Policy Thought Crossover: Top Five Reasons we tune in to the election

This election cycle has proven to be one of the most exciting in recent memory. The drama and headlines, some natural, some manufactured have kept the public unusually interested in the reality TV show we call the presidential election of 2008. However, there five reasons above all that keep this one interesting...folks if you enjoy this list head over to Policythought, where we delve into Policy and Politics every day...

#5. The first open source campaign

We saw inklings of it in 2004 for the Howard Dean Campaign, and some of the mechanics of the machinery for the Kerry Campaign, but the online juggernaut that has exploded in political coverage since both of those campaigns is astounding. The blogs are a whole new level of political importance-the third leg of media checks and balances. There's the official line of the politician, the media's spin, and the the blogosphere hyper-spin or counter spin. Convince the MSM of your point is one thing, read the blogs the next hour, did you convince Kos?

#4. It's Reality TV

Hillary Clinton's quest to break the highest and hardest glass ceiling, Bill Clinton's obsessive desire to regain the White House by proxy, the public break up between Senator Obama and his off-the-wall pastor, Ron Paul's never ending crusade. This political season has become the best reality show on television.

#3. Bill Clinton

Just when you thought the story line might get boring. Bill pops back up like the plastic dad in Don't Wake Daddy, wide eyed and pissed that some 2 year Senator woke him from his dream of he and his wife going round #2 at the White House. In his agitation he might compare Obama to Jesse Jackson, or maybe he'll claim Hillary's faced brutal sexism, or maybe he'll say that the race card was played against him. Sometimes he just wants to scream at people at campaign rallies. Whatever it is, Bill's always there as ex-presid

ent combatant in chief.

#2 Yes We Can!

I know its a simplistic and some would say lame campaign slogan. Some would say that the hope Obama promises is hype. But whatever way you slice it, Senator Obama has generated a new an very exciting interest in politics. He has turned the youngest voters on to the process. His charisma, his political skill, his oratory and his thoughtfulness have turned him into the Vin Diesel of politics. I bet he hopes he has a longer shelf life.

#1 President Bush

Let's face it-we all wouldn't care who was going to be the next president so much if not for the fact that we all disapprove of President Bush so much. Mr. 28% per cent approval has given all of us a reason to be interested in who replaces him. Maybe you hate the war in Iraq, or his administration's abuses of power, maybe you think negotiating with enemies is intelligent, maybe you like a President that can string together a sentence with more than 3 multi-syllabic words in it without getting that dim sort of glazed over look is appealing. Maybe you don't want a vice president that reminds you so much of Darth Vader. Whatever your particular beef it's reason enough to want someone new, desperately. And so we all watch with great intent the buffon reality play that is our current presidential cycle.