This Monday was MLK Day, this year brought to you by Lyndon B. Johnson. Two weeks from yesterday, however, is Super Tuesday — which Wikipedia says is also referred to as the Tuesday of Destiny. (Regardless of accuracy, I will call it that until I die.)

There are a couple of reasons I’m especially excited for Super Tuesday ‘08. For one, this is the first presidential election cycle I can vote in, and everyone says you never forget your first time. (That’s what they were talking about, right?)

But more importantly, this year’s Super Tuesday will go down as one of the most important in recent memory. Both sides of the presidency are still up in the air, and Feb. 5 looks to be the day that solidifies our two contenders for November. This is a race where there’s no sure thing: no incumbents, no dominant party and no Al Gore. I can’t wait to be part of the change that all the candidates are talking about.

There’s just one big problem: Pennsylvania has no say in the matter.

Here in the Quaker State, you see, we don’t cast our primary votes until April 22. That’s a Tuesday, but it’s not so super. By then, both parties will likely have an untouchable frontrunner, and my vote will mean nothing. I guess I should have been like those campus students who spent winter break in Iowa to caucus. The rest of us just don’t matter.

I guess my only hope is that the Republican race continues its unpredictability all the way into late April. I’m liberal, but I’d be more than willing to jump party lines if it meant my vote still counted. If that becomes the case, however, I’ll need some questions answered by the conservative contenders, because right now I know next to nothing about them. And what better time to ask them than right here and now?

First, to Mitt Romney: What exactly is it that people like about you?

To sad, tired John McCain: You’re outspoken against all forms of torture. Does this include listening to you speak?

To former doctor Ron Paul: What drugs do I need to make it through the next Republican debate? Hard liquor alone didn’t do it last time.

To twice-divorced Rudy Giuliani: Do you find it ironic that you’ve had more wives than the Mormon candidate?

To ordained minister Mike Huckabee: You lost more than 100 pounds before your campaign. Be honest — did you switch to low-carb Eucharist?

And finally, to Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo: Who are you and why do I care?

Tags: primaries, questions, Republicans, wikipedia

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 at 8:30 am and is filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.