I don’t know what it was like on college campuses in the 1960s, but I do know what it has been like in the 90s and since.  In my limited experience, students on campus have cared about as much about presidential politics as the trade embargo against Cuba.  Sure, the extreme partisans of either side start small skirmishes in the fall once every four years, and maybe there will be a sparsely attended rally or two, but nothing like the mania that has hit the UT campus this spring.  I would like to think we are entering a time similar to the marches of the sixties that our parents may have encountered.

Earlier this week we had a heated debate about whether students should be able to express themselves freely and post campaign material in our hallways regardless of the University’s policy forbidding it.  Walking across campus today I was accosted by a Ron Paul advocate, standing alone with giant signs and chanting loudly about the savior-like attributes of the doctor from east Texas.  My class this evening was interrupted by hundreds, maybe thousands or students marching by with Obama signs and calling for change.  There is an electricity that seems to be emanating from this campus that is infecting this politically charged city in ways that are almost scary.  The tension mounts as the March 4th primary approaches.

This new-found passion may be derived from the personalities involved, particularly on the Democratic side of the ticket.  There are people convinced Senator Obama is the answer to all that is wrong with this country, and others that believe Senator Clinton is the personification of evil.  Of course there are Clinton fans that vehemently defend her credentials and abilities and believe Obama is nothing but a snake oil salesman with pretty ideas and no substance.  Both groups are convinced that the victor of this Texas and Ohio primary are destined for the White House, as the Republicans have made such a mess of things thus far.  Energy, excitement, feeling part of something bigger than themselves - yep, this is a lot like how the sixties sounded.

But the sixties were really a response to a social order that was outmoded, outdated, and needed fresh eyes.  America was becoming an urban nation with ever-increasing minority populations and powerful lead characters who were courageous enough to describe the changes ahead.  Are we, now, in similar times?  Or is this just a facsimile of a time when passion fed our spirits for real concerns - but like the faded copy of a copy this time our passion feeds on the excitement of the passion itself?  I hope not.

I hope that this is a sign of the social upheaval this country needs to experience.  There are too many problems that have gone unanswered for too long, and if we don’t start making hard decisions and expecting hard accountability of our government, then more serious rioting in the streets may be in store.  Let us hope that the “Fad” of political passion turns into something that actually makes a difference.  “Yes We Can” start addressing our problems, but it starts with doing and not just talking about it.