STOP THE INSANITY! Will This Presidential Race Ever Be Over ???

Every day I start my morning by watching The Today Show on NBC-TV. But recently, with the ongoing Presidential campaign, the show begins with this obnoxious countdown music signifying that an onslaught of election news is forthcoming. Next, I am forced to listen to the same talking heads delivering political punditry ad nauseam. Nothing remains for these instant experts to micro analyze regarding these candidates. I can’t take anymore! This election is like some never ending jazz improvisation. Will this tragic comedy ever be over? The United States political process has become a joke throughout the international community. Other countries do not allow for such relentless campaign seasons and such vulgar sums of money to be spent in attempts to garner voters.

If the Bernie Sanders followers needed a new revolutionary cause, they might want to direct their efforts solely towards campaign finance and election reforms. As of July 31, 2016 the Washington Post reported that the Presidential candidates and their parties had raised well over $1 Billion for the November 2016 election. The Supreme Court’s Citizen United decision has created unprecedented runaway spending by corporations and super PAC’s, with money buying implicit influence over future policy. Only those candidates who are independently wealthy, born into political dynasties, or controlled by big donors are able to compete to the finish in the race for the White House. Meanwhile, as the Presidential candidates’ rhetoric promises less government spending, they continue to spend more and more on getting elected.

Even the candidates report that the process is grueling. Basically, two years is spent running for a four year term as President. Congressional representatives spend the bulk of their two years in office simultaneously running a follow-up campaign to maintain their positions. And why do we have such prolonged campaigning? With the advent of social media and the ubiquitous presence of the internet, candidates can reach most voters today with minimum investment; Bernie and Barack demonstrated this capability in raising campaign funds from the masses online, and Trump has skillfully used Twitter as continuous streaming of unpaid advertising for his candidacy. Network TV no longer provides the same reach and is prohibitively expensive. And, the U.S. mainstream public cannot sustain the attention span for serious debates. YouTube videos will probably become the new medium for Presidential policy statements. Legislation needs to be passed strictly trimming the time allotted for Presidential campaigning.

And what would this look like? Candidates would announce in January of the election year and would not be allowed to campaign in any manner before that date or they would be disqualified – this would remove some of the influence of money in controlling and extending campaigns. January, February, March, slate of candidates campaigns; April, May, June, Primaries; July, Conventions of all Parties; August, September, and October, Parties’ nominees campaign nationwide; November, first Tuesday, the election. Just like businesses today, most interaction does not need to take place on-site. The idea of Presidential candidates physically visiting every county of every state is an outdated model. Our political process needs to be streamlined and utilize the innovative modes of communication available in the 21st Century. Stop the insanity! This Presidential campaign has proven that “more is not necessarily better” -- the public has become totally burned out from the endless political rhetoric and alienated from voting, at all.