The sweet science.

The term is usually associated with boxing. An equally entertaining ballet of the ring is politics, and if you listen carefully, the first whispers of the political system have begun.

From hospital boards to city councils to state races the moves are being made early and quietly.

I’ve been covering political pugilists for longer than I am willing to admit. As an incurable gambler I have learned one thing: every political season I will be wrong about something because humans are wacky and hard to predict and I am not nearly as smart as I was before I had children.

I know better than to ever attempt to run for anything myself. I can’t even get my daughter to elect me as the boss of Yodie, her wicked little Yorkie. Believe me, I have run for this office many times and failed. I am being ruled by an unelected cabal of two — a dog and a daughter. Evil tyrants.

Politics is hard and for many candidates it is a shock the first time they run up against an aggressive challenger. It is common to hear candidates state they are not politicians, but only interested in serving their community.

The sad part is this is true – community service is the desire for many who enter the fray. But American politics can be a full contact sport. Remember the old boxing adage: work the body and the head will fall. It is the same in politics.

When I first broke into the film business I was working with a producer shooting political spots and documentaries.

I remember one day we were talking with a very well known political insider. The producer made a comment how much he disliked negative campaigning.

The guy nodded his head and smiled.

“Yes, everyone hates negative campaigns… especially losers.  But if it matters, you better be willing to fight for it. If you don’t want to fight for it, stay home.”

The stuff of American political dreams.

The political playground is as tricky to navigate as cutting the ring off on a southpaw.

I was at ringside covering a fight about 10 years ago and this old fight man was sitting next to me.

We were watching a couple of heavyweights and the old guy leaned over and whispered that the kid in the black trunks would lose.

The kid looked like he was taking the other fighter’s head off to me. I asked him why.

“When he walked past me I smelled the scared in him, and he shuts his eyes. Watch him. He’ll get pegged cause he shuts his eyes on his left lead.”

It took a couple rounds, but he was dropped.

That is the sweet science – keeping your eyes open when you throw your lead and figuring out how to smell the scared.