As I watched bits and pieces of the Democratic debates over the past few days I was even more grateful to be Canadian. Not only for the obvious reasons....healthcare, no kids in cages, sane leadership....but because the US Presidential election is in November 2020!!! Sixteen months from now. Sixteen months!!! OMG Canadians would go insane.
We would never, ever allow our politicians to start campaigning that far in advance. No way do we have the patience to be preached and lied to for that long a stretch. We can barely survive the normal 6 weeks of pre-election gibberish we are subjected to every four years. A year and a half might kill us.
And why are there so many of them? Seriously twenty candidates? Who could possibly remember what each one said about any issue? Or even what they all look like? It's almost impossible to keep them all straight but very soon the number will shrink....down to about ten. That is still insane but it's the process they have in place.
Please don't even get me started on the money. It costs millions of dollars to run for the candidacy and tens of millions to run for president. That is an awful lot of cash thrown away when you think of the twenty people running. That money could have gone to good use at school lunch programs or homeless shelters or a million other under-funded programs in the US. Can you imagine what a soup kitchen could do with even a small portion of that cash? It boggles the mind.
Presidential politics is about money in the US. You can't get elected to run the country without the ability to raise the proverbial "shit load of money". No matter how great your ideas are or how innovative your strategies might be without cash you are sitting in front of your tv watching someone else do the job. It's called a "war chest" and Trump already has $30 million sitting in his. Keep in mind it's eighteen months til the election so he really hasn't started pushing hard for donations. That could easily double by this time next year. It's such a waste.
We all need to elect our representatives based on their policies, ideas, and reputation. Looking for the best and brightest is extremely important. Finding those who will fight hard to make our lives better and our future brighter should be our top priority.
I hate to think how many great leaders the US has lost out on because of money. Cause as the world sees clearly now....money isn't everything.
Ang
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