As of today, there are still 269 days until the presidential election on November 8, 2016, yet it is nearly impossible to read a newspaper, open up the internet or watch the news without hearing something about the candidates’ platforms, the most recent debate, or the latest thing that Donald Trump posted on Twitter. American election cycles last substantially longer than any other country. In fact, in 2012 the official campaign period in France didn’t begin until 13 days before election day. European elections are more party-driven, which eliminates primaries as party leaders decide the nominees. Many countries have set campaign periods, lasting a few weeks to several months, and spending and other campaign activities are heavily regulated.
Critics of our lengthy election process assert that it breeds fatigue. It’s impossible for campaigns (many of which include negative advertising) to go for almost two years without both voters and the candidates themselves to not get a little tired. Candidates often have to give up their current jobs to focus on campaigning and fundraising full time. But with all of the flaws, the system seems to work. If you think about it, it’s pretty remarkable that 320 million people can peacefully agree to follow a leader (even if they don’t agree with his positions). Longer campaigns give voters a chance to get to know candidates who are not already household names. All of the favorites at the beginning of this campaign were household names (Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush), so it will be interesting to see if someone who wasn’t as well known starts to emerge in the race.
As Americans, we have an extremely important responsibility. We must choose who will be arguably the most powerful person in the world. We select a person who will form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty. It’s definitely no small task, and the beautiful thing about American democracy is that we get to choose the person who will fulfill those duties. On November 8, we will vote for president for the fifty-eighth time, and we will elect the forty-fifth person to fill the role of President.
One of the most remarkable things about the United States is that its citizens have managed to transition forty-three times so far between presidents. Despite the fact that half of the country disagrees with the president at any given time, we manage to accept the results of elections without violence, something that many other countries can only dream of. Elections give us hope—hope for change, hope for a new direction of the country. When looking at presidential approval ratings over the last seventy years, nearly every presidents’ initial approval rating is incredibly high, then decreases over the course of his term (with a few exceptions).
This Monday on Presidents’ Day, we celebrate the election process and all of the forty-four men who have been chosen to lead the United States. We celebrate a group of men with incredibly diverse leadership styles, backgrounds, and beliefs. We celebrate people who have dedicated essentially every moment of their lives for four or eight years to leading our country to the best of their ability. We may debate if their efforts were successful or not, but Presidents’ Day is about respecting and thanking the leaders of the greatest country in the world.
Presidential Approval Ratings, The Wall Street Journal
Sources
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-presapp0605-31.html
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