Many Americans repeat the same prayer multiple times per day: “Please Lord let this election end now!” Many of these same people, those over 50 years old, also comment that this presidential poll reflects for them, the loss of an intangible quality of their America. However, short of divine intervention, there over 80 days of non-stop assaults on what was once called civility, political seriousness and substance, remaining before November 8.
For those attempting to avoid the entire affair and thus depression, there are few options in our 24/7 info-tsunami world: (1) remove all electronic means of communication from your personal environment; (2) practice a heroic level of self-discipline and refuse to listen/watch/discuss anything election-related and (3) find an all-consuming distraction that occupies the brain and deflects all else.
Friends have found that #3 can be effective and calming and suggest this approach: ignore the candidates and analyze only the 2016 election process, step by step. Once finished, make a list of the improvements that should be made before the next presidential election. The strategic goal is to help the new political leadership design a presidential election approach that is tolerable to average American sensibilities.
After Inauguration Day, they plan to review their lists and if pleased by their efforts, combine them and forward to an important politician whom they respect and believe might read and act upon their recommendations. If they are unable to identify such a person, they will shred the lists in the sure knowledge they survived the trauma of the 2016 Presidential Election without psychiatric pharmacology.
If this method is of interest, you may find the following paragraphs helpful in jump-starting your own Distraction Option.
Existing Presidential Election System:
Let’s begin with the elements of the current, distressing system.
Duration – Two plus years.
Schedule – Determined by states and territories and political parties.
Purpose – Enable voters to believe they are participating in democracy’s greatest right, i.e. to vote.
Cost – Current estimate for both campaigns is $2 – 3.5 Billion.
Prerequisites –There are few beyond age (35) and US Citizenship.
Elimination Phase – Either primary elections or caucuses in each of the 50 states and territories. Lasts about 12 months.
Final Phase – The General Election occurs on the same day in November in every state and territory of the United States. Occurs about 3 months after the conventions.
Events: The partisan cattle call, i.e. any Americans who want to run for the presidency, must register with the Federal Election Commission by a certain date and provide their affiliation: (Republican, Democrat, Green, Libertarian or independent/3rd Party).
The Elimination Phase, all registered candidates or their surrogates cris- cross the Country to raise money and attack opponents. Dates for primaries or caucuses are idiosyncratic by state. Traditional first two: New Hampshire and Utah. A negotiated (parties and FEC) number of debates take place among all registered candidates for each party. In 2016 there were 17 Republicans and 4 Democrats who participated in the first two debates.
Winning the Elimination Phase; The popular vote is an interesting, useful campaign statistic. However, it is the number of party convention delegates awarded to candidates at the party’s primary/caucus. The 2 major political parties set different total numbers of state delegates a candidate must accumulate before s/he becomes the Presumptive Candidate. Democrats added an additional category, Super Delegates, made up of Party leaders.
Party Conventions, usually only Democrats and Republicans; historically they were where the presumptive candidate was either blessed or someone else was chosen. In late 20th and early 21st Century, conventions became huge entertainments and opportunities for substantial self-indulgence and networking by attendees. Today, the Presumptive Candidates, and vice presidential selectees are confirmed pro forma on the last evening of the convention.
The Final Phase aka the General Election- about 3 months after the conventions.
Each Party’s candidates, now enter theoretically the “serious”
segment of the election, during which policy positions are explained, efforts made to broaden voter appeal and candidates can try to appear more “presidential”. Experts believe, most American voters will only begin paying attention post-conventions; with most focusing only after Labor Day in September.
A negotiated number of debates occur between the Republican
and Democratic presidential and vice presidential candidates, before Election Day. The debates are not mandatory and a candidate can decide not to participate.
The Last Event aka the Electoral College Vote
Election night is over and we learn which of the two presidential candidates and their vice president, won the popular vote.
However, one final step must be taken on the first Monday, following the 2nd Wednesday after Election Day, when the members of the Electoral College cast their ballot for the presidential candidates.
There are 538 Electors (total of Senate and House members)selected by each state and the District of Columbia. The candidate who receives 270 or more votes is the new President of the United States of America.
Hints for Beginning your Distraction Option
My friends came to the following conclusions: (1) Presidential Election are too long and suggested a much shorter period; (2) process is far more complicated than necessary and suggested, inter alia, standardizing the national dates for state caucuses and primaries, (3) the current approach allows for no independent vetting of the candidates and suggested an alternative , i.e. each candidate must qualify for a top secret national security clearance first, (4) the current system is corrupted by unlimited money from anonymous donors, and suggested ways to strictly regulate the amounts spent by presidential candidates and (5) determined the selection of the US president is not democratic and suggested some repairs to the system.
They found they were much less irritated, depressed and confused after following this Distraction Option for 7 weeks and sleep sounder as a result. We hope others will benefit as well.
Tom Timberman is an expert on military policy and now lives on the Eastern Shore. Among his many assignments with the US Department of State, he has headed a provincial reconstruction team, embedded within a combat brigade in Iraq. He has also helped implement a new counterterrorism strategy in South East Asia as Senior Advisor for South Asia in the Office of Coordinator for Counterterrorism.
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