Super Tuesday

Today is referred to as Super Tuesday in the United States. It marks the day, usually in February or March, when the greatest number of states [24 in this case] hold primary elections to select delegates to their respective national conventions. As there is no incumbent candidate in this election, Super Tuesday is crucial to the chances for each presidential candidate.

Although there are more substantial issues, such as the economy, health care, and foreign policy to debate, this election could be shaped radically if cyclists chose to vote in a block. We have already proven that there is real power in our pedals, raising awareness and money for such causes as cancer, multiple sclerosis, and the plight of Rwanda to name a few.

The front runner for that potential block vote might have been the former Senator from North Carolina, John Edwards, had he not recently dropped out of the race last week. Last summer, Edwards joined Lance Armstrong in riding a leg of the tour across Iowa known as RAGBRAI.



The folks over at BikePortland.org have a nice breakdown of where and how each of the current candidates stand on cycling, with Barack Obama being the only candidate to have actually made a comment directed towards cyclist.

“As president…Obama will build upon his efforts in the Senate to ensure that more Metropolitan Planning Organizations create policies to incentivize greater bicycle and pedestrian usage of roads and sidewalks, and he will also re-commit federal resources to public mass transportation projects across the country. Building more livable and sustainable communities will not only reduce the amount of time individuals spent commuting, but will also have significant benefits to air quality, public health and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Interestingly, if we were to simply go by cycling merit alone and choose from any number of politicians, that vote would surely go to the Congressman from Oregon who clearly is representative of his cycling constituency.

Excerpt from the Wall Street Journal (December 29, 2007):
"Some members of Congress come to Washington and get in the fast lane. The 59-year-old Mr. Blumenauer came to Washington and got in the bike lane. Few members of Congress care more than he does about cranks and sprockets.

Mr. Blumenauer's "obsession with bicycling borders on the interesting," sniffed TV satirist Stephen Colbert.

"Bikeman," a House colleague from Oregon calls him. Mr. Blumenauer owns seven bikes. His congressional office is one of the few -- if not the only one -- that didn't even apply for a parking permit. On occasion, Mr. Blumenauer has cycled to the White House. On Mr. Blumenauer's first visit, the Secret Service, more accustomed to limousines, was flummoxed at the sight of his bike.

"I leaned it up against the portico," Mr. Blumenauer says.

Washington isn't particularly bicycle friendly. The summers are swampy. The winters are cold. And if you aren't careful, you could get flattened by a motorcade.

But Mr. Blumenauer has been a pedal pusher since his days on the Portland City Council, when he pressed for more bike lanes and set an example by riding around in his suit and a big bow tie. When Mr. Blumenauer arrived in Washington in 1996, he didn't bring a car. Soon he was preaching the benefits of pedaling.

He launched the Congressional Bike Caucus, a bipartisan group that promotes public investment in cycling. In his early days, he tracked down Speaker Newt Gingrich in the House gym to pitch transit-fare subsidies for House workers. He got them. As the ranks of the Bicycle Caucus have grown -- there are now more than 170 members -- money for bike projects has grown, more than doubling during his time in office.

So, too, has Mr. Blumenauer's reputation: He's a Pacific Northwest liberal, labor and eco-friendly, with an earnest demeanor. He broke his foot in early 2006, tripping as he took out the trash for recycling at his home in Portland. "It could not have been more politically correct," says Kerry Tymchuk, state director for Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith, a Republican. For several weeks afterward, Mr. Blumenauer, on crutches, stayed off his bike."

[MORE]