Posted on 01/28/2020 7:03:48 AM PST by Kaslin
I love Ireland for its natural beauty, its people, its food (some of it), its music, its writers and especially its elections, which are shorter, less costly and designed to engage citizens and boost voter turnout.
On January 14, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar called a general election for February 8. That means a campaign of slightly more than three weeks. In the process, the Irish Parliament was dissolved. What a delightful thought. If only the U.S. Congress could be at least occasionally dissolved. It could use some dissolving, or at least disinfecting, after the toxic impeachment and trial of President Trump.
Unlike Irish politics, U.S. election campaigns increasingly resemble endless wars. Like those wars, campaigns cost too much and never seem to resolve the conflict.
Multi-billionaire Michael Bloomberg says he is willing to spend up to $1 billion of his fortune to either win the Democratic nomination, or if he doesn't, to help the eventual nominee defeat President Trump. Recent presidential campaigns have cost over 1 billion (some estimates put the cost of 2020 ad spending alone at over $6 billion), so Bloomberg's spending will ensure this year's presidential campaign will set another record.
As soon -- or possibly before -- this election season ends, people will be talking about 2024 and 2028. It never ends and real problems are rarely solved.
The process begins with candidates establishing "exploratory committees" during which the "explorer" speaks about carefully poll-tested subjects and repeats them ad nauseum, while fundraising and appearing on TV.
Does any of this time and money spent produce real solutions to obvious problems, such as reforming entitlement programs and reducing debt? If it did, by now, wouldn't those solutions have been implemented? The goal of too many politicians is not solving problems but getting elected and then re-elected.
All of this contributes to generally low voter turnout compared to other developed nations. This gives power to activists on both the left and right, which skews the results and gives no clear picture of where most Americans would like to see the country go. For example, consider how often the parties exchange power in Congress and the presidency. Why do we elect a liberal like President Obama and then eight years later elect President Trump, who has been enacting and promoting the conservative agenda?
Ireland isn't the only country that has sane campaign and election practices.
In 1926, the longest Canadian election -- from announcement to voting -- was 10 weeks.
According to mic.com, an American internet and media company based in New York City that caters to millennials, "Election spending is strictly limited in the U.K. Each party cannot spend more than $29.5 million in the year before the election. The New York Times reported that the combined spending of both major British political parties in 2010 came out to around the same amount as the American presidential candidates spent ... on expenses related to raising money in 2012."
erman political parties may not release more than one 90-second television political ad during a campaign. That would not please U.S. networks and local stations, which make a fortune from political ads. TV expenses in America are a major contributor to the escalating costs of campaigns, even though studies show the ads change few minds.
Brazilian elections are held on weekends, making it more convenient.
Not every country's campaign and election practices may be worthy of copying in the U.S., but some are. Why can't we learn from others to improve the process by which we nominate candidates and elect presidents? We can, but will we? A corollary question: What's stopping us? The answer: only our lack of will.
I like Cal Thomas, but an election cycle lasting three weeks doesn’t give candidates enough rope to hang themselves.
These Leftists need to be able to babble on longer then that. People need to respond to their antics and help clearly define who they are.
It’s an industry by now... a Liberal industry so they can stuff their pockets It has nothing to do with being elected to public office.
So when an outsider comes along to expose The Swamp----the vast and deep corruption in our government-----
these actors come alive like the Wolfman when the moon is full......howling to protect their power, their turf and their govt holdings.
The politicians.......Dem/Socialist/Republican Uniparty...... have solid backing in wealth-building schemes.
That would be the ultra-wealthy and powerful globalists in DC, Brussels, London and elsewhere.
Plus there's the dependable financial largesse of the IMF.
Obliterating the impeachment sham is our last chance to save the USA from being swallowed up by The New World Order....like western Europe.
You nailed it. We are absolutely PLAGUED by new, completely useless and counterproductive "industries" that take root. The root cause is we have too much prosperity, too much ease, and not enough people struggling to keep food on the table. When people are hungry and cold they devote their careers to REAL jobs that produce real things. Now we have these ridiculous "industries" with huge numbers of adherents that are destroying us...
• the Election industry (as you point out)
• the new "gender dysphoria" industry
• the "climate emergency" industry
• the "fad of the week" industry that sells its snake oil to the education industry
• the "social democrat" industry that sells it bunkum to young skulls full of mush
• the never-ending "race baiting" industry by race hustlers. Booker T. Washington called this one out over a century ago.
There are many more...that's just off the top of my head.
“So when an outsider comes along to expose The Swamp——”
So exactly true!!
It’s the real basis of all this rabid hatred for Trump. He ain’t one of them and will never be.
The criminals on both sides of the aisle have habituated themselves to graft. They out do one another in finding NEW ways to cheat, steal and lie. Stuffing their pockets has been their motivation all along and trump put a wrench in their wheels!! He doesn’t need IT or THEM and that is what galls them to hysterics!
Elections ought to be just a little inconvenient. That is why we hold them on a Tuesday and saner states require advance registration and voter ID. We have one of the two and, as a result, aren't swarmed by busloads of lefties demanding same day registration and voting multiple times.
We do have a few scattered Jaybirds showing up to claim they've always voted here and it usually takes just a phone call to the courthouse to send them to the right place.
I think they should inconvenient also.
Thought and effort should have to go into it.
Make it 2:30 am, and I’ll be there.
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