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Stop the Theatrics

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If it wasn’t for the American political process, the process by which Americans merely vote for people who are going to vote on their behalf, truly Progressive candidates could be heard by more people for longer periods of time and, possibly, their ideas could be totally sorted out on a playing field equal to the one on which the defensive drivers drive.

Are Americans intelligent enough to make the right decision if they hear the candidates’ unadulterated policy positions in lieu of one minute sound bites which are more often than not about their opponent’s weaknesses?  Do you know the answer to that question?  I don’t.  You know why I don’t?  Americans have never had the opportunity to hear a well thought out dissertation of the position of a political candidate because no political candidate has ever been held to that standard.

Don't we want to see political candidates, especially candidates for president, held to a higher standard, a standard by which they're required to speak about the issues in no uncertain terms; a standard by which answers to questions which they are asked must actually be included in answers to questions which they are asked; a standard by which they talk almost exclusively about the issues and how they will address those issues and refrain from telling us about their opponent's weaknesses?

If we keep supporting the kind of theatrics that take place during every election cycle, how a candidate will handle a policy once elected will always be a surprise to us.  If we continue to help perpetuate a system that allows only those who have obscene quantities of money to obtain political positions which, if held by people who cared, might have the potential to steer this country in positive, populist direction, people who care and who might have the potential to steer this country in a positive, populist direction will never get the opportunity to try.

The top issue in every election past, present and future, priority number one, what has to be accomplished before anything meaningful can be done is election reform.

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Michael Bonanno is an associate editor for OpEdNews.

He is also a published poet, essayist and musician who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Bonanno is a political progressive, not a Democratic Party apologist. He believes it's (more...)
 

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