Election Reform

            In another six weeks we will know. Four more years of Obama or four years of Mitt Romney will signify the end of maybe the worst presidential campaigns any of us can remember. Is it my imagination or does it seem like this election has been going on for six years? This election cycle seems longer because with social media and the internet the news cycle has shrunk and each twist and turn lasts only as long as the next “game changing” event takes over the headlines.

           

            A quick review of the Republican race seems like these events happened in our childhood. It was August of 2011 when Michelle Bachman became the presumptive Republican front runner by winning an Iowa Straw Poll vote. That lead lasted until she did some interviews that made Sarah Palin sound like an intellect. The GOP primary process evolved into a Mitt Romney against the anti-Romney flavor of the week which jumped to Rick Perry until his memory failed him in a debate.  Then came Herman “9-9-9” Cain until past womanizing scandals derailed his chances. Newt Gingrich resurfaced for a month but his past eventually sent him back to the lecture tour and he did manage to sell a multitude of books while in the spotlight. Eventually Rick Santorum, who had almost dropped out, emerged as the final not Romney candidate until he ran out of money and energy. Ron Paul might still be running but he was just looking for free air time at the Republican Convention and isn’t really taken seriously. All the while, Romney took all the punches and used his vast financial resources to build an organization that got him to the nomination. And that was all completed by early Spring.  

             

Things could be much worse. We could live in one of the handful of so called “battle ground states” where the endless negative advertisements would make us long for those competing car commercial jingles and Erectile Dysfunction spots. One study says the percentage of negative ads by the parties is in the mid to high 90’s. The last chance for us to find out anything about these two men who will lead the free world is the debates.

The system is screaming for reform and the solution is readily at hand if anyone will listen. Junk the incomprehensible primary and caucus system for a one day Super Primary Day held the Sunday after Labor Day. Every state can participate and the winners become their party’s nominees with plenty of time to state their case when Americans are truly paying attention. Voting rates would certainly exceed the pathetic 20 to 30%. It would never fly because too many lucrative livelihoods would be affected.

Instead the most powerful man in the world is going to be decided by a few thousand people in about six states(you know what they are). It will be a long six weeks.