It's still barely 2007, but watching the news might make one think it's 2008. Though the presidential election is still over one and a half years away, America's news cycle is already freckled with campaign coverage and political analysis of the primary candidates.
According to the Associated Press, campaign stories on television have already taken up more than 95 minutes of airtime on the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts from the first of this year to Feb. 27, paling in comparison to coverage of the last four presidential elections.
With a pantheon of political superstars such as Rudy Giuliani, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain fighting for party nominations, the media has a wealth of celebrity-esque material to present to the public.
But is the American public happily consuming what the media is offering? Some Jumbos had a cynical view of the presidential campaign.
Junior Dan Jozwiak dislikes all of the early media attention. "It's corrupt and all about money," he said.
Senior David Rodman agreed. "It's stupid and a waste," Rodman said. "Now it's all about who has enough money to buy their way in to office ... You can't just dream of growing up to be president anymore."
Junior Elizabeth Yiu said she's not "big on American politics," but finds the hype surrounding the presidential election "mind-boggling."
"We still have to wait a year an entire year and a half before voting actually takes place, what on earth will they be doing when the deadline isn't so far off?" she said. "I cannot begin to fathom what campaigning will be like, as it gets closer to the date."
Others, like freshman Sarah Cleary, haven't noticed the surge of media focus on the campaign and don't really care.
"The election is obviously very important, but I almost never watch the news - especially in regards to politics," she said.
Senior Charles Bonello felt similarly: "It doesn't affect me," he said.
Senior Taylor Salditch theorized that all the media attention serves as a distraction.
"The media surrounding the election is drawing attention away from other ugly issues that people want to forget about such as the war in Iraq and the Scooter trial," Salditch said. "The public is looking for something positive to focus on, and another option beyond George Bush."
Some Tufts students reflected positively on the early media attention, like freshman Marie Cole.
"I think the early attention allows people to really get to know the candidates and make their decision fully aware of what each has to offer," she said. "This election involves issues surrounding race and ethnicity, and the public might need time to wade slowly in to them."
Senior Jessica Feinberg had similar sentiments.
"It's good in the sense that it gets people thinking early and allows for independent research to help form a personal opinion," Feinberg said. "[The candidates are] so diverse that a longer campaign might aid in forming a more solid base of support."
Junior Judah Levine agreed, and said there is nothing negative about the extra attention. "It can only make people more informed of their choices," he said.
