Great Expectations

I find myself teetering on apathy regarding the upcoming election.

I have been very interested in these things as far back as I can possibly remember. When I was 8, the Reagan/Mondale race was in full swing. I remember being aware of the facts enough that Ferraro was his running mate, and being socially aware enough to recognize the importance that she was, in fact, a she.

During a recent conversation with a friend, we were musing about the presidential race that has burgeoned over the past months. I shared that I was not sold on any candidate, he replied that he wasn't either. None of the candidates were "strong enough" for him, and after some discussion this concept of "strength" had less to do with position and platform, but what the candidate would do once he or she was elected. A "strong candidate" would actually say what they were going to do and were going to do what they said.

Another conversation I had with another friend, prior to this one, left me with a statement of "It can't just be about the sound bite, can it?" I thought for a second, and I replied that it had to be.

If the people who are being paid to know the science of election are carefully tailoring sound bites, you tube videos, and are concerned with image management, then that should tell us about how the electorate responds. (Certainly this generation of voters is not going to elect William Howard Taft.) Winning an election has become less about convincing people you have the skills it takes to lead a country, and more about giving people what they want to hear.

This does not mean that a candidate actually has to care about his or her platform. The idea is to adopt a stance that is harmonious with the party's usual whipping posts, and then come up with a message that is so innocuous that all anyone can remember is a few taglines, or how much they "like" you. Really... it's all about like anymore. Ask anyone the following question and see how they respond: "What do you think about this upcoming election?" If the word 'like' doesn't come up in the first paragraph, I'll buy you a coke.

That's what lost Al Gore both the electoral college and the poll of popular opinion. The guy actually has a stance. The guy actually fights for what he thinks is right. He's a little zealous about it, but, boy does he follow through.

What does this tell us about what we want? Clearly we don't want "strong candidates." The message we send loud and clear is that we want someone who is really good at playing the game, and we can't be bothered with what they'll do after they're elected ... until after they're elected. And then we care. So, if we don't care, then why should the candidates be concerned with it? If it doesn't help you win, it's just in the way.

When a candidate stops caring about the platform, I stop caring about the candidate. In fact, I'm going to stop caring about anything anyone says during this election. Well, that's not true. I am going to listen, but, I'm going to listen between the soundbites. I am going to to probably vote for a conservative option, because that suits my political philosophy best. Besides, what a candidate is going to do isn't based on how they campaign.

Notwithstanding, I realize that the informed vote is grossly underrepresented when compared to the vote that is swayed by the information age. So, under duress, I'll throw my vote to the ideological wolves and let the masses continue to chug down the political equivalent of a VH1 "Flava of Love" marathon.