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Voting In Bay Area, Florida Has Worldwide Implications

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 16, 2008

With Florida's presidential primary slated for Jan. 29, the truth that all politics are local is coming to Tampa and with repercussions global and historic in scope.

"What do you mean by that?" you ask. "The national party committees don't even want to seat Florida's delegates at their conventions this summer."

That's nothing more than petty, inside party politics, and the ruling won't mean a thing in the long run. The leading candidates are going to want to seat Florida's delegation - and they will.

The selection process amounts to a cumulative surge effect. Initial trajectory is set via the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Momentum is established through the middle of January. Outcomes beyond the end of this month are profoundly affected by these early performances and, most importantly, by public perception.

Florida is the first of the four most populous states to vote, and just one week before Super Tuesday, a day that includes New York and California. Since the 2000 elections, Florida has been ascribed bellwether status by the national press.

I can't overstate the impact Florida is going to have on the political future of this country. I also can't overstate the significance of what happens in the Tampa area when it comes to the direction of this state. Finally, I can't overstate the difference your vote is going to make when it comes to our community's collective voice and who is likely to be nominated for president this summer.

If we think that sitting back and letting the process play out on our TV screens is an appropriate response, then consider the impact our nation's executive branch has on day-to-day life.

What if William H. Seward had won the Republican Party nomination in 1860? What if noninterventionist Wendell Lewis Willkie was resident in the Oval Office during the early 1940s? What if just a few more Tampa-area voters had favored Al Gore in 2000?

If you're planning to wait until November to vote, you may be missing your best chance to choose our next president. I predict November's results will have more to do with the individual nominees than the parties they represent. That makes Jan. 29 a world history-changing day.

Your precinct could tip the Tampa-area vote, this region is the key to the state, Florida is essential to secure the nomination, and leadership from the White House will radically impact our world.

Let's not be deceived by the un-American lie that we, the people, have nothing to do with government. We have everything to do with it, and the nation will be watching.

So go vote already.

Columnist Derek Maul can be reached at derekmaul @gmail.com.

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