Scientists call for wider search for alien life 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. They worry that the public will lose interest in this contest before a single voter steps into the polls and that the bustle of this supercharged environment is crowding out lesser-known contenders. They are concerned that a race careering along at this pace does not give candidates time to listen and learn from voters, explore new issues and evolve.
But while voters from both parties in many places across the country said they were flinching at the onslaught of this early politicking, they certainly were not disengaged. Many suggested they were eager for the arrival of Election Day and, with it, a change in the White House and in policy at home and abroad. Colleen Gallagher, a high school teacher in Narberth, said: "People are going to have burnout, they are going to be just sick of hearing about it.
Gallagher then proceeded to slip eagerly into an lively and informed 20-minute conversation about the race. Those crosscurrents highlight a challenge for the large field of candidates: how to harness the energy coming from an electorate ready for a change without overloading it too soon. In the Studio City section of Los Angeles, Ed Wood, 34, an independent voter, said that "we re being forced, dragged to pay attention.
" Wood added: "It s a really important election. It s going to be a reaction against the current president." The sense that voters were ready to turn the page on Bush was reflected even in interviews with some Republicans.
"I did vote for him twice, but I m very disappointed in him," said Kathy Shaffer, an elementary school teacher from Clear Lake, Iowa. "I have switched completely from pro-Iraq to I want them home. I m afraid Bush is not going to be able to do anything because of this Iraqi war.
" David Labowitz, an insurance salesman here, said he voted for Bush in 2004 and was eager for the next election to come along so he could rectify what he called his mistake. "I am a registered Republican," Labowitz said, "but I am so embarrassed to be a registered Republican." The candidates are drawing full-house crowds, from small Iowa living rooms to rallies in big parks.
Senator Barack Obama, Democrat of Illinois, reported last week that 258,000 people had contributed to his campaign; the leading presidential candidates have raised about $245 million, much of that in small donations. Almost without exception, in interviews and in public polls, Americans say they consider this race vitally important and are paying attention to what is going on. "You ve got to," Labowitz said.
"American has got some real issues, and we re wasting a lot of time." Even Hubbard, as overwhelmed as she said she was by the race, said there might be some benefits. "You do have some time to process information, because there is a lot of information out there," she said, adding, "Maybe I ll be able to make a better and more informed choice.
" The responses suggest the challenges candidates face in trying to break from the pack and appeal to voters. In interviews, voters were usually able to volunteer certain candidates names (think Clinton and Obama), but from there, lapsed into hazy guesses about who the candidates were and what they stood for.
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