The Daily O’Collegian

An entire year has led up to tomorrow. The excessive debates, exhaustive political commentary and hourly news coverage culminates with the primaries on Super Tuesday. Although the nominees might still not be clear, much of the nation will be decided.

Over the past year, the field of candidates certainly has narrowed. Debate stages that were once crammed with would-be presidents, now are replaced with table discussions. Recent withdrawals from the race by Edwards, Giuliani and Thompson have left very few front-runners on both sides. Democrats now have Clinton and Obama, while the Republicans have more choices with McCain, Romney, Huckabee and Paul.

Historically, Super Tuesday has never been so soon. Before, Super Tuesday took place in early March, but the 2004 election saw several states normally included in Super Tuesday move their primaries up. Last spring, the last Super Tuesday states moved their primaries to tomorrow. While this certainly provides more time for the eventual nominees to prepare for the general election, it has greatly contributed to the break-neck pace of this election.

When Oklahoma Democrats went to the polls in 2004’s Super Tuesday, the field of candidates was still large. Retired four-star general Wesley Clark won the Oklahoma primary in 2004, with John Edwards coming in a very close second. Some may not even remember who Clark is, much less the eight other candidates who received votes. Wesley Clark did not win any other states in 2004 and for the 2008 election season, he joined the Clinton camp.

Although the ballots tomorrow will still include candidates that have dropped from the race (as well as candidates many have never heard of), choices are more limited than they were in the past. Even though Clark never stood a chance on the national level, he represented what Oklahomans wanted in a president. With so few choices remaining, the primary tomorrow is more representative of a national direction than what each state may want. Limited choices can create regretful decisions, but this could be preparation for the eventual general election.

The primary season began and has been decided far too soon. Many states are now forced to choose between candidates who have already been decided by others. However, this objection could be wrong. The remaining candidates could be exactly what people want.

In regards to candidates, Bill Clinton famously said: “Democrats want to fall in love, and Republicans to fall in line.” No matter your opinion of Bill Clinton, the former president presents a valid critique of the system. The Presidential election should be about the issues, not about who makes the best father figure or who’s the most articulate. Far too often the media concerns itself with creating cults of personality around the candidates, eclipsing the issues and focusing on candidates’ hair or cleavage.

Learning the candidates’ positions is essential for democracy, so I challenge everyone to research the issues instead of jumping on the bandwagon with your friends. Even though the accelerated primary season has already taken away many choices, there are differences in the candidates and civic duty still calls. Happy voting.