Just a thought

The US 'general election' seems to go on forever.You've spent goodness knows how long in picking just the two candidates for President and that process is a long way from ended. How long is the real campaign set for?

How about a system where a) the two parties choose their presidential candidate maybe years in advance of the general election, so you and they know who it is and they can get used to the idea and b) the President chooses the date of the general election and may give as little as seventeen working days between the announcement and the election itself? Just restrict him or her from having a term of longer than five years between elections.

Just think of the fun that would be and how much money and time you'd save !

Could it ever catch on? Our 'president', Gordon Brown, works under exactly that system.He's only been in office about three months and has already come under fire because he made it appear that he would call a 'snap election', probably for early next month, but has now declared that he won't. He can wait until 2010, latest.(His decision has more to do with the fact that he was leading in all the polls, but suddenly is not, than with any other, more serious, reason )

Seriously, what, if any, reforms have ever been considered which would shorten or cheapen your current process?