Rick Perry

Governor Perry should have to resign his office to run for another office.    If President Obama wanted to run for anything other than reelection he should also have to resign from office.  I'm of the opinion that running for office has gotten out of hand and you really can't tell when a politician isn't running for reelection or another office.  As much as they complain about raising money 24/7 and the fact that in the real world fund raising would really put a crimp in being a legislator, the world has been turned upside down and the legislative process is actually much more difficult than dialing for dollars.  A recent campaign to stop donations for incumbants isn't very likely to succeed but many of the long term incumbants are in such safe districts that money raised at home is doled out to other less senior folks as a form of influence peddling or used to scare off primary opponents.

As a result talking points, fund raisers, and sham town hall media events are the political meat of the day rather than doing things that make the country a better place to live.  A country where fewer people would be out of work, a country that is safer and more peaceful, a country where education and health care is of the highest quality and affordable for all should be a goal of the political class.  Unfortunately, all I hear about is the horse race nature of politics rather than a serious discussion of policies in a pluralist but divided country.

Campaigns need to be limited in time and the resources dedicated to them.  This might put some needed blinkers on the folks we elect to Washington D.C., Tallahassee or City Hall.