Every four years, the United States undergoes a remarkable transformation from a fairly stable political dipole to a political mess. In the midst of change, a person must not only choose a party, but also a favorite party candidate. The primaries are a unique and valuable time in politics, when both fresh and veteran voters alike can get excited about the election process and express their political views beyond general party loyalty. However, this excitement fades soon after Super Tuesday, and many people find themselves impatient for the selection of a candidate. Moving the primaries closer to the conventions would eliminate the loss of enthusiasm, wasted money and intra-party divisions that are products of the current election process.

It is common knowledge that political campaigns cost money, and the primaries are no exception. From television ads to speech writers, the primaries quickly suck up huge amounts of money. So far in the 2008 primaries, the three front runners (Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain) have spent a combined total of $421 million. Even with the primaries drawing to a close, they don’t seem to be cutting back any funds.

Clinton recently took out a loan for over $6 million in order to continue campaigning in the remaining states. This money, donated by various individuals and businesses, could easily be contributed to another more lasting and important cause such as health care or education. As it is, hundreds of millions of dollars are being thrown away over the course of several months in order to promote the interests of a few political candidates.

Although the presidential primaries inherently divide political parties, lengthy primaries exacerbate and draw out these divisions, creating unnecessary bitterness and destroying party unity. In this year’s primaries, the schism in the Democratic Party between supporters of Obama and supporters of Clinton is harming the party’s chances for victory in the actual presidential elections.

A similar split occurred in the 1980 primaries between Democratic hopefuls Jimmy Carter and Edward M. Kennedy. Their bitter fight continued all the way to the convention, and although Carter came out on top, he lost the general election. As the current Democrats continue to debate amongst themselves, McCain is free to concentrate on building the Republican platform against both Obama and Clinton. If the primaries started later, there would be less time for party in-fighting and any bitterness would be short-lived.

It is disappointing to see so many people lose interest in politics due to the drawn out nature of the primaries. This important step in the political process is supposed to pique the interest of voters and prime them for the presidential elections. If the government wants to save the money, interest and unity of voters, it must seriously consider shortening the presidential primary elections.