One Year from Today

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

The next presidential administration will officially take office at noon one year from today.  The inauguration will be a ceremony steeped in pomp and and circumstance and history - and at the end of the affair an elderly white man will step forward, place his hand on the Bible, and swear to uphold the Constitution as he embarks on four more years of running one of the most powerful nations on earth.

I say four "more" years because regardless of which geriatric white man our citizens choose as their leader in general election, chances are almost certain - barring a medical crisis or a tsunami hitting either Mar-a-Lago in Florida or Rehoboth Beach in Delaware - the next President will be someone who has served in the Oval Office before.

The two national conventions that officially nominate the candidates of each party will not be held until this summer, but the primary processes by both parties have been carefully planned, the political decks stacked, and and the candidates are already known to all but the most naive of political prognosticators.

The major issues have also been identified and battle lines are being drawn.  The primary thrust of the Democratic campaign will be a woman's right to make her own health care decisions, and they will focus on turning out massive numbers of angry women in suburban communities in a handful of swing states.  Republicans will be trying to keep American goobers with guns riled up over the "invasion" of immigrants at our southern border.  Republicans will have better visuals, a distinct advantage in a society where significant numbers of individuals either can't or won't bother with reading. 

At a time when the world is beset with political and economic turmoil - and rapidly careening into the climate crisis of life-extinguishing proportions, the United States of America should be stepping forward with our best, brightest, and most vigorous leadership, but instead we are headed into four more years of concerns about comfortable footwear, lucidity, and incontinence.

Maybe if we had a nomination process that allowed for participation by all Americans, instead of just a select few who live in certain states, we could generate nominees who aren't well beyond their use-by dates and refugees from nursing homes.

Regional presidential primaries with all states participating would give us all a say in the process and some ownership in the results.  That almost sounds like real  democracy.

The current nominating system is a failure.   The proof of that will be on the ballot in November.