pan6467

First the good..... lots of choices being thrown out and about... gives people a way to find who stands best for their issues.

The bad though, especially with all these senators announcing 2 years before a primary...... how can they truly do a good job? How can those that are running truly do what their constituents put them in the office they NOW hold responsibly and in the best way possible?

The way I see it you have many chiefs that are going to want their names in the papers and known so they will hold up legislation, grandstand, saber rattle and play politics far worse than if they were just doing the job they were elected to do.

I foresee in the coming year Biden wanting to upstage Clinton, who wants to upstage Obama, who'll want to upstage ....insert name here.

The GOP will be the same way, Brownback will want to upstage McCain, who'll want to upsatge Hagel and so on.

We won't get into all the Reps. from both parties.

Anyway, I don't see much getting done except a lot of grandstanding.... which overall, will truly hurt and could very easily cost the Dems Congress (nothing gets done ... guess who gets the blame esp. if they were too busy grandstanding and one upping the other).

What are your thoughts? Is it good, bad or what? What do you believe?

__________________
I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"

dc_dux

The campaign is far too long and far too costly.

Up until the late 60s, only a handful of states had primary elections. The nominations were decided at the political conventions (mostly by backroom deal-making which has its obvious downside).

The McGovern Commission changed all that and now the primary system is a creature until itself and serves more than just the political process. Consider the positive economic impact for small towns in Iowa and New Hampshire. It also has the positive impact of providing face-to-face meetings with the next potential president for alot more people who would otherwise never have that opportunity. A negative is that these small early primary states have far too much influence in the selection of the ultimate candidates.

The problem is a need to build momentum going into the early primary states because if you dont show well in those states, you're finished.

I dont have an answer. I like the idea of a national primary,although I dont think that would shorten the campaign season.

Are there ways to get more voters involved in the selection process in a shorter period of time?

Some interesting thoughts from a symposium on the nomination process:
http://www.centerforpolitics.org/ref...nominating.htm

Maybe we need another commission to look into it.

__________________
"The perfect is the enemy of the good."
~ Voltaire

loquitur

We should set up a decathlon and make the candidates go through it. Whichever one avoids a heart attack wins.

Much less fundraising that way, fewer campaign commercials, fewer annoying reporters, much quicker resolution.

However, consider that the candidate in the best physical shape the last few elections probably was George W. Bush.

flstf

Sometimes I think the less they do, the better off we are. The one major bill that has a good chance of passing is the bill giving amnesty to employers who hire illegal immigrants and to illegals as well. I believe this to be a bad bill and most of the Presidential candidates are for it.

It will probably make little difference how hard these candidates work on it as this is a win-win situation for both parties. They both want the Hispanic vote and also want to help the businesses that contribute to their campaigns.

I can't think of any other legislation being proposed that the absence of these candidates will make much difference. Most polititians are probably always running for re-election anyway and soliciting money for their war chests. The run for President does take it up a notch though especially for those really in the running.

dksuddeth

Primaries are usually worthless and end up being nothing more than popularity contests to see which way should the party go if they win the election.
Most people in America are too stupid or ignorant to actually check out a candidates past voting record or personal character to actually make a cognizant decision. All too often they blindly go with the name they've heard the most OR they wait until the actual election and vote straight party because of habit.

__________________
"no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything. You cannot conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."

Xazy

The one good thing is with it starting so early all the candidates will be actually working to show what a good job they are doing. That is if they aren't to busy trying to campaign.