The fact that the campaign starts 20 months before the election disturbs me.

[Paradoxical]

For example, let's say you are hired at a job that promotes employees about once every 4 years.

Now let's apply the campaign tactics to this job. It would be like asking for a 4 year promotion based on 4 years worth of work when you've only been working for the company for 2 years.

It makes ZERO sense.

[NYC Liberal]

1. Well, the election isn't til next year. On Election Day,

there will have been almost 4 years of work to assess.

But I do agree that election season is way too long.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. I agree...this seems like jumping the gun to me.

But then, what do I know?

:shrug:

[noise]

3. All the compromising can be

excused as necessary pre-election maneuvering.

An example: "Impeachment is off the table" before the 2006 mid-term elections.

[Journeyman]

4. It's all about the money. . .

They start now to raise the big bucks they know they'll need a year from now. Sickening, yes. But until we can do something about this whoring for dollars, it's the system with which we're stuck.

[Monk06]

5. Term limits have locked the US into a system of permanent 24/7/365 political campaigning.

Your politicians are campaigning for the next election the
day after the win the last. The corporate media and professional
corporate lobbyists are making out like bandits and bankrupting
your country and you are powerless to do anything about it, since
both Dems and Repugs dine at the same trough.

In Canada once an election is called, which could happen anytime a
government budget fails to pass, you have 90 days before the vote.

Political media companies would dearly wish that we had your system.

Glad we don't.

[ejpoeta]

6. i wish we had that system. less time for bs. one of the problems with having

so much time is that they can bloviate and full out lie and have time for those lies to sink in. If they only had 90 days, then they would have to spend that time getting THEIR message across instead of trying to assassinate someone else's character.

[Selatius]

7. It makes sense in an arena where how much money you raise is vitally important to victory.

Our election system is largely dependent upon private donations. There are no real powerful mechanisms in place for publicly financed federal elections, and there is no maximum cap on how much private cash you can raise, so it inevitably turns into an arms race over who can raise the most money.

The fact that the US lacks publicly financed federal elections could be what ultimately causes the US to degenerate into a proto-fascist and, perhaps, bona fide fascist state where corporate and state power collude against the people and where elections are either eliminated or are rigged in favor of those who favor the status quo.

[peacebird]

8. agree - but it will be a nice boost to the economy, rent for offices, pay for some local staff

ads for newspapers, paying ad agencies, pizza shops get business (they always buy for the volunteers....)

[kedrys]

9. The Canadian government was dissolved 10 days ago - and we're voting May 2

It's expensive and noisy, but at least we get it over with quickly.

[Keith Bee]

10. What? You want us to be like those Godless Socialists up north?

Canada is in the midst of a wimp-assed five-week national election campaign. God help us if America ever becomes so non-obsessed with daily poll fluctuations!

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

11. When you lie as much as politicians do... you've really gotta lay it on thick to trick the voters

[JoePhilly]

12. It will put pressure on the GOP candidates to announce. They are terrified to do so.

[KharmaTrain]

13. This Cycle Is Starting Later...

First of all, thanks to Citizens United be assured each candidate will have to raise a minimum of $200 million to play in the primaries (rushpublicans only) and then at least $1 BILLION in the general. Forget about any campaign finance reform...so let the money derby start in earnest...it's been going on behind the scenes since the last election was completed.

We now live in a 24/7 election cycle...a cottage industry lives off of it and as long as there's more money in running for office than actually serving this game goes on.

[Historic NY]

14. Really the campaign against the POTUS began on 1/20/09.

[undeterred]

15. What should disturb all of us is that it takes a half billion dollars to run for President.

That is why is takes 20 months for a sitting president to raise it or longer for someone who is not president. Its ridiculous.

[gkhouston]

16. The fact that so little of substance will be said, by any candidate, during the next

20 months, disturbs me far more.

[dkofos]

17. Blame the M$M.