The Presidential Election 2008 - an Already Burned Out Topic

It's only early October 2007. It's more than a year until November 4, 2008, the date of the Presidential Election 2008. Several candidates are already trying to get their message out in an effort to get an early lead. But was this a wise decision? I for one am already tired of seeing the faces of the candidates; and I am too tired to listen to and hearing about their political agendas. Yes, I am already experiencing election burnout. And I know I am not the only one.

Like the retail season for Christmas, the race for the Presidential Elections appears to begin earlier and earlier. Granted, potential candidates already start the lobbying long before the last Presidential Election is even counted. However, the race does not usually go up to full speed this early in the game. Rumors have been floating around long before the first candidate officially announced the bid for Presidency. The rumor mill started to churn faster starting December 2006. The media had pegged some sure potential candidates. By the end of January 2007, it was for the most part clear, who would likely run for President. The candidacy of Barack Obama was announced as a sure thing long before he finally made it official on February 10, 2007. Now the heat was on for the remaining candidates to get their candidacy announcements out. I suppose in their minds they figured, they would lose valuable campaigning time and thereby voters, if they would not react and announce their candidacy as quickly as possible.

More and more candidates joined the race, as usual. All of them tour the country and make as many appearances as possible. They already had multiple debates with their opponents. Their agenda is laid out. By May 2007 I was all set for the primaries. After all, with all the campaigning going on, it felt like the candidates were gearing up for this date. Except, it was not yet time for the presidential primaries.

However, here in Kentucky, we did have primaries, gubernatorial primaries. See, while all those presidential candidates were gearing up for the 2008 election, the gubernatorial race in Kentucky was also kicked off in high steam in January 2007. Thus, not only the presidential candidates were getting their messages out, but also the candidates for the position of the Governor of Kentucky. And I'm sure Kentucky was not the only state that had some positions to fill. The closer the date of the primary came the more politics I had to listen to, on TV, the radio, the newspapers, the flyers I got in the mail, tagged to my door or under the windshield wiper, and the recorded messages via my phone line. One candidate even had called voters around midnight. Granted, it was a computer glitch of the auto-dialer, but still... wouldn't you be annoyed by now? Quite frankly, with all those candidates around for both elections, it started to be quite confusing. Who is with which party? Who is for and against what? Who is who? And who is running for what?

I was glad when the gubernatorial primaries were over. I thought things would quiet down a bit. After all, there are now fewer candidates to listen to, right? NO! Now even more presidential candidates entered the race. If I counted right, there are now about forty candidates for President. Of course most of them don't even stand a chance as they come from small parties or run as independents. Most of them also don't make the news or have the financial means for a big campaign. But those, who do make the news and do have the financial means for a full-blown campaign, seem to take full advantage of it.

It's now October 2007. The gubernatorial election is on November 6, 2007. The gubernatorial campaigning is in full force with both main candidates attacking each other on political and personal levels. Meanwhile the presidential candidates' campaigns are picking up steam as well. It seems some states absolutely want to have the bragging right to be the first state to have a presidential primary. And just in case, primaries are earlier in some areas than thought, the candidates are increasing their efforts to drum up support. It seems like every time I turn on the TV, listen to the radio, or read the newspaper, I again get bombarded with political messages. There is no escape...

Well, quite frankly, by now I have tuned out. I'm suffering from political message overload. Election what? Who is running? What is their message? What do they stand for? What will they do for me? Honestly, I could not tell you. Somehow along the line, the 'who stands for what' became a tangled web for me. And I'm starting not to care. I'm burned out on it. I don't want to hear it anymore.

Was it a wise decision for the candidates to start the official rat race for the Presidential Election this early? If you think in terms of financial means to support a campaign for the bid for President, it is a loud and clear 'YES!' The earlier you get supporters to open their wallet and to write you fat 'campaign donation' checks, the better. Here it definitely counts to be the first. However, in terms of the voting population, I would have to say, it was a bad decision, a big 'NO-NO!' By the time the actual presidential primaries come around, I wonder what voter turnout will be. Will people be so tired of it, they won't even make it to the polls. And what about the actual Presidential Election in November 2008?

Only time will tell. I for one already had enough. I am completely burned out. I don't want to hear it anymore. Yet there is still a year to go!

I strongly believe there should be a time limit on candidacy announcements. Think about it. Several of the candidates are in official elected positions. They already have a duty to fulfill towards the people who they are supposed to represent in this position. What are they doing instead? Touring the country for a year plus, campaigning, and wearing themselves out in the process. Do you really believe they are still doing their current official job? Even if they wanted to, they are not where they are supposed to be to do their job. Their time and energy, which should be devoted to their job, is devoted to the campaign. And it's not like they have somebody filling in for them, while they are off touring the country. Come to think of it. Can I trust these people to be a good President, if they so blatantly neglect their current job?

Therefore, I propose, there should be one set date for primaries, nationwide. And the candidates can only announce their official candidacy and start campaigning three months before the primary. Who starts early gets the boot. Once the primaries are over, those, who emerge as actual presidential contenders for their respective parties, can continue campaigning until the actual election. However, there should be no more than six months between primaries and the official Presidential Election. In my opinion, this would limit the campaign overkill we are currently experiencing.