Tuesday: more "super" than Sunday

America is currently getting geared up for their so-called "Super Tuesday" whereby twenty-four states will vote to elect the leaders of the two political parties. This event has slowly been building momentum in the worldwide media, largely due to the tight race between Barak Obama and Hilary Clinton on the Democratic card. For the first time in recent memory, the mere act of voting is generating genuine excitement south of the border.

Supertuesday: The day is actually a lot cooler than the band.

Indeed, I believe this excitement is well warranted. For the first time in history, there is a very good chance that either a black man or a woman will be elected as leader of the world's most powerful nation. After voters decided to grant George W. Bush a second term back in 2004, it's hard to believe the profound social shift that has occurred in the American psyche. Who could have possibly predicted a liberal-minded woman or black middle-class rookie Senator making it all the way to the November election in this day and age?

However, one cannot simply credit demographics as the sole reason for tomorrow's importance. In my opinion, the policies and attitudes of both Democratic front runners represent an all-out revolution in American politics that hasn't been seen since the Kennedy era. Obama in particular is more focused on peace, equality, and fairness than any American leader in history. For once, he is rejecting the long-standing and childish policies of violence-before-dialogue that has gripped the world in decades of war and violence.

The emergence of these two renegade nominees underscores a major victory with the American brand of democracy. George W. Bush has miraculously managed to skirt his way around his country's own constitution by blatantly siphoning power away from Congress and violating international torture and rule-of-engagement laws. In merely eight years, the US has seen the foundation of its own democracy erode away without as much as a whimper to stop it. However, the last few months leading up to tomorrow's vote has reignited faith in the system, and for the first time in recent memory, voters have been given the mandate to save themselves by demanding a revolution within their leadership.

The irony of this situation is that like a human being, democracy needed to hit rock bottom before gaining the momentum to redeem itself. It is now generating more excitement and attention than it has in decades, and in a twisted way, we have the brutal policies of George W. Bush to thank for it. A democratic country is indeed reflected by the will of its people, and as such, it continually matures in line with the society that shapes it. We're about to witness a huge step forward in this maturity when over half of the country goes to the polls tomorrow.