David rightly notes our focus on Presidential politics when so much else goes on down ballot of significance.

David mentions two things I know little of and would appreciate knowing more about--the Working Families Party and New York State's "fusion voting system". 

Here's an excerpt.

"A month after Barack Obama's triumphant victory, we are still celebrating America's only authentic national religion, and it isn't Christianity - it's presidentialism, the worship of the president as an all-powerful, all-knowing deity who is the only important political actor in our country.

"This theology explains why both the public and the press corps seem far more interested in the Obama family dog and the Obama daughters' choice of elementary school than what happened down ticket on election day. In our nation, presidential pooches and prep schools are front-page stories. Local democracy is, at best, filler surrounding classified ads and comic strips."

Read the rest of the article here.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/05/EDRD14I60I.DTL