Why This Presidential Election is so special?
*Henry Flores is sick and tired of the same ol’ politics. Here’s how he says we can fix it. VL
By Henry Flores, NewsTaco (4 minute read)
Although we may have a deranged individual running for the presidency and we may continue having October surprises through Election Day, there are some positives that we can take away from this year’s fiestas politicas.
Dirty Politics
One positive is that the American voter specifically and public generally are sick and tired of the dirty and underhanded politics that have become staples of our national election process. The general rule of thumb for campaign professionals (this is another thing that needs reforming) is that if your campaign is not going well, “go dirty.” So, an important person on any campaign staff is the “Opposition Research” person. There is actually a team dedicated to digging up dirt on the opposition and his/her family members or close friends and staff. Then they take this information and design “twisted and disgusting” television ads out of the information. The internet, television, and cyberspace are then filled with innuendos, half-truths, lies or twisted interpretations of reality such as insane conspiracy theories. Even an innocent word or phrase spoken by a candidate in an informal setting is subject to abuse by these clandestine operatives. It has gotten so bad that all discussions of policy or issues pertinent to the American voter have practically disappeared from public discourse.
You need to stop and think about what types of people execute dirty politics and what values do those who condone such activities have. Both are people who lie, cheat, steal and deceive for a living and get paid for it, do you really want someone having these sorts of values running your government? To paraphrase an old movie line you all need to go to your windows and shout out “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!!!” I think the American public is sick and tired of the same old way we have been playing politics and want something of much higher quality. I also think the American public needs to reclaim their election system from the career politicians and professional politicos that control the rhetoric and tactics currently.
[pullquote]“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!!!” [/pullquote]Length of Elections
Do I need say more? Frankly, these elections just go on too very long. Even a professional politics watcher and pundit such as myself is sick and tired of this election season and can’t wait for it to be over. ¡Gracias a dios que Halloween llego! At least Count Dracula and the Monster gave me some respite from all the horror that passes for our election process. Presidential campaigns begin two years out. Two years! And require a billion dollars to run nation-wide. That’s correct, I said one billion! This is ridiculous. We could solve poverty, homelessness, sufficiently fund health care and excuse thousands of student loans with this money as opposed to spending it on dumb television ads that insult one’s intelligence and take up good air time and band width.
I think we need to pass a couple of laws to correct this horrific situation. The first one one would be to limit presidential and general election campaigns to 60 days. You can get a great deal done in two months particularly utilizing social media and it doesn’t cost much either. The second law would be to place a strict limit on how much money can be spent on a political campaign. Ha! This would not only put an almost automatic cap on how much one can give to a politician but certainly level the playing field and make all political campaigns more competitive. This would also have the effect of minimizing the influence of the extremely and infinitely wealthy.
Two Party System
Finally, I think we need to begin taking a hard look at our two-party political system. The system as it is currently configured freezes out libertarians, socialists and other individuals who don’t fit under the current Republican/Democratic labels. As it is right now the two-party system appears to produce candidates that are beholden to the rich and really don’t present the voters with any real, substantive policy alternatives only “warmed over,” trite redone policies. The people want to hear real solutions to their real everyday problems and issues.
So, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” And, neither should you.
Henry Flores, PhD, is the Distinguished University Research Professor, Institute of Public Administration and Public Service; Director, Masters in Public Administration (MPA); Professor of International Relations and Political Science at St. Mary’s University. He is the author of Latinos and the Voting Rights Act: The Search for Racial Purpose.
