Keep the Momentum Going After DNC and RNC

Learn more about Obama and Romney's take on the issues before Nov. 6

In an election year, time flies.  One moment you’re in primary season, before you know it, the election is here.  But in a presidential election year, time flies even faster, it seems.  This cycle has been no different.  The Republican and Democratic National Conventions are over and yet many of us are still feeling the excitement. Many of my recent conversations have started with, “Did you go to the conventions? What did you think?” Because time seems to be on fast forward, people are using what happened at the convention to guess what will happen in the election.

What I've noticed is that your average, everyday citizen, Joe Q. Public, is mesmerized by big moments like conventions or speeches. Most of us don't get wrapped up in the day-to-day political muck and mire. It's almost as if when politicians speak, outside of at big events like the DNC and RNC, we hear them in a way that is reminiscent of how adults sounded to Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang.

There's always an exception to the rule and in the world of politics, there are two exceptions—scandal and tragedy. If a politician gets caught in bed with anyone other than his or her partner, if they have a child out of wedlock, if they fall ill with some incurable disease, they receive attention.  But let them make a statement about how they plan (or don't plan) to address important topics like education, and it falls on deaf ears.