Long elections waste immense amounts of money. they harass potential voters into apathy. They play into the horse-race, scandal-fed view of politics that feeds deeply unserious media coverage. They NOT INCIDENTALLY make it difficult/impossible for campaigns to deal with last-minute surprises.
note how long it took the French from calling the election to holding not 1 but 2 votes? and organizing the shit out of the second one? LESS THAN ONE MONTH
A national election does not have to be a painful 1.5-2 year process! the US election campaign should quite honestly not even have started yet!!
our endless election cycle is a shambling zombie, and it is just incredibly awful. I try not to think about the fact that we have four agonizing months still to go
Orwell wrote that while candidates are campaigning, they aren't actually working for the people.
So that their goal becomes endless rallies in front of adoring thralls, and no actual policy.
I am repeatedly bothered by how much campaiging in the USA is about $$$ but I suppose for the powers that be, that is the point: if it isn't about the money, then they can't buy elections
Politicians today wield the same power and weave the same spells as priests and other magicians held before:
The promise of a Heaven for their followers, the threat of Hell for the infidel.
They use 'magic' (tech) to trick/control their thralls.
Slavery and executions to impress the undecided.
