One size does not fit all.

If you’re an NFL fan like I am, there can be an endless debate about which team should be considered the all-time greatest.

The 1972 Miami Dolphins are often named and for good reason. They are the only team to have gone undefeated (14-0 regular season; 3-0 postseason) for an entire football season.

The 1984 San Francisco 49ers with their prolific offensive machine went 18-1. The Chicago Bears turned that trick the very next season, riding the wave of one of the best defenses of the modern era. Both clubs, of course, were Super Bowl champions.

But why is it the 2007 New England Patriots are rarely mentioned as the greatest of all time? Like the ’84 Niners and ’85 Bears, the ’07 Pats also went 18-1.

”Uh, it’s because the one loss the Patriots suffered was actually in the Super Bowl. No team can be considered the greatest if they didn’t even win it all.”

So the prevailing theory is that a loss in the Super Bowl is weighted much heavier than a regular season loss, even though it’s still only one loss. I think we can all agree on that.

Said theory is analogous to the thought process employed by many Minnesota GOP voters in not endorsing the “Override Six.”

In March, when six GOP House members voted to override Gov. Pawlenty’s veto of the mass transit subsidy Transportation Bill, three of those members (Ron Erhardt, Neil Peterson and Kathy Tingelstad) were denied party endorsements at their respective BPOU conventions. Many DFL stooges became very indignant over such action, claiming the six reps were being treated unfairly and that they were being unjustifiably ousted over merely one vote.

This fallacy was parroted again recently as it was rumored Erhardt is considering leaving the GOP.

A reliable source at the Capitol tells MN Publius that Ron Erhardt will file as an Independent candidate for the State House in 41A shortly before the filing deadline next week. Erhardt was denied the Republican endorsement for reelection after he voted to override the Governor’s veto of the transportation bill despite decades of service to the MN GOP.

Yes, the denial of endorsements was the result of the votes on the transportation bill. However, much more weight can be attached to that vote simply because Minnesotans were already woefully overtaxed. It would have been one thing if an effort had been made to trim excessive spending in other areas. After all, we expect our GOP lawmakers to hold up the mantle of fiscal responsibility. But no such concessions were made, and the Minnesota Republicans responded accordingly.

While we respect the years of service put in by our representatives, we also have the right to send them packing if we feel they made a decision that could be damaging to us long-term. And that damage can be inflicted with just one vote.

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