Usually during the presidential election cycle I pay some attention to news about the different candidates. This is partially due to the fact that I am interested in what the politicians at least claim they want to do. This is more due to the fact that presidential politics dominates the news for this period of time.
It is currently June 2007. When I stop and think about it, I cannot even recall when people started officially campaigning to be president. I know that there was news about the campaign before the congressional elections last November, but let's say for our purposes that official campaigning started in March. This would make the official campaigning period twenty months long. It would also mean that 41.7% of the time there is an official presidential campaign occurring. I can't even imagine what it is like to have to deal with political advertisements and attention for nearly two-year intervals in states like Iowa or New Hampshire. I don't know about anyone else, but I think that is just a bit of overkill.
At the current time, there are just short of twenty people jockying for the major party nominations. It is expected that a few campaigns will give up in the next couple of months, well more than a year before the actual presidential election. The campaign season is actually long enough for candidates to go through the process of establishing an official campaign, attempting to get people to want to vote for them, failing, and still have more than a year to spare.
Even though the election is well over a year away, both parties have already had at least three debates. Three. Think about that. We are not even close to a primary yet and there have already been three debates. A person could probably make a pretty good living just being a lifetime presidential candidate just due to the amount of time he or she can devote to the "job."
So, I think I'll start my exploratory committee to determine whether I want to run in 2016. I'm sure I am not the first. I just need to get in before twenty other people decide they are going to gun for a major party nomination.
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Is it possible to describe a personal blog without it sounding self-absorbed?
The title Off the Bridge is to reflect that I created this blog in part due to peer pressure. When I created and named it I did not anticipate still using it years down the road.
I generally post my thoughts on topics that have been floating around in my head in the previous days. I hope you find something interesting. In any case, thanks for stopping by.
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7 comments:
Three debates...and nobody is paying attention to them.
I kept getting antsy about my absentee ballot, then I realized it's not even this year!!! And I only listen to one American radio show via podcast. You guys are bombarded.
I'd vote for you. Shakedust in 2016!
Oh sure you'd run for President - but a little board member nomination makes you all squeamish.
:-)
I would hate to have people always watching every word I said, no wonder they talk every angle and spin spin spin. I don't envy the political monster we have in our country but it's nice to have a democracy, so I guess it's the nature of the beast.
I, personally, would like to be the first to announce my candidacy for the 2080 presidential election. Sure, I'll be 101 years old, the United States will be fully owned by a consortium consisting of Dubai, Mexico and Wal-Mart, and the average temperature in January will be 96, but better late than never, eh?
I have actually proposed a real solution to the out-of-control election scene in this country on my blog.
Do I note a hint of your student government days in your post? :)
Your solution is an intriguing idea, and I think a form of it could work, but I have a few qualms with it. I hope you don't mind me discussing that.
First, it essentially nullifies freedom of speech. I know there are campaign rules in place that do the same thing, but the Supreme Court just nullified some of the McCain-Feingold Campaign Reform Act based on freedom of speech issues. I cannot imagine this more restrictive solution being implemented.
Second, it favors candidates that have a lot of free time on their hands. This would cause difficulty for candidates currently in office (thus, those who have experience with how to run a state or country) and people who are not independently wealthy. This second group of people is the group that I (and I think you) feel are the underrepresented masses, and they will still be the underrepresented masses.
Third, it provides newpaper editorial staffs with too much power. Though it is an established practice, I question the ethics of newspapers backing candidates. This is fair due to free speech, but if candidates are so severely limited in how they can communicate to the public, media (and blog) editorials will have much more sway. I think this may become an "out of the frying pan and into the fire" situation regarding audience manipulation.
Fourth, I think the campaign financing is a big part of the problem. A random billionaire like a Ross Perot or a Michael Bloomberg could still use their immense personal fortune to make a serious run for President based largely on their personal finances. Sure, they couldn't buy traditional advertising, but a creative campaign manager should be able to turn enough money into a mountain of votes.
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