Politics

Super Tuesday. Tomorrow. Most of you might be thinking, 'so what?' Some of you might think, 'Finally! Now we won't have to hear about it anymore!' For me, though, it's the climax of what's been a fairly exciting race thus far.

Most of you know I'm a political junkie, anyway, but I've really enjoyed watching this whole drama play out. Forget soap operas...this is exciting! (Yes, I'm a nerd. I'm aware and I don't' care.) What makes this even more exciting is that it actually matters. If folks don't think that how we vote matters, go ask the citizens of Iraq. For better or for worse, had we not elected or re-elected President Bush, their lives would be vastly different. And this year it matters a great deal.

There have been lots of positive signs emerge from this primary season...from the record turnouts at primaries and caucuses to the rise in interest from the 18-24 age group. The most exciting aspect for me has to be the great diversity in candidates (not necessarily in their views, though).

Last Thursday, I sat down to watch the CNN debate between Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama. There had been much buildup to the debate, especially after John Edwards dropped out of the race. And perhaps I was overcome by the hype from CNN, but I had chills when that debate began. When the two candidates walked out on stage, I (perhaps embarrassingly) teared up a bit. For my whole life, we've only really read and heard about history-changing events. Whether it be Martin Luther King, Jr. or the assassination of President Kennedy or the even earlier events of women getting the right to vote. It moved me to think that I was actually witnessing a historic event--of the two viable candidates campaigning for their party's nomination--neither one was a white man.

To be sure, I have nothing against white men. I actually like them. I'm related to a lot of them. There's nothing wrong with being a white man. But this is supposed to be a democracy. In a democracy, all people should be represented. And contrary to what some might wish for, this country has quite a diverse population. So why is it that our leadership for the entire history of the country have been significantly less diverse than the country they claim to represent?

When I watched the debate that night, I had high hopes for this country. Finally, we might begin live up to what we claim we stand for--that we're all created equal and that ALL citizens, no matter their gender or skin color. Clearly, we have a long way to go. In conversations with people of varying ages and political points of view, I hear that. Quite frankly, those conversations knocked the winds out of my sails for a while. But I can't quite lose this optimism, this excitement that's gripped me.

I don't know what the future holds. I'm still not even sure who I'm going to vote for tomorrow. But I'm still excited and I'm still hopeful, and with the viability of these two different candidates, I'm starting to like my country again.


PS Go Giants! Long live the 1972 Dolphins!!