Yes, this is a political blog post. But, before you exit the blog as quick as your nimble fingers can carry you, hear me out. I didn’t say it was your average, ad nauseum political blog post. 

I was reading my friend Mary’s thoughts on politics and it got me thinking. There MUST be a better way to go about a political campaign. We’ve been hearing the same things OVER AND OVER AND OVER; one candidate giving his view and bashing the other guy and vice versa. Eventually, I think we all start tuning out. And, heaven knows, we shouldn’t. This is BIG, LIFE-, FAMILY VALUES-, MORALS-ALTERING STUFF. Couldn’t there be a way to keep us interested and always finding out more about the candidates as people? In their daily lives? Presented with real-life challenges?
Enter my solution to the broken-record campaign trail: 
a new reality TV show called 
AMERICAN PRESIDENT

It would start being aired the week after the conventions, and feature the two hopefuls actually working out some of the country’s problems on a smaller scale with the plans they are proposing for national use. Each week or two a different problem is introduced. They would get to pull in some of their proposed cabinet to help them and we would see their mad leadership skillz in action. The show would cut to some footage filmed at home, with their families, so we could get to know their backgrounds a little better and see how they handle real-life family issues. Also included would be some time to answer viewer (voter) questions. At the end of each episode, we would call or text in our votes to the pollsters (so maybe they would quit calling us at home). 

Finally, for the last episode before election day, they would have to debate before the electoral college, and then all registered voters would phone in their votes using a code from their voters cards. The finale would introduce the new A-MERI-CAN PRESIDENT (insert Ryan Seacrest’s announcing voice here), and the winner would sing their version of the National Anthem. 
Okay, that last part’s probably not the greatest idea.
As Mary pointed out to me, this idea might not jibe with constitutional law. But there wasn’t the advent of television when the founding fathers were writing this stuff down. And they were really reasonable men; visionaries, if you will. I’m certain they would’ve seen the potential in such an idea. I mean, if our country’s youth are getting their voting info from Saturday Night Live and the like, wouldn’t American President be an improvement?
These are just my thoughts, and, alas, there is no such platform. Maybe there will be something better in our future. Actually, the “better” of everything in our country’s future depends on you taking what you’ve learned in this campaign, such as it is, and getting yourself to the polls. 
PRAY.
VOTE.
PRAY SOME MORE.
And then, maybe write a letter to the DNC, RNC and FOX about the campaign of 2012!