And heres why.
First, the Electoral College is a joke. Yes, it was a valid thing to have at our countries inception, but it’s outdated and wasteful in our modern day.
Second, campaign fund raising has got to stop. The amounts of money that go into our elections are ridiculous. And the sad thing is, the person who can raise the most usually gets elected. Fund raising and endorsements are more about the company or individual getting the promise of a cutback when their nominee gets elected. The millions of dollars that candidates raise could be put to many better uses. I'd love to see the system revamped, with LOW limits of donations and highly regulated so that outside funds cannot enter the system and go to advertising. No one candidate will ever willingly do so, so the government needs to step in here and stop the ridiculous cycle of nominee/corporation prostitution.
Third, fuck primaries. They've become platforms for states to get the spotlight for a few short days, and the race to be the first to have one has put the first primary nearly a year before the actual election. They needlessly spend extraordinary amounts of money and run states budgets dry, all for a brief appearance by the state governor on all the news networks.
Fourth, stop with the pre-election bullshit. The hardest and most stressful part of the presidency has become the election. Candidates are now announcing their run to the white house three years before an election, and immediately, the touring, fund raising and press coverage begins. If these people worked that hard once they got into office, we might actually see some good change in our government. We don’t need our leaders burning themselves out on the campaign trail, we need them proactive and ready to face challenges and change when they take the oath, not exhausted by the run.
Lastly, the media is not helping. Scrutinization and informed debate is one thing, but as soon as someone announces their bid, the press starts watching them like a hawk. This only contributes to the fourth point. Stay the fuck off their backs and go find worthy news – the presidential election should not be a two year long top story.
I’m done with this election already. The political system in our country is sickening, and I find myself, like many other people I’ve talked to, completely disgusted with the way its run. You cannot have a fair election without a working system, and ours is clearly broken.
