This is a question for the other, err, more seasoned, US dopers like myself who’ve seen a few elections. Can anybody remember less attention being paid to a presidential election? Usually, by this time, there are people displaying campaign stuff, and the upcoming election is getting discussed. Bumper stickers seem to be going out of style in general, but there seems to be a lack of other expression about the election as well.
What’s curious is that it’s still too close to call, and there does seem to be a fair degree of differentiation in the major candidates positions. As opposed to some previous contests where it was obvious who was going to win 2 months ahead of time.
No major crises, so people are simply preoccupied with their own affairs?
Speaking of affairs, no salacious info about either Bush or Gore?
Who are, of course, both about as compelling as a dead flounder?
All I can say it thank goodness. It will be nice to have someone in office who brings a little integrity and sparkle back the office of the presidency without thinking that one of the perks of the job is the chance to diddle the staff whenever he feels like it.
I think it all depends on where you live. I think you’d be seeing a lot more election stuff if you were living in a “battleground” state rather than one of the states where one candidate or the other has locked up already. Out here in California I haven’t seen a single Bush or Gore TV ad. I imagine that means people in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and the other big electoral vote/close polls states must be getting deluged.
But don’t worry about us out here, the usual batch of Propositions is filling the presidential vacuum…
Ford-Carter in 1976 was quite close, I seem to remember quite a few people guessing that one wrong. Same was true for Carter-Reagan in 1980. It was looking close right up until the end. Since then, Clinton-Bush in 1992 was the only one to bring any drama, but I seem to remember it looking pretty good for Clinton some time before.
As far as it being dull, read your history. The elections in the 20s weren’t too exciting, probably for the same reason this one is dull. The economy is very strong, and has been for quite a while. Americans only become really interested in politics when their bank accounts get small.
Yeah, I was shocked to see that you think no one is paying attention to this election. I live in Michigan and have never seen one so big. There are ads everywhere, all the time, in every media available. Our state and Missourri are the only two big electoral states where the polls are constantly shifting. I’m really surprised the rest of the nation isn’t getting all the hype; I never realized it was just us.