The recent distressing Pew Research Report stating that 1 in every 100 Americans is currently imprisoned got me thinking about how weary I’ve suddenly become of these presidential campaigns.

I know Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are in a tight race for delegates and each need to win big in these delegate-rich states. And that John McCain struggles to gain traction with conservative cultural leaders like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh.  I’ve also become painfully aware that Ron Paul has become even more marginalized in terms of substantive coverage, while Mike Huckabee gets mad-props for his “SNL” appearance, suggesting perhaps that Congressman Paul’s message is too sobering to be taken lightly. 

But we’ve got bigger fish to fry in this country than swallowing story after story about whether Clinton's people leaked “the photo” that repulsed the opposition.

I don’t think challenging McCain’s straight-talker image could sway conservatives further away from him, and I don’t imagine even the prized independent voters of Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont thinking, “Whoa. I better vote for Mike Huckabee or Barack Obama instead.”  

Maybe I’m missing the point of the plethora of intricate stories about the candidates, but this week I’ve been reading less of the New York Times front page and opting instead to “read” about Paris and Milan fashion shows. (Gut wrenching stuff, pun intended.)

You won’t find me arguing against voters educating themselves and if voters feel they need this information, then it’s a win-win situation and I’ll promptly shut up. But personally, I can’t wait until the candidates are free to roll up their sleeves and dig in on addressing issues, like whether encouraging a booming prison population is good public policy.

Campaigning reminds me of going grocery shopping with a too-long list of unfamiliar gourmet ingredients for an untested recipe, then getting home with everything and being too overwhelmed or exhausted to start cooking.  

Unless one is a preschooler, or a head of lettuce, spinning leaves one with a distastefully dizzy head.

Who feels the same? Who feels adamantly differently?

-Citizen Voices blogger Alma Sove has spent most of her life in San Diego and is currently attending law school.