Super!

The word of this coming week, hands down, is Super. Super, as in super stakes, super drama, and Super Tuesday, when millions of Americans will cast their vote for their party's presidential nominee, not to mention the Super Bowl taking place tomorrow afternoon in Arizona. With CNN devoting 40 consecutive hours to the voting and results, and ABC giving up a similarly impressive 5 hours of broadcast TV time to the event, it's clear that the media expects a big night.

Super Tuesday has super high stakes because of the sheer number of votes that will be cast and the wide-range of states that will be involved. As John McCain has pointed out several times recently, it's as close to a national primary as we've ever had. Will the race end on Tuesday or just intensify as a result? That's the question many are posing. Statistically, the AP reports that the numbers will not, and cannot, add up to the crowning of an official nominee for either party after Tuesday's voting, but as ABC News writes, the Republican race may be all but wrapped up, with John McCain ahead in most states and gaining momentum elsewhere. As for the Democrats, it appears as if both Clinton and Obama will do very well in different parts of the nation, meaning that the race for the nomination will remain tight.

As the drama and anticipation of a primary election night like none other builds, it's important to point out the possibility that these last minute endorsements Obama is racking up may play an important role. Beyond the support he's receiving from the Kennedys, in recent days in California, newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, La Opinion, the Oakland Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Jose Mercury, the Sacramento Bee, the Modesto Bee, the Santa Cruz Sentinel, and the San Francisco Bay Guardian have all written pieces endorsing Obama. The first two mentioned, the Los Angeles Times and La Opinion, are two of the biggest papers in California and have influence well beyond the state. The LA Times hasn't endorsed a candidate since 1972, mostly because of California's typical back-seat role in presidential elections, but the wording in their write-up of the Senator is glowing, as they "strongly endorse" Senator Obama. La Opinion, the largest Spanish-language newspaper in the US and the second most read paper in LA (behind the LA Times), also showed strong support for Obama. The significance of this endorsement may be even larger for the Senator, given his weak support among Latinos heading into voting in several states where Latinos make up a large percentage of the population. The paper praised his stance on immigration over Senator Clinton's, given his support for driver's licenses for the undocumented and her opposition to the proposal. They like that Obama is leading on immigration reform, rather than simply holding a position.

Both papers point out the inspirational appeal of Obama that they feel is necessary for the US at this point in time. As the LA Times says, with candidates so similar in their core positions, the ability to be a transcendent leader in this troublesome time is crucial. It should also be noted that both of these papers showed support for Senator John McCain for the Republican nomination, though their support for McCain is less enthusiastic in both cases.

With several million people voting on Tuesday in California alone, it's going to be quite a significant moment in this election. Previous primary election days this year will pale in comparison to the vastness of this moment. Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida will have been reduced in their significance to either sparking, or extinguishing, candidates' momentum heading into this week. And if you think you've seen a lot of Wolf Blitzer and CNN's so-called "best political team on television" by now, wait until you've sat through 40 "super" hours of Super Tuesday coverage. It's going to be quite a week.