...And I Approve This Message

It's easy to forget sometimes that The US is the only country holding an election this year. However, the constant barrage of advertisements, attacks and condoned messages spewing from all orifices of the American media pales in comparison to the Horário Eleitoral.
Three times a day the television is at bay of the political forces for an hour at a time. There are so many parties it's impossible to keep track, literally thousands. Here in Florianópolis the endless advertisement avalanche of amateur, clumsy, bumbling, foolish ads make me cringe for hours on end. It makes Blair High School SGA elections seem like a prominent political force propagated by powerful lobbying groups.
The candidates voices are monotone, their hand gestures awkward and their pitches uninspired. Each party has a corresponding number, and each candidate within the party has an individual number as well. Candidates find bizarre ways to catch the voters eyes; dressing up like clowns or Santa Claus, or belting out country music melodies. My students have told me that the further you head into the country, the more prevalent the vote buying and unprofessional the electoral process becomes.
Nevertheless, Brazil has had electronic voting nationalized for nearly the past decade, something that our hanging chad fiasco could attest to needed improvement. And curiously, morality issues such as gun-control, abortion, and gay marriage are left far away from the ballot box.
But really as an American who I am to talk? What with the electoral college, primary/general election, two-term elected George W. Bush my students have constant ammunition to stump and confound me. And I thought prepositions were difficult to explain.