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Opinion

Campaign fever

AT ISSUE: Numerous candidates are preparing for a presidential election that is still two years away. The cost of running is said to be the reason for the early start, and the Washington Post reported that 2008 hopeful Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., will visit 15 states during the next month for 22 fundraisers. With at least 13 official candidates and many others publicly discussing running, are presidential campaigns beginning too early?Candidates may have ulterior motives for starting campaigns earlyMONICA GRANGER: The Washington Post reported Sen. John McCain hired staffers as early as June 2006. One reason for this is the market in which presidential hopefuls sell their ideas has expanded thanks to airline travel. Campaigns are also more expensive to conduct because of the rising costs of advertising. 

These points miss the real underlying reason for increases in the duration and cost of campaigns: big government. 

According to the Bureau of the Public Debt, the federal debt is about $8.7 billion, and it is up for grabs. Those who seek future kickbacks or rents via campaign contributions now -- be they wealthy private individuals or corporate "persons" -- benefit so long as they spend less on politicians and their ilk than they receive in return. 

Direct subsidies to corporations in addition to indirect subsidies like tax breaks mean big business has more to gain. Because of this, the cost of seeking rents from the state and away from other interested parties increases as well. Thus, politicians realize that by campaigning longer they receive more money.

However, we should be careful. Regulated campaigns and campaign finance schemes will only drive rent-seeking activities underground. The only way to deflate the bloated duration and cost of presidential campaigns is to stop government from redistributing the fruits of American labor to others in the first place.

Granger is a political science/economics senior.

Candidates aren' t starting too soon but are spending too much

ZACH LEE: Absolutely not. This is the first presidential election since 1928 in which there is no heir apparent to the presidency. The incumbent can' t run for re-election and his vice president has said he won' t run. With that in mind, the American people need to be as informed as possible about their choices in 2008.

With more than 20 official and possible candidates, the time to start informing Americans about each candidate' s accomplishments and platform cannot start soon enough.

The amount of money spent on campaigning for nominations and election in 2008 is a completely different issue. Federal Election Commissioner Michael Toner has estimated this will be the first $1 billion election in American history, and that is inexcusable in an information age in which politics can be shared and discussed instantaneously.

Sure, an e-mail or streaming speech is not as personal as a visit to Iowa or another important primary state. But it can be just as effective in spreading the word about a candidate' s political stance.

The campaigns aren' t beginning too soon, but they are fast becoming too expensive. They shouldn' t be about the person who can afford to fly to the most swing states; they should be about the person who represents what Americans want in the White House.

A presidential candidate shouldn' t be exhausted by the time he or she gets to the White House. The job itself should be quite enough for that.

Lee is an English/Spanish senior.

Wide range of candidates makes early campaigning necessary

CHRISTIAN PALMER: This round of the presidential election is unique in that it' s really anybody' s game. 

Representatives from both ends of the spectrum and everywhere in between are announcing their campaigns and taking real action -- about 21 months before Election Day.

The people of the United States have a big decision in front of them and are going to need plenty of time to deliberate -- or plenty of time to not care, in most cases, but that' s beside the point.

While most of us get increasingly disenchanted or otherwise fed up with the seemingly constant advertising campaigns, it is probably one of the most important mediums available to the contenders. 

Sure, the Internet is not something to ignore, but with the television, radio and billboards constantly putting names and faces -- especially names and faces that are new to the world of politics -- out there, audiences are pretty much forced to absorb it. 

The Internet is primarily for researching your candidates, but a well-placed ad ignites emotion and interest; the more people whose interest can be piqued, the better.

It' s a possibility, though, that while this senator and that governor are on the campaign trail, they will be distracted from their day jobs and fewer important things will get done now. 

Palmer is a media production/sociology junior.

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