Apparently, this week is super.
In Sunday’s football action, the New England Patriots squared off against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. Super Sunday. In Tuesday’s political action, nearly half the nation will head to the polls and vote for a Democratic or Republican candidate to step up when George Bush steps down. Super Tuesday.
Three days. Two of them are “super.” Sometimes it’s just hard to remember which one – football or politics – is the game.
One week ago, President Bush delivered his seventh and final State of the Union address. Needless to say, it was very boring. His speech included 54 references to Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, 26 uses of the words terrorist, extremist and extremism and 18 mentions of freedom and liberty, for which he received 72 rounds of applause from the packed House chamber. As for the economy, well, he brought that up nine times – which must mean we shouldn’t think too hard about it.
One week later finds us in the present, stuck in what some might call a Super Sandwich. With football through and the economy still a bore, where are those of us not in steamy college relationships going to find passion now? Academics? No. Community service? Lame. Petty crime and public drunkenness in the name of anarchy? So 10 years ago.
This is no time for looking back. Something that feels like relentless optimism tells me 2008 is unlike any year we’ve seen for some time. Words such as “hope” and “change” are dominating the political conversation. You needn’t have been alive in 1960 or any time before that to feel part of something larger than yourself.
Which I think is what elections are supposed to be about. It’s a good feeling – or, at least, I imagine so. Call me pessimistic, but my knowledge of such an idea feels constricted to history books, my mother’s stories about her childhood and audio clips from John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address. Whether Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama or John McCain is sworn in as 44th President of the United States come January, common sense suggests none of the above could suck as badly as number 43.
But I’m underwhelmed by the prospects of a post-Bush presidency. Maybe even a little scared. After all, we’ve been through so much together. One war based on faulty intelligence (maybe two!). Nine trillion dollars of national debt. Dick Cheney. Any psychologist would tell you that’s a lot to just move on from.
I guess, what it comes down to is that I fear change. I’ve dreamt so long of a day after Bush that now I’ve come to idealize it. How, I wonder, is the next president going to screw things up and shatter my hopelessly idealistic perception of civil discourse? I have effectively psyched myself out.
Can you blame me? My earliest memory of something historic happening involved our Commander in Chief, an unpaid intern and a dirty blue dress. I’ve never had a beer outside the most inept presidential administration since our grandparents were still pooping in diapers (though maybe yours are now, too). I’m not saying I’ve had it rough. Nor am I saying the state of our national affairs is in any way related to my happiness. All I’m saying is this is a rough time to feel like a part of something that doesn’t directly or indirectly involve blowing people up.
But look at the voter participation in states that have held their primaries. Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina all reported record turnout, particularly on the Democratic side. The excitement is there, simmering, waiting for anyone thirsty enough to drink up.
I’m thirsty. Looking around, one gets the subtle feeling others are too. What we’re thirsty for is a healthy shot of change. I realize it’s cliché, but it makes me feel good, so I’ll stick with it. And on the note of sticking with things that make me feel good, I’ll say here and now that Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee for president, and John McCain the Republican. Then, because John McCain continues his support for a war the public has turned decidedly against – according to pollingreport.com, 59 percent of Americans now think removing Saddam Hussein was not worth the lives and money, while only 32 percent think it was worth it – Barack Obama will win the general election and the presidency.
What do I base this all on? A feeling – the same feeling I mentioned earlier. Talk to someone who has already found a home in the Obama camp, and they won’t give you a very good answer as to why. Chances are, they aren’t entirely sure. Their support isn’t based concretely on any policy position. It’s that feeling, of being connected with the past and a part of the future. And it’s powerful.
Stuck between Super Sunday and Super Tuesday. Mundane Monday. One can only hope Tuesday is the rule and not the exception, that it’s the beginning of a trend as opposed to a single day of national consciousness to be engulfed as it passes by the prevailing winds of indifference. Every moment is an opportunity for change. But when the chance for a large-scale political movement comes along, it’s hard not to feel excited. Even if it is only a feeling.
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