Presidential Boycott

I am hereby announcing a boycott of 2008 presidential politics. It is far too early for us to become hypnotized by the glittering horse race infomercial and ongoing reality series from which we tend to learn about our potential presidents to be. Haven’t we just wiped the sweat from our brow after the dash of ’06? Have we already forgotten the message we so furiously sent to Congress? What is the point of so much effort if we now fail to hold our representatives accountable?

The media has been yapping about Hillary for years already. The noise machine will still be roaring about Rudy’s Oscar-worthy performance on 9/11, postulating about how black Barack is, or else sniffing around in the underpants of “youthful indiscretions” that one candidate or another may or may not have undertaken. You’ll get all your star-studded fund raisers, your smear ads and your inspiring sound bites from the stump. But who can endure a full twenty months of presidential paparazzi? Now is the moment for our legislators to take the lead – not to be upstaged by the pageantry further up Pennsylvania Avenue.

There will be plenty of time for obsessing upon the White House Lotto just around the bend. Right now my governmental GPS is trained on the Capitol, where our employees there have the power to do so much. From ending the occupation of Iraq, to addressing the issue of universal health care, to restoring the respect that Americans once enjoyed abroad, it is time for Congress to step up and assert its Constitutional authority. Our nation was born out of righteous rebellion against a monarchy, remember? It’s time to walk the walk.

Read the Constitution. The 110th Congress has a lot of work to do. There are committee hearings to be heard, and subpoenas to be issued. How about those unlawful Presidential Signing Statements, or all that illegal domestic spying, or the treasonous outing of a non-official cover CIA agent and the “company” for whom she worked investigating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction? The Bill of Rights can still be spared extinction, and the Constitution explicitly provides the remedy for lawbreaking at the highest levels of the Executive Branch.

An overhaul of the election process – how it is financed, how it is tallied, and an honest look at how the Electoral College holds up democratically – is an urgently necessary reform that will likely be welcomed by constituents all across the political spectrum. Future presidential inaugurations would become more palatable if they are they were the result of elections that we could confidently call honest and accurate.

Pay no attention to the rumble of the motorcade. Concentrate instead on memorizing your Congressperson’s phone number in Washington, DC. Program it into your phone, and use it every day. Send them faxes and visit their district offices. We must learn to vote with our bodies and with our dollars, in addition to our annual November exercise at the ballot box.

The art and science of distraction are powerful forces. It is virtually redundant to lament the prurient fixations of the 24-hour news cycle. Does anyone remember Chandra Levy? Gary Condit? While George W. Bush was ignoring the August 6, 2001 Presidential Daily Brief (with the catchy heading, "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US"), our attentions were all so innocently glued to the sex and violence with which cable news had preoccupied us. Nothing like an affair with the intern to give a sordid story some legs.

There is reason to worry about the current Anna Nicole Smith mania. One can’t help wondering what is being carefully buried underneath the relentless coverage of a runaway bride or a Lacy Peterson. As the Bush administration rattles its sabers in the direction of Iran, we all know that Britney shaved her head, but how many of us can find the Straits of Hormuz on a map?

It’s difficult to beat back the cynicism each year when the Christmas shopping season begins earlier and earlier, creeping its way toward summer. So why are we being subjected to the same phenomenon with presidential elections? There are far more pressing issues that require our attention. We must work that much harder, then, to remain focused on making sure the folks we’ve already elected are doing the job we expect them to do.

As a result, I solemnly pledge not to consume media in any form regarding the election of 2008. This will include both traditional and new media, extending to my decision not to read email or engage discussion of the topic. No blogs, no polls, and no endorsements. All such information will be filed appropriately – in the order it was received – into the don’t-be-distracted-so-soon section of my library.

After we squeeze some legislative juice out of the new Congress, I’ll be happy to reevaluate my position. In the meantime, don’t even think of asking me for a campaign donation.