Two of America's top issues ignored by President Obama, Mitt Romney

Over at The Huffington Post, Harvard professor Larry Lessig points out that, for the first time in recent memory, the presidential candidates have ignored two of Americans’ Top Ten issues of the campaign.

According to Gallup polls, the list of 10 issues that the nation’s voters believe should be a priority for the next president puts “reducing corruption in the federal government” at No. 2, with 87 percent of Americans saying it is extremely or very important.
At No. 9 is “overcoming political gridlock” in Washington, with 76 percent labeling it as extremely or very important.

Yet, Lessig’s column reveals that neither of those two issues is mentioned on the websites of President Obama or Mitt Romney. How can that be?
Corruption is ranked higher than terrorism, the deficit, education or Social Security, but the candidates ignore the issue. Tax reform and affordable access to college rates below gridlock but neither campaign attempts to tackle the subject.

Here’s a portion of Lessig’s argument:
“Let's focus on issue No. 2: reducing corruption in the federal government. It's clear that by ‘corruption,’ Americans don't mean the crimes of Rod Blagojevich or Jack Abramoff. Those scandals were long ago, and our memory is short. Instead, the only sort of ‘corruption’ that has had the focus of the news media is the endless campaign cash that every candidate for any office is now seen obsessively to seek. Super PACs and Citizens United: these are the triggers to what we mean today by ‘corruption.’ In response to that corruption, Americans are looking for a democracy that doesn't seem so slimy.

“Yet neither Romney nor Obama wants to talk about this corruption, though no doubt for very different reasons. Though Americans hate the system, beltway Republicans (and Romney) apparently love it. Some think it's the only way for Republicans to remain competitive. So it's obviously best for them to keep silent about an issue not likely to win them support. And while Obama no doubt hates the system as much as anyone, to raise it now would be to remind us that he promised to "take up that fight" to change the system, but has not yet gotten around to it. Worse, there's something seemingly hypocritical about attacking SuperPACs while encouraging friends to send support to your own.

“So it's no surprise that the candidates won't volunteer a plan to address this ‘corruption.’ But why is it that they are not asked anyway? Why isn't it the core of journalistic ethics to get the candidates to address the issues America wants addressed, especially when it is clear that candidates themselves don't want that issue addressed?”