Maybe we need less politics?

I was recently thinking about the current presidential election. We often consider political participation and knowledge to be important. The more connect the voters are to the candidates should mean the best candidate with the best idea will win. It's a combination of the Marketplace of Ideas and true democracy.

And in 2008, we've seen unprecedented interest in the election. Young people and old who never thought they'd care about politics suddenly are attending rallies, wearing t-shirts. et cetera. That is wonderful. Now, suddenly we have a democracy that functions...

Or does it? With everyone so intrigued by this election the media willingly did their civic duty (while making a lot of money). It provided more and more politics. Suddenly, CNN's morning show is now tagged as "the most politics in the morning." I am sorry, but I do not necessarily want politics in the morning. I will gladly take CMT music videos, thank you.

But those politically-oriented shows that used to be animal-oriented or best cookbook-oriented, or Brittany Spears-oriented aren't changing their tune. Yes, we're learning more about politics, but what we're learning isn't much more important than the aforementioned cute critters and teen sensations. Basically, legitimate news has become tabloidized. 

We must get past those silly stories that distract if we ever wish to enlighten to world. Hype about politics will wear down, and I fear many young people will look back and learn nothing about the world we live in.