ND could be the tipping point in the selection of the next President

Presidents’ Day is around the corner. Some get a long weekend to commemorate George Washington’s birthday, and what’s become Presidents’ Day.

For the first time in a long time, Americans are getting a real taste of honest-to-goodness stakeholdership in the hotly contested races for the Presidency.

The political pendulum swing has mobilized Democrats. Even rural North Dakotans are highly engaged in the process this year.

Competition is good.

The contest between Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton - both historic firsts - has exhilarated liberals and progressives.

Ron Paul’s draw of libertarians into Republican caucuses was and is very interesting.

John McCain’s surge to pretty much assure the GOP nomination surprised many folks.

The likelihood of an Obama-Clinton ticket is not in the cards yet. However, it should be.

Whoever runs second on the Republican ticket is certainly not clear.

If this momentum continues, it will be a wild ride between now and the November General Election.

Deep down, we suspect Americans have in fact been aching for a real fight, a real contest. Quite frankly, they’ve not had a good one in a long time.

This bodes well for the American spirit. Times are tough for many people in many walks of life. The presidential election process this time around gives ordinary folks a say, a stake. The vote of a pauper has the same value as the vote of a billionaire. Sometimes equilibrium is achieved through the ballot box. This year is one of those years, potentially.

Some estimate the national debt to exceed $200,000 for every man woman and child. Taxes are higher than a kite, especially property taxes on the local level. The war is stifling to say the least, the costs high, the result questionable.

In the past two terms, history has gone in directions nobody would have expected. The inevitable change invigorates the masses. The competition enrolls people in the process.

The unfettered debate gives opportunities to gain insight, to test, to measure. The whole world is watching this ever-so-American extravaganza unfold.

If only all people everywhere could vote so freely. But here we can. And this time around, it appears to be a blockbuster.

Everybody wins.

So come Monday, when we are deep in thought about the profound meanings and impact of Presidents’ Day on our personal lives, maybe this year especially we’ll look at it differently.

With hope.

And with a determination to make a difference, or, as they say, to be the difference.

In some regards, North Dakotans do it like no others. The only state in the nation to not require voter registration, ND is in a category all its own.

North Dakota has a history rich in populism and activism. We’ve had some very colorful and independent leaders in the past. We take pride in our own perspective, which is neither West nor East Coast.

For all we know, North Dakota could be the tipping point in the selection of the next President. For all we know, one voting citizen in ND could be the tipping point in the state’s allocation of its electoral votes. For all we know, there never has been a more defining presidential election in our lifetime.

It is hope that has fueled interest in the forthcoming Presidential election. Hope for better tomorrows. Hope for change. Hope for lots of things.

Some fear hope. Many operate out of fear. Change means the unknown and it is to be feared by its very nature, arguably.

When people vote in the privacy of the ballot box this year, they and only they will know if they operated out of hope or fear. Only they will know if they sold out or contributed. Only they will know if they secretly fell prey to prejudices—ageism, sexism, racism, and religious bigotry. All potential elements in this presidential race.

Small wonder people are engaged. This is as American as America gets.