Campaigning 101 for the blue and white

INDIANAPOLIS – The folks who’ve been knocking on my door for the past few months tell me today’s Election Day.

In honor of this highly ignored American holiday, I wanted to do a little research to see if any of the most famous campaign slogans could help inspire the Indianapolis Colts – who survived the Midterm Elections with a 4-4 record – to improve their approval ratings and squeak into the playoffs.

“It’s Morning Again in America.” Ronald Reagan’s re-election slogan from 1984, aimed to remind the country how well things were going (or at least how well they looked on paper). The Colts’ 2008 campaign has been anything but golden. But it’s morning again in Indianapolis, meaning the Colts still have the rest of the day to right the ship.

“Keep Cool and Keep Coolidge.” This slogan – imploring voters to elect Calvin Coolidge in 1924 – could be reworded to “Don’t Freak Out.” A Peyton Manning-led Colts team hasn’t had a record this poor in 10 years. But they still have Manning, Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison and Joseph Addai suiting up. And now, Bob Sanders and a slew of ailing players are back in the lineup. So keep cool, Colts fans. There are still a lot of games to be played.

“Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow.” Bill Clinton stole the line from Fleetwood Mac, and Tony Dungy should steal it from Slick Willy. So far, the Colts have had just one winning streak this season – a two-game run against the Texans and the Ravens. That means the Colts have to forget about today and their recent win against the New England Patriots and focus on tomorrow, or Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“We Can Do Better.” John F. Kennedy was right on. There is too much talent for the Horseshoe to be .500. A struggling offensive line is no excuse for overthrown or dropped passes. And injuries are no excuse for missed tackles and blown coverage. These “fundamentals” could “change” the season for the better.

“Country First.” As in, guard your turf. The Indy defense has struggled this year, and maybe John McCain can help it out. The run defense has more holes than the missile defense shield (not to be confused with Manning’s laser-rocket arm). The offense has had its troubles, but defense wins elections, er, championships. It needs to improve if the Colts want to play in January.

“Yes We Can.” Barack Obama’s slogan has inspired millions of Americans to fight for their beliefs. Maybe he could encourage the Colts to believe in themselves. The Colts are missing that swagger they had for years – the belief that on any given Sunday, they were the best team on the field. Sometimes, the belief that you can do something is the difference between success and failure, a win or a loss.

This season has been marred by injury and ineffectiveness for Indianapolis. The Colts have lost winnable games at home and on the road. But with a .500 record and eight games remaining, they are still alive.

On Sunday, Indy beat one of the best teams in the NFL.

And that’s change Colts fans can believe in.