2008 Woodie Awards
A Bloody-Decent American Political Solution
Kyle Thomas
Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: Commentary
I know it's only a couple hundred years after that whole Revolutionary War fiasco. So, I would not want to interject any offensive ideas into a political discussion typically void of embarrassing and offensive minutiae; nor do I want to sully the memory of those who fought and died honorably for American freedoms. But, the forces of globalization are mighty and the sharing of ideas is one such side effect of the ever-shrinking size of the globe. Thus I propose America realign itself with one aspect of British thinking and borrow a few ideas as to how an election, and even a government, should be run.
No, I'm not talking about bypassing legislative influence and dissolving the authority of the U.S. Congress on a whim (Not so fast George Bush!), as was done in the good old days of British politics. Rather, those limey Brits across the pond have a few smart ideas that could potentially translate quite well here in America.
Problem: In the six-week lull between the Democratic Party primaries in Mississippi and Pennsylvania, the American citizen was treated to the sublime renderings of a mass media system without one shred of actual election news. However, the lack of news does not mean that all-day cable news outlets suddenly shut down. They just tend to fill the quiet moments more creatively.
On April 18, MSNBC showed a clip of Sen. Barack Obama talking about the recent ABC-sponsored debate and his opponent Sen. Hillary Clinton. While speaking, Obama reached up and scratched his face. A photograph taken from the side shows he performs this newsworthy task with two fingers, but in the cable news feed, the second finger is obscured. Thus, he must have flipped-off Clinton. That is what MSNBC asked, and what Fox News and RedState.com asserted. News? Hardly. Where is the talk about the economy? This lengthy cycle is just duff.
Solution: A short election cycle. In England, it is roughly one month between when elections are called and when the elections take place. The American cycle drags on, officially, for over 10 months, with many campaign stops occurring months before that. So here it is. No primaries before May and no conventions after July. Candidates cannot declare their intent before April 1. This would make for a shortened, yet valuable, issue-based campaign for both the nomination and the presidency, with three-month races in each. The end result is that no one ever again has to sit through a discussion about primary contender eating habits just because it is a slow news day. Besides, have you seen the candidates lately? They could use a nap. Nobody wants a sick president holding the launch codes.
No, I'm not talking about bypassing legislative influence and dissolving the authority of the U.S. Congress on a whim (Not so fast George Bush!), as was done in the good old days of British politics. Rather, those limey Brits across the pond have a few smart ideas that could potentially translate quite well here in America.
Problem: In the six-week lull between the Democratic Party primaries in Mississippi and Pennsylvania, the American citizen was treated to the sublime renderings of a mass media system without one shred of actual election news. However, the lack of news does not mean that all-day cable news outlets suddenly shut down. They just tend to fill the quiet moments more creatively.
On April 18, MSNBC showed a clip of Sen. Barack Obama talking about the recent ABC-sponsored debate and his opponent Sen. Hillary Clinton. While speaking, Obama reached up and scratched his face. A photograph taken from the side shows he performs this newsworthy task with two fingers, but in the cable news feed, the second finger is obscured. Thus, he must have flipped-off Clinton. That is what MSNBC asked, and what Fox News and RedState.com asserted. News? Hardly. Where is the talk about the economy? This lengthy cycle is just duff.
Solution: A short election cycle. In England, it is roughly one month between when elections are called and when the elections take place. The American cycle drags on, officially, for over 10 months, with many campaign stops occurring months before that. So here it is. No primaries before May and no conventions after July. Candidates cannot declare their intent before April 1. This would make for a shortened, yet valuable, issue-based campaign for both the nomination and the presidency, with three-month races in each. The end result is that no one ever again has to sit through a discussion about primary contender eating habits just because it is a slow news day. Besides, have you seen the candidates lately? They could use a nap. Nobody wants a sick president holding the launch codes.
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