It Sure Is Super!

"Super" is the word of the week. First there was Super Bowl Sunday and now, tomorrow, is Super Tuesday. For those of you unaware of what kind of super-ness will take place tomorrow- Super Tuesday is a big day in presidential primary season. Over half of all the delegates are up for grabs in elections across 24 states. Usually, the nominee is all but written in stone after this super-duper day (this year may be different given the close races on both sides but that’s a story for a later day).

So given the convenience of the two Super-est days falling so close together I think this is a perfect opportunity for me to take some time to explain my love of politics and maybe win over some converts to the dark side of campaigns and power-seekers.In my last post I paralleled Obama to the Patriots (which I would now like to amend... Obama is like the New York Giants- ahem). I think football, or really sports in general, is a perfect comparison for why everyone should love politics.

Really, when it comes down to it, politics is just a game. “Horserace” coverage is what the insiders call it when the media covers poll data. We are all just choosing the horse we think will win, maybe they’re an underdog with a big pay out or maybe it’s the sure thing with the easy money, but no one ever knows 100% who will cross the line first. To strengthen my argument, the types of elections we hold in the U.S. are referred to as “First Past the Post.” The reason for this is because the person with the most votes wins as opposed to other democracies that use a plurality,- representation by percentage of votes- but when you look at the basis of it one can see that politics is a gamble. It may get ugly sometimes, but if you like to watch a good fight to the top or keep track of the teams throughout the season then you will probably get something out of an election or the struggle to pass a piece of legislation.

What sets politics apart from sports, though, is that you have a say in who wins and loses. Just as important, the impact of a loss or a win for your team and the consequences therein are much more dire and felt for much longer. The New England Patriots just watched a perfect season get stolen with one catch of a ball. They were sent away to lick their wounds, but other then the letdown feeling the players and fans are currently experiencing there are no other repercussions. There is always next season. In politics you can still say, “Well, there is always the next election,” but you have to wait a lot longer. And more than that, at the start of the next football season there is a clean slate. In the beginning of the next election cycle there is the fact that you have to beat an incumbent, a challenge, as most know, in and of itself. Then, if you can win the proverbial Super Bowl, you have to figure out a way to implement your policies and possibly try to undo the policies of the last political champion. Politics is a sport that touches every aspect of your life whether you realize it or not. It determines your taxes (how much or how little), your healthcare (unaffordable for many Americans or available to everyone), your (or your children’s) education, and even if you’re allowed to pump your own gas… everything.

So pay attention people! Learn about the candidates, cast a vote. It’s a game and you control who wins.