Roger Bannister when he broke the four-minute mile in 1954. But he didn’t do it alone — he had the benefit of “rabbit” — a runner whose sole purpose is to set a very fast pace that will help one of his competitors to break a world record. And nearly 70 years ago, that’s exactly what happened.

But it wasn’t just any record. Achieving the four-minute mile had been considered outside the realm of human possibility, adding a psychological layer of impenetrability to the quest. To break through this barrier and overcome both the physical and psychological barriers, not only did everything need to go perfectly, the four-lap race required a form of human sacrifice.

After two laps, the rabbit, who was leading the race at the time stepped off the track, clearing the way for Bannister to do the unthinkable. The name of this sacrificial rabbit was Chris Chataway. But before Bannister crossed the finish line, he also had another rabbit, a runner who would help keep that pace through the final stretch. His name was Chris Brasher.