I can certainly sympathize with these people, as they are complaining about the long campaign season we entered into right after the last election.

It is not unusual for Americans to profess irritation at campaigns that they say start too soon. But the sentiment this year appears notably different — and in some ways more complex — than in the past, reflecting the early start to the race, its intensity and, perhaps most of all, a sense in both parties that the country is ready to move beyond the Bush administration.

In interview after interview, voters said they felt overwhelmed by the battle for their attention: the speeches, the attacks, the unceasing news coverage of celebrity candidates, and a fund-raising free-for-all that many described as unseemly.

I’m not sure everyone who already has campaign fatigue feels the same about being excited about the election because it means the end of the Bush presidency, but I know I’m just fed up with all the campaigning 16 months before the general election and a primary season that began a full year before the first caucus or primary will be held.

I live in South Carolina, which is an early primary state, and even though I don’t watch local news much I’m already tired of the campaign.

Maybe it’s because I read so much about it in order to post about it. Maybe I should quit posting about it until something newsworthy happens.

If people are exposed to this day in and day out for almost two years I wonder if it will increase or decrease voters’ intentions to vote.

For people who are strongly interested in politics it will make no difference as they will vote anyway. For others, it may turn them away from the polling places while even others may be persuaded to vote.

Having candidates marching up and down Main Street U.S.A. and holding rallies in the town parks in July of the year preceding the election just doesn’t sound American to me.

Who was the first announced candidate? If anyone can remember who it is let’s put it in the comments and we’ll all pay him or her a visit to put a sock in his or her mouth until September of this year.