The 2008 Primaries

This year primaries have been a popular conversation theme wherever I go. Since the beginning of the Democratic Presidential Nomination race until now, many citizens have been following the race for the presidency very closely. I have experienced heated conversations about the presidential race as I walked through UT campus or waited for class to get started, and even at family gatherings where politics had never been the center of attention until a couple of months ago. It seems like everyone is interested on what is going to happen on this primary. The immerse involvement of UT students and family members in this primary has raise my curiosity. I have questions such as; what is it about this years’ presidency race that has caught the attention of so many people? Is it due to the unpopularity of the Bush Administration and the desire for change? The candidates position on important issues such as Iraq? Or perhaps because is the first time in history a candidate is of African American decent?

I have a particular point of view; I think the reason why the presidential election is being followed so closely is a combination of all the questions mentioned above. I think part of American citizens’ desire a change and in order to be certain to of a real change they must follow the candidates’ position closely. On the other hand, minorities are getting more involved since they feel that this time their voice might be heard if a president that comes from a minority as well is elected. Others are following the race because regardless of the outcome history is already being made by having an African American candidate running for president. I just hope that when people go out and vote on Tuesday, November 4 they make the right decision. I do not want to think that the rumors that many supporters of Senator Clinton will vote for McCain now that she is out of the race will come true. I would rather want to know that the voter turnout is going be greater than in the past years and that the voters based their ballot on critical thinking.