Elections are about the future. The GOP is harping on the past. Romney seem to acknowledge the problem when he said Sunday, “I don’t think Bill Clinton is as relevant as Hillary Clinton if she decides to run for president.” He added, “She has her own record and her own vision.”

What exactly is the GOP vision beyond attacking President Obama and two Clintons? That’s what brought to mind the Clinton car-racing metaphor, which I’ve heard him deploy over the years in different contexts. Lacking a fresh, forward-looking agenda, Republicans should worry that attacks on Bill Clinton’s character could backfire again, making them appear to be acting out of fear, unable to concentrate or calm down.

The Clinton quote at the top of this column came from an October 2009 campaign speech for an embattled Democratic candidate, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, when the ex-president was begging voters to carefully consider their options before turning against the incumbent.

He used a second metaphor in the speech: “The great quarterbacks,” Clinton said, “are the ones that keep looking at the field, even when these 300-pound behemoths are about to crush them, right. They are, they’re calm, and they complete the pass. That’s what voting is for people in trouble this year. You cannot let people let their fears, their frustrations, their discouragement, keep them from the polls.”