The Election

It will be a relief to get the election process behind us. Presidential campaigns would be amusing if they weren't so serious. Consider:

• Each candidate says "he" will change the tax system, reform government, and create a bi-partison approach to governing. Reality: Congress must change the tax system and vote on changes in agencies, bureaus, etc. Political parties and individual senators and representatives must agree to work together. Campaigns of both presidential candidates have been extremely bi-partisan.
  

• Both candidates have extolled the virtues of their vice presidential running mates. Reality: Neither vice presidential candidate seems particularly "presidential." One seems to speak without thinking and the other has limited national policy experience.
  

• The "middle class" is hurting beyond belief and has been abused by past government decisions. Reality: Neither candidate has clearly defined his definition of "middle class." Many people are dealing with serious financial problems. Whether those problems were created by the government or government policies or by bad decisions on the part of individuals is open to discussion.

• Candidates make promises that are impossible to keep. Reality: Presidential campaigns are designed to sell the candidate, not deal with reality. Campaigns do their best to "package" the candidate like a box of Cracker Jacks - the label says there's something good to eat and a surpise in every box. The food is good, but not great, and the surprise is usually disappointing.
  

• Each candidate wants you to believe he or she "won" a debate. Reality: Debates have become nothing more than an opportunity for each candidate to state his or her campaign themes in front of a national audience. No candidate in recent history has directly answered a debate question.

• Media coverage prevents candidates from being honest. Perception: Any candidate who said what he really thought about the state of the country would be severely criticized in national media coverage. Is the economy sound? Why should (or shouldn't) the government bail-out homeowners who made bad decisions? Why shouldn't we recycle uranium used to generate electrical power instead of burying it somewhere? Imagine the media reaction if these questions were answered in a straight-forward manner. The last person who attempted to do this, Ross Perot, used charts and graphs that were made fun of by the press. (I'm not suggesting Mr. Perot was the best candidate, but he did clearly state what he believed.)

To date, we have managed to do fairly well in spite of all the failures of our government and the election process. I assume we'll manage after this election is over, too.