Obama vs. McCain: finally a change in the American political process?

I think we can all agree that American politics is in ugly shape. Over the past few campaigns, we've seen little substance—mostly they've been based on ad-hominem attacks. Americans' support for our politicians, from President Bush all the way through Congress, are at all-time lows. It's difficult for voters to focus on the issues when even our mainstream news media rarely focuses on the issues. We're due for a change.

Now we have a presidential election featuring two reformers running on messages of change. Barack Obama and John McCain have, at various times, both promised to run outsider, issue-focused campaigns. This election thus has an opportunity to bring long-overdue changes to the way debates are being conducted in our political system.

Of course, this isn't a guarantee. It's pretty easy to get pulled back down into the muck of politics as usual—just witness Obama's primary fight against Hillary Clinton, which at time devolved into a substanceless mess about lapel pins and whose associates were more offensive. To rescue American politics and regain voters' trust, there are four things Obama and McCain should do during the campaign:

1. Lay out a clear, positive vision for the nation.
2. Campaign together
3. Accept public financing
4. Avoid “going personal.”

More detail after the break...

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