Speed of Light

In more leisurely days, one could pick up a copy of the weekly news magazines (i.e. Time, Newsweek) to get expert analysis of presidential campaigns. If a primary was held once a week or twice a month, the magazines could give thoughtful insight into the candidates and their developing campaigns. Just a few years ago, one could depend upon his/her local newspaper to get the top political stories from each day.

But it seems that those days of introspection are gone forever. Just think about the past seventeen days. Seventeen days - two weeks plus three days. How much could happen on the presidential front? Well, there was this thing called "Super Tuesday" on Tuesday February 5th. Primaries and caucuses were held all over the country. Clinton and Obama basically split the contests while McCain began to solidify his lead among the Republicans. Since then, there have been eleven more elections held. In just two short weeks, Obama pulled away from his rival by sweeping all the elections while McCain put a stranglehold on the GOP nomination. The richest candidate, Mitt Romney, dropped out, while Governor Huckabee stayed around to bring some lightness to the entire process.

If all that was not enough, think about the past six days. Obama lifted words from his friend Deval Patrick, Michele Obama was accused of being anti-American for some remarks she made, Senator Obama obliterated Clinton in Wisconsin, Clinton came close to crying again in a televised debate, husband Bill declared that if his wife did not win the upcoming Ohio and Texas primaries the campaign would be over, McCain was accused of a torrid affair with a young lobbyist, and the right wing went after their old nemesis - the New York Times.

The point is that there is not much time in this hyped up 24/7 world for measured thought. Any magazine article is already old before it hits the printer and what is fresh in the morning newspaper is already stale by noon. To keep up with all the buzz, the public must keep constantly tuned to the cable news channels and be locked in on the internet.

With a compacted primary season (here we are crying about Clinton getting out of the race and it is still only February) and the need for the new media outlets to have news and more news, the digesting of information no longer allows the voter to carefully weigh the pros and cons of the people who are competing for the most important position in the world. Momentum trumps experience and innuendo overcomes reasoned judgment.

We may have more people than ever tuned into this presidential race but that does not mean that we are critically educated to choose the right person.