Over the past few months, I've had discussions with numerous acquaintances about the current Presidential campaigns and race.
Some of them, like me, enjoy the free comedy and sheer craziness of this race. Others bemoan the continued exposure of Americans to ceaseless campaigning.
It was in the midst of a discussion about this with an acquaintance the other day that I realized the truth.
The modern Presidential race has become the ultimate in reality television.
Where else can you find more people publicly humiliating themselves, sacrificing more privacy, subjecting themselves to more investigation, by more people, for a longer time?
Truly, our Presidential campaigners display an ability to scrape, bow and grovel for the ultimate prize in a manner that surpasses the most disgusting prime-time reality television series.
And you know what? I think that's great.
As I noted in this recent post, it's questionable that Bill Clinton could get elected in 2008. When he ran sixteen years ago, the mostly-liberal press and media could be counted on to sweep embarrassments like Jennifer Flowers off of the front pages and news hours in short order. Once vanished from the major media, those stories had nowhere to go, and died.
Now, they live on via cable news networks, YouTube and a cornucopia of political blogs.
Not only do I enjoy the marathon campaign this time around. I think it redounds to America's lasting benefit.
With time and numerous investigators probing every detail of the candidates' claims, positions, and prior records, we learn much more about the candidates than they ever intended.
As Jefferson preferred, an ultimate free press is proving the undoing of liars and poseurs who would be President.
Hooray for the internet and unbridled, free media in America- especially during campaign seasons!
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