Here we go again, right? Another hum drum election, another low turnout, more complaints about how Americans don't care about politics. But wait a minute. The upcoming Feb. 5 presidential primary is no ordinary vote. In fact, it's a primary of firsts.

It's the first time California has had a real say over who will be nominated to represent Republicans and Democrats in the general election.

And it is arguably the first time either a woman or a black has been this close to being elected to the White House.

Most observers agree that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are the clear Democratic front-runners.

So after Feb. 5 -- when a whopping 24 states with over half the convention delegates choose -- one or the other will likely emerge as the favorite.

If Clinton ends up being nominated, then it will be the first time that Americans will have had the option of electing a woman to the country's highest office.

Ditto if Obama emerges triumphant, only this time it would be the first time a major political party chose a minority presidential candidate.

Most local residents think that both possibilities are significant.

"I think maybe it's because we Americans have come of age. I mean black people, 50 years ago, my god, that never would have been heard of. I mean, it was women belong in the house or the bed, that sort of thing," said Simon Lakritz, a longtime Hanford Democrat.

"It's significant because of what America is all about. When we say all men are equal, we're talking about mankind. It's America coming to maturity," said Noah Lawson, a local Republican activist.

"I think it's just the openness of our society," said Prudence Eiland, chairwoman of the Kings County Republican Central Committee.

She compared the situation to John F. Kennedy becoming the Democratic presidential nominee in 1960 (Kennedy eventually beat Richard Nixon to become president).

At the time, a big deal was made of the fact that Kennedy was the first Roman Catholic nominee in American history.

The issue has cropped up recently in reference to that fact that Mitt Romney, one of the Republican contenders, is a Mormon.

The nomination of either Obama or Clinton would signal that "barriers have been knocked down," said Steven Graham, and adjunct political science and history instructor at West Hills College Lemoore.

"I mean, leader of the free world, you can't get any bigger than that, right?" Graham said.

"It's exciting. Look how far we've come," said Carole Farris, vice chairwoman of the Kings County Democratic Central Committee.

There are others who can claim to be on the leading edge.

Geraldine Ferraro would have been the first female vice president in U.S. history if incumbent Ronald Reagan hadn't walloped Walter Mondale in 1984.

Republicans like to point to Condoleezza Rice, who, as secretary of state, is fourth in line to be president if George W. Bush dies, resigns, is removed, or otherwise becomes incapacitated.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, in the second slot behind Vice President Dick Cheney, is actually closer, a fact that didn't go unnoticed when Pelosi became speaker.

Jesse Jackson, a black minister and civil rights activist, ran for president several times, and even got as far as winning several Democratic primaries in 1984 and 1988.

But Obama and Clinton are more tantalizingly near to making history than their predecessors.

"It's historic. It means, at least in some parts of the country, we've come a long way. It will be interesting to see how that plays out," said Phyllis Gaines, another member of the Democratic committee.

Jack Stone, longtime Lemoore area farmer and staunch Republican, said the nomination of either candidate would be "like having a meteorite hit the country. It would be the first time."

"The first time thing doesn't mean anything to me. The thing that means something to me is to get the best person in there," Stone said.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2432.

(Jan. 16, 2008)