Last week the junior senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, became the latest candidate to announce he’s running for president. It drove me crazy. Not because he’s unqualified. That remains to be seen. Not because he’s an African American. That’s irrelevant to me. Not because he’s inexperienced at the national level. So was Abraham Lincoln.
What maddened me is that the next presidential election is twenty-two months away and the inauguration is even further. Our current President, as much as I don’t like him, is still in office; if wannabees start filling the airwaves with their promises, what progress will Congress make in the almost two years left before we go to the polls?
This is just one on my list of concerns. I’m concerned that the media will focus on the possible next president instead of the current one. I’m concerned that it should take almost two years of campaigning to obtain the office. I’m concerned about funding. And, finally, I’m concerned about negative campaigning.
To address these issues, I’d like to see legislation that limits the time, the energy, and the money expended on achieving an elected office. To me, this would level the clichйd playing field because each candidate would have the same amount of time to convince voters of his or her leadership; the same cap on monies to be spent; and — please God — the obligation to create advertising that said what the candidate stood for and not what the opponent did wrong.
This approach has the potential of opening the field of candidates beyond those with time on their hands, deep pockets, and a penchant toward criticism before personal performance. Does anybody out there agree? Email me at anne@annebrandt.com.
I’ll report on your feedback.
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