Lyd writes 04 Feb 2008 03:57 pm
From Super Bowl Sunday to Super Tuesday
What do you call the day after Super Bowl Sunday and before Super Tuesday? Lame Monday? Except today feels anything but lame, I feel great about ’08.
The parallels between yesterday’s game and tomorrow’s primaries/caucuses are meaningful on many embarrassing English-major levels.
1) Upheaval: Underdog Eli and the Giants topple perfect-season Brady and the Patriots.
Similarly, in the political arena — will this be the year “change” triumphs over the status quo? Will the GOP lose the White House after eight years, just as the Patriots dynasty was silenced yesterday? Will we have a female or black president, just as Eli was MVP and not Tom?
2) It’s anyone’s game: Until 0:01 remained on the game clock, it was impossible to guarantee who was going to win.
The same is true for the Democrats tomorrow. Clinton was leading in all the polls until this final weekend, when her margins over Obama narrowed to a statistical draw. No matter who wins, we’re assured a suspenseful, unpredictable outing. No more foregone conclusions.
3) Lesser of two evils?: NO! For once, that’s not our choice. Super Bowl TV ratings were up this year — people cared about this game. Whether you backed the Patriots and wanted to see them finish a perfect season, or cheered for the wild card Giants to win every postseason game on the road to beat the powerhouse Pats, fans were interested and tuned in.
Similarly, the remaining presidential candidates are inspiring, and people are turning out to vote. There’s no Al Gore or John Kerry to make fun of this year — it’s hard not to get excited about Clinton or Obama. And on the Republican side, with McCain looking like the nominee, the GOP opponent isn’t someone who liberals would move to Canada over (maybe they would, but I’m not in Berkeley to overhear these things anymore). Assuming it’s Clinton vs. McCain or Obama vs. McCain in November — each side will have someone to truly rally behind.
4) Engaging the undecideds: Personally, I don’t care much about the Patriots or the Giants. And while I do care about who becomes our next president, there isn’t a particular candidate that I secretly root for as I follow along this elections season. But I got wrapped up in the Super Bowl drama, just as I’m excited about going to the polls tomorrow — no matter who I vote for. I think this is true for a lot of other folks out there who didn’t have their favorite team in the Super Bowl, or who don’t have a candidate’s lawn sign in their front yard.
Let’s keep feeling inspired and tuning in! What a great start to 2008!