It is seldom that the fate of a nation can be traced to what happened on one particular day. But that may be what happens in the United States of America today, Tuesday, March 15, 2016.
That is because the front-runners in both political parties are not merely inadequate but appalling -- and the vote in today’s primaries in Florida, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, and North Carolina may be the last chance for the voters to unite behind someone else.
The trends that brought us to this crucial day go back for years. But whatever the paths that led to this crossroads, we are in fact at a crossroads and our future, and our children's futures, depend on whether we can come up with some presidential candidate better than either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.
In other times and in other conditions, one bad president could not ruin a great nation. We survived Jimmy Carter and we may survive Barack Obama, but there is no guarantee that we can survive an unlimited amount of reckless decisions in a dangerous world.
Charismatic leaders like Trump who articulated the just grievances of the people have often risen to power on the basis of that talent alone. And those who put them in power have often paid a catastrophic price afterwards. That story was repeated in countries around the world in the 20th century.
Will that story be repeated in America in the 21st century? The vote today may give us a clue.