Whenever a politician appears on TV, or in the newspaper, or in advertisements beamed directly into our brains (they're working on it), they always have that little parenthetical letter after their name. R - Republican. D-Democrat. I-Independent. L-Lol, like anyone would vote for something out of R&D.
Why is this? We've pigeonholed ourselves into an electoral system in which party is the only significant factor. Or at least, it's the most significant factor. That's terrible. I can't imagine how many people watch a political ad, see the letter, and then tune out everything else as if it were the teacher from Peanuts talking, having already made their decision based on that single character.
Why do we even have candidates anymore? Just have a sign that says, "Vote R!" Or "Vote D!" That's what people are doing anyway, and then they could just fill the slot with whomever they please afterward. Joe the Plumber could be our next congressman. Or Phil from accounts receivable. You don't know who these people are, but that's not important because you know what letter they wear.
I say take the letters out. Force people to actually engage their higher cognitive functions - assuming they still can - and make them figure out which party the candidate belongs to based on what they say in their ads. Or better yet, maybe they'll just be able to determine if they like the candidate or not, regardless of party. It sure would get people to put a little bit more thought into their votes, and while it might scare some folks off who can't be bothered to work things out for themselves, are those really the kind of people we want voting in the first place?
I'm Illjwamh (A), and I approve this message.
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